In Fantasy Football, identifying and drafting “sleepers” can give you an edge over your competition and help you win championships. The term “sleeper” can mean different things to different people, so it’s important for me to define what it means when I give advice about my favorite quarterback sleepers for the upcoming season. I will define a Fantasy Football “sleeper” as a player whose value / average draft position (ADP) is considerably lower than what their Fantasy production can be.
Here are some quarterback sleepers from last season that would fit this definition:
- Jordan Love: QB26 ADP vs QB5 overall finish
- Jared Goff: QB17 ADP vs QB7 overall finish
- Baker Mayfield: QB31 ADP vs QB10 overall finish
- CJ Stroud: QB24 ADP vs QB11 overall finish
The QBs in the above examples were selected at a lower ADP but had a positive gap in their overall Fantasy Football production / finish for the position. Drafting these quarterback sleepers at cost was a huge benefit to lineups. The quarterback sleepers below can follow the same path to Fantasy success at their current ADPs.
Quarterback Sleepers for 2024 Fantasy Football
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
In 2023, Kirk Cousins was putting up some of the biggest numbers of his career in Weeks 1-8 before his Achilles tear. During this span, Cousins ranked:
- #2 in passing yards (2,331)
- T#1 in passing touchdowns (18)
- #6 in total Fantasy Points (154.9)
- #8 in Fantasy PPG (19.4)
Cousins was on absolute fire statistically and for Fantasy Football, which truly shows he still has juice left in his game at 35.9 years old. Prior to 2023, Cousins’ resume:
- Seven seasons over 500 passing attempts, with a high of 606 (2018/2016)
- Seven seasons over 4,000 passing yards, with a high of 4,917 (2016)
- Three seasons over 30 passing touchdowns, with a high of 35 (2020)
- Six seasons averaging over 18 Fantasy PPG, with a high of 20 (2020)
- Six seasons averaging top 12 Fantasy PPG, with a high finish of #6 (2017/2016)
The bullets above demonstrate passing upside for Kirk Cousins that has translated well for Fantasy Football. Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons this off-season. Minnesota featured a great trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson which is one of the best in the NFL when healthy. A move to Atlanta still has Cousins with one of the best trios in the NFL with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson who were all top-eight draft picks by the Falcons from 2023 back to 2021. Cousins will also have field-stretcher Darnell Mooney and reliable outlet Rondale Moore, who were signed to Atlanta this off-season.
The history of both statistical and Fantasy production tied to a young, exciting core in Atlanta could mean Cousins finishing 2024 as a top-12 Fantasy quarterback. That is an outcome I would not be surprised with, and when I finalize my rankings I will have Cousins close to that. All pass-catchers in Atlanta were elevated for Fantasy with the Cousins signing, and in return they will elevate their quarterback by playmaking with the ball in their hands.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Across the last three seasons, Deshaun Watson has played in just 12 total games. Injuries and suspension have been the reasons behind this. The market seems to view Watson as a quarterback who simply is not good anymore, but last season for me at least says otherwise. Watson appeared in six games, but truly only played in five of those since one meant playing just 16% of the snaps. In three of those five games, his numbers looked like this:
- Week 1: 16/29 for 154 passing yards. One touchdown paired with an interception. 45 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. 21.7 Fantasy Points as the QB5 for the week
- Week 3: 27/33 for 289 passing yards. Two passing touchdowns. 16 rushing yards. 21.2 Fantasy Points as the QB10 for the week
- Week 9: 19/30 for 219 passing yards. Two passing touchdowns. 22 rushing yards. 19 Fantasy Points as the QB8 for the week
Joe Flacco’s success in Cleveland last season in the absence of Deshaun Watson was also an indicator that Watson could be successful across a full season in 2024. Are those two similar quarterbacks? No. Can Flacco be a sign that the Browns have an environment for a quarterback to succeed? Yes.
Many people forget that there was a stretch of seasons where Deshaun Watson was dominant, as one of the league’s best dual-threat quarterbacks. Here are some resume pieces through his three full seasons (2018-2020):
- Two seasons of 4,823 (2020) and 4,165 (2018) passing yards
- Seasons of 444 (2020), 413 (2019) and 551 (2018) rushing yards
- Seven rushing touchdowns in 2019
- 33 passing touchdowns in 2020
- 23.5 (#5) Fantasy PPG in 2020, 22 (#2) Fantasy PPG in 2019 and 21.3 (#5) Fantasy PPG in 2018
Watson has statically shown us upside through the air, and on the ground, which we know is a great combination for Fantasy Football. Finishing as a top-five quarterback in Fantasy PPG in all three full seasons is not talked about enough.
