Three must-draft quarterbacks in fantasy football

With the first game of the 2024 NFL preseason officially in the books, fantasy football drafts are quickly approaching.

Quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position in football, but from a fantasy perspective, you can still win your league without a top option. After all, Justin Fields and Joe Flacco were two of the highest-scoring quarterbacks during last season's fantasy football championship week .

While we won't fault you for targeting one of the elite quarterbacks, here are three signal-callers who shouldn't be overlooked in 12-team ESPN league drafts.

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Last season, many fantasy managers spent their second or third-round picks on elite quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen. While they still had productive seasons, this strategy proved to be a mistake as several signal-callers selected in later rounds proved to be massive steals.

In all likelihood, quarterbacks will come off the board a bit later this time around. Although the Big 3 of Mahomes, Hurts and Allen remains intriguing, Burrow, who is being drafted as the QB7 on ESPN, could be the best cost-effective target if you want a top quarterback.

Burrow's 2023 season was one to forget, considering he threw for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 10 games before suffering a season-ending wrist injury en route to a QB25 finish. However, a preseason calf injury, which was aggravated in Week 2 , coupled with WR Tee Higgins' fractured rib, played a part in Burrow's sluggish start.

Prior to his season-ending injury, Burrow looked to be returning to form, given that he was the QB6 overall from Weeks 8 through 10 — the final three games he was healthy enough to finish.

Now that he's fully healthy, Burrow should look more like the quarterback he was in 2022 when he finished as the QB4 overall.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Love, the new highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, aims to build on last season's QB5 overall finish and prove he's not just a one-year wonder. The former first-round pick had little difficulty taking over for Aaron Rodgers last season, throwing for the second-most touchdowns ( 32 ) and the seventh-most yards (4,159) in the NFL

Love really hit his stride in Week 10, and from that point on, he was the QB3 overall, scoring at least 17.5 fantasy points in eight of his final nine games. Despite this, as well as the fact that the Packers roster has improved this offseason, Love is only being drafted as the QB9 on ESPN, typically selected in the ninth round.

With another offseason to strengthen his connection with his underrated receiving corps, Love should look more like the quarterback we saw in the second half of last season — and he could potentially be a dark-horse MVP candidate.

An added plus for drafting Love is that his wide receivers should be easy to stack with him. Stacking at least one pass-catcher with your quarterback can greatly enhance your team's weekly ceiling. Each of Love's top four wideouts are being selected outside of the first 100 picks on ESPN , according to the site's live draft trends.

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

If you've been playing fantasy football long enough, you know that quarterbacks who rush a lot offer a higher floor and more league-winning upside than pocket passers. Even so, if you're unwilling to spend a fourth or fifth-round pick on Baltimore's Lamar Jackson or Indianapolis' Anthony Richardson, consider taking a late-round flier on Daniels, who is arguably the biggest bargain at the quarterback position.

Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick in April's draft, showcased a dynamic rushing ability college football hadn't seen from a quarterback since Jackson starred at Louisville.

In 12 games last season, Daniels completed 72.2% of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 1,134 yards and 10 scores on the ground. The 23-year-old is the only player in FBS history to throw for at least 12,000 yards and rush for 3,000 or more yards during his collegiate career.

Even though Daniels' supporting cast in Washington is far from perfect, he's stepping into a situation where he can finish as a fantasy QB1 on a weekly basis more often than not.

In addition to having a formidable receiving duo in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson to throw to, Daniels should thrive in new OC Kliff Kingsbury's system. It's worth noting that when Kingsbury was the head coach in Arizona, he helped Kyler Murray finish as the QB7 during his 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year-winning season.

With an ADP of 123.5 on ESPN, Daniels is being selected after six defenses and four kickers, which is absurd given his immense ceiling. Nonetheless, if you draft Daniels, it'd still be wise to draft another budget QB option like San Francisco's Brock Purdy to play the matchups since the rookie will likely face a learning curve to begin his career.