The beautiful thing about fantasy football is that a quarterback does not have to be very good in order to be a valuable fantasy asset. Justin Fields was the QB7 in 2022 despite only throwing for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns. What made him deadly was his 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He was awful and amazing at the same time. At worst, Anthony Richardson will be Justin Fields.
Anthony Richardson’s rushing ability makes him a safer pick than most, as well as a better chance to finish as the number one quarterback in fantasy, than the other quarterbacks going in round five. He had four rushing touchdowns in his first three starts last season. CJ Stroud, who is currently being drafted before Richardson, had only three rushing touchdowns on the season.
Even though he has shown a small sample size of what he can do, one can imagine what a full season of Anthony Richardson can look like. He seriously can become the next Jalen Hurts; 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdowns along with 700 rushing yards and 10+ rushing touchdowns year after year. Richardson’s career trajectory is purely speculation at this point, but his two full-game sample size gives reason to be excited:
Anthony Richardson would score 19.15 fantasy points in week one as the QB4 and went nuts in week three, scoring 30.70 points as the QB2. In week two he was injured, playing only 32% of the snaps, and still scored 18.05 fantasy points. Even as a rookie, Richardson proved that he could be a fantasy difference-maker, even with limited opportunities.
What makes Anthony Richardson all the more enticing is his current team situation. The Indianapolis Colts have done a great job providing adequate help on the offensive side of the ball to make Anthony Richardson’s life easier. The Colts have Jonathan Taylor, who is among the elite running backs in the NFL, a top-five offensive line (per PFF ), and a solid receiving unit consisting of Michael Pittman Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce. The sky is the limit for the Colts offense.
Anthony Richardson is a great 2024 fantasy breakout candidate. Even though he has not played much football, professional or in college, it is clear he has the makings of a star. He is arguably the most athletic quarterback in the game and will be an elite fantasy quarterback as long as he can stay healthy. 2024 will be the cheapest anyone can get Richardson in fantasy for a long time. He will become one of the faces of the league and fantasy football.
Zay Flowers showed he belongs in the NFL, but he does not belong in the fifth round of fantasy redraft leagues. While he was the best wide receiver in a Lamar Jackson-led offense and should continue to be this upcoming season, he was not the best receiving option on the Ravens. That title still belongs to tight-end Mark Andrews, and it is not even close. In the 10 games they played together, Flowers would only average:
4.4 receptions
51 yards
0.1 touchdowns
10.2 PPR fantasy points
Zay Flowers would only have one touchdown with Mark Andrews on the field. But once Andrews was out due to injury, Flowers stepped up and produced efficiently. He was the top dog for those weeks. In the seven games Andrews missed, Flowers averaged:
5.5 receptions
58 yards
0.83 touchdowns
17.4 PPR fantasy points
In this span of six games, Zay Flowers scored five touchdowns; four receiving and one rushing. His targets and yardage were similar, but he was trusted more when a touchdown was needed. He was better with Andrews being gone, but he was not an alpha by any means and likely will not become one since Mark Andrews will be returning to the team, Derrick Henry was signed, and the fact that the Ravens are Lamar Jackson’s team. Flowers will likely be a complementary piece to the Ravens offense rather than a key component.
It is hard to pass on a talented player like Zay Flowers, but do not be deceived. His role in Baltimore limits his upside unless someone were to go down to injury. It is good that Zay Flowers is part of an elite offense since there will be a lot of scoring opportunities, but there is just too much talent around him for him to return fantasy value.
Zay Flowers’ round-five ADP is too much for a secondary receiving option on a run-heavy team. He has the speed and YAC ability to make big plays for the Ravens, but he is not the caliber of player that Lamar, Andrews, and Henry are. He will have an occasional big game, but he does not have a clear path to exceeding his current ADP of WR26 .
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