Amari Cooper finished 2023 with a career-high 1,250 receiving yards. David Njoku finished 2023 with career-highs in targets (123), receptions (81), receiving yards (882) and receiving touchdowns (six). Jerry Jeudy was acquired from the Broncos who is a former first-round pick and set career-highs with 67 catches, 972 receiving yards, and six touchdowns back in 2022. This trio, along with other supporting cast members in Cleveland is a great boost towards Watson showing us the success of his past when it comes to Fantasy Football.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young’s rookie season was a disappointment, to say the least, as the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. 315/527 (59.8%) for 2,877 passing yards. 11 touchdowns paired with 10 interceptions. 62 sacks. 10.4 Fantasy PPG ranked 29th for the position. There were just two notable flashes as a rookie last season:
- Week 5: 25/41 (82.1%) for 247 passing yards. Three touchdowns and two interceptions. 20.3 Fantasy Points. QB9 for the week
- Week 16: 23/36 (63.9%) for 312 passing yards. Two passing touchdowns. 22.2 Fantasy Points. QB9 for the week
Yong needed to be better at times, but with a poor offensive line along with a mediocre set of weapons, he was nearly set up to fail. This off-season, Carolina made several moves that support growth for Bryce Young in 2024:
- The hiring of Head Coach Dave Canales. Canales has been tied to quarterback improvements in his previous offensive coordinator roles such as Russell Wilson’s 2018 leap in production in Seattle, Geno Smith’s major 2022 career turnaround season in Seattle, and the bounce-back of Baker Mayfield last year in Tampa Bay.
- The trade to acquire Diontae Johnson, who should step in as the team’s WR1. Johnson has earned 144+ targets in all three seasons from 2020-2022, as a wide receiver who simply is elite at getting open
- The signing of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis to add to the Carolina offensive-line issues
- 2024 NFL Draft weapons added: Xavier Legette (wide receiver, South Carolina) via the first round, Jonathon Brooks (running back, Texas) via the second round and Ja’Tavion Sanders (tight end, Texas) via the fourth round
Improvements to the coaching staff, offensive line, and the weapons Young has to throw to are major boosts to a much different season in 2024. Young has an opportunity to take major statistical leaps in 2024, that can translate to Fantasy Football. Being selected as the number one pick overall in an NFL Draft typically is not a fluke, so the improvements to the system hopefully meet with what Young’s talent should be and equals minimum streaming Fantasy weeks in 2024. That makes him one of the top potential quarterback sleepers for the coming season.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
We were teased by Will Levis’ first appearance last year in the NFL as a rookie for Fantasy Football: 19/29 for 238 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 26.6 Fantasy Points, QB6 for the week. Major performance to start Levis’ NFL career, but the next seven appearances meant being outside the top 14 Fantasy quarterbacks and outside the top 20 Fantasy quarterbacks in four of those seven games. Similar to some notes on Young above, Levis’ organization made a point to attempt and make his second year successful:
- Tennessee agreed to terms with Calvin Ridley, to pair him with veteran DeAndre Hopkins. Both Ridley and DHop earned exactly 136 targets last season (Ridley was a Jaguar), and both wide receivers finished with over 1,000 receiving yards
- Tennesee also agreed to terms with Tony Pollard, to pair him with 2023 rookie Tyjae Spears. Both running backs finished 2023 (Pollard was a Cowboy) with over 50 receptions and over 300 receiving yards
- Tyler Boyd also agreed to terms with the Titans. Boyd has earned 94-147 targets in four of his last five seasons with the Bengals
- JC Latham, an offensive tackle out of Alabama, was drafted seventh overall to add to the Titans’ offensive line
Levis enters his sophomore season with a lot more options to throw the ball to, with some added protection on top of that. Maybe, just maybe that Fantasy flash we saw in his NFL debut can be a glimpse of some upside Levis will have through the air in 2024. If Levis can progress in year two, he can become a quarterback streamer worth rostering across all formats.
Who are your favorite quarterback sleepers for 2024 fantasy football? Drop some names in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.