ADP helps all fantasy football players in one way or another. For those that are not familiar, ADP stands for “Average draft position”. This means where a player is going on average amongst most fantasy leagues. The ADP can be different on various sites. This series of “ADP Battles” will be split into three articles. First up are Quarterbacks. There will always be an argument for players close to each other’s ADP. I will pick six Quarterbacks, split into groups of two. These ADPs will be based on the ADP from fantasypros.com.
Fantasy Football ADP Quarterback Battles
Battle I
Kirk Cousins (QB18), ADP 140.8
First up, are two Quarterbacks who are no strangers to putting up elite numbers. Both dealt with the same injury last season. One played a single snap and the other played in just eight games before going down. They will be named the Achilles brothers. Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers have zero rushing upside, especially with the tears they suffered to end their seasons last year.
To begin with, Kirk Cousins has a new home and is the starting Quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins had the best start to a season of his career in 2023. He was on pace to throw for over 35 touchdowns which would have been a career high. Also, Cousins was averaging 19.3 fantasy ppg, the most since 2021. Overall, Cousins was on his way to a fourth consecutive QB1 season before going down. Now, he has weapons named Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson. The best part is that Arthur Smith is no longer running the Falcons. Raheem Morris from the Los Angeles Rams is now the head coach along with a few members of the Rams staff he brought along.
Aaron Rodgers (QB19), ADP 148.8
Rodgers is one of the five greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. Although Father Time has found Aaron Rodgers, last season deserves a major re-do noting that he played a SINGLE snap before getting hurt. Rodgers, a four-time MVP found himself in New York after 15 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. With all the hope in the world for a Jets Super Bowl, it came crashing down faster than the hair on my head. Furthermore, even with Rodgers lost for all of last season, the Jets still mustered up seven wins with mediocre Quarterback play. Thanks to the stellar defense, the Jets can only think what a full season with Rodgers will look like.
All in all, Garett Wilson and Breece Hall make drafting Rodgers very intriguing. It is honestly a toss-up for most. Only being able to pick one, my answer is Kirk Cousins. I trust the Falcons coaching staff, with the weaker division, too, and Cousins having an easier Quarterback schedule for fantasy, Rodgers loses this ADP battle in my eyes.
Battle II
Lamar Jackson (QB4), ADP 39.3
The reigning MVP of the NFL, Lamar Jackson is one of the greatest fantasy weapons we have ever seen. With that being said, Lamar Jackson is going in the same round as the QB5 based on ADP. This QB5 had just seven QB1 weeks in 15 games with 167 rushing yards. Lamar Jackson had 10 QB1 weeks in 16 games to go with 821 yards. The best part is that Lamar Jackson did what he always does on the ground AND added a career-high in passing yards and YPA (yards per attempt). Lamar Jackson is QB2 for me this season and we have to thank Derrick Henry for it. With Henry as a Raven, I believe this will free Lamar up as a passer and give him more room to run. All that focus on the greatest Running Back of his generation will help Lamar operate more freely.
CJ Stroud (QB5), ADP 48.8
CJ Stroud is ELITE. I fear he might be a better real-life Quarterback than in fantasy football. Stroud is being drafted as the QB5 yet finished as the QB5 or higher in just two regular season games. He also finished as the QB7 on a ppg basis. Now, the Texans added an RB1 in Joe Mixon and an elite receiver in Stefon Diggs. This looks AMAZING on paper. The issue I have is that I think the Houston Texans will do amazing in the regular season and be in a lot of games where they run away with the win, In turn, this will lead to more Joe Mixon and less Stroud passing the football. With barely any rushing upside, Stroud needs over 30 touchdowns and 5000 passing yards to live up to his QB5 ADP. I will draft Lamar Jackson over CJ Stroud in 2024.
Part III
Jared Goff (QB15), ADP 121.0
Despite Jared Goff finishing above his 20223 ADP as the QB11 on a ppg basis he stayed the same compared to CJ Stroud who went up in ADP. Yet, both have elite offenses to play with along with each having an alpha wide receiver. This makes Jared Goff one of the best Quarterback values in 2024. To make things more enticing, Goff plays 12 games inside this season. Although he rushed for less than 30 yards last season, he saw over 600 passing attempts. This Lions’ offense gets tricky and very creative with lots of points and yards to go around. Goff got extended and the offense will be the same with a little bit more of Jahmyr Gibbs and hopefully Jameson Williams can produce. Goff is mispriced as a QB2 based on ADP while he constantly puts up QB1 numbers.
Tua Tagovailoa (QB13), ADP 115.3
Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff are similar quarterbacks with high-powered offenses. Both do not present much, if any type of rushing upside. At times, these guys have looked like better real-life quarterbacks than in fantasy football, but still, both are amazing options with QB1 upside. Tagovailoa has probably the fastest wide receiver duo in NFL history. Also, Tagovailoa and Goff were both top two in total passing yards. Goff was second in attempts and Tagovailoa was ninth. Despite Tua Tagovailoa being one of, if not the most accurate Quarterback in all of football. Although all of that is great news, the Dolphins flat out just dominate teams with the points they put up which in turn leads to the run game taking over.
This is a toss-up and neither is a bad option. If I had to draft one today, I would take Jared Goff. All off-season, I have been on the Jared Goff Express. With 12 games inside with a high passing volume offense, Goff is my pick in this ADP battle.
Got a different take on these QB ADP battles? Share your thoughts in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.