• Sam Darnold was 2024’s best shock: The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was so good in 2024 that he seemingly improved his inventory as a brief stop-gap QB to a possible franchise quarterback for the subsequent few seasons.
• Sophomore slumps for 2 quarterbacks result in huge worth dips: Each C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson let down their fantasy managers as two highly-drafted Yr 2 quarterbacks who delivered nowhere close to their 2024 expectations.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full entry to all of our in-season fantasy instruments, together with weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Begin-Sit Optimizer and extra. Enroll now!
Estimated studying time: 6 minutes
Each NFL season is filled with good and dangerous surprises, and 2024 was no exception. Loads of fantasy soccer property emerged seemingly out of nowhere to turn into high quality beginning choices, whereas others allow us to down, both resulting from harm, poor play, inefficiency or getting benched.
On this article, we’ll have a look at a number of the nice surprises and shock disappointments at quarterback from 2024, leaving out gamers who missed vital chunks of time resulting from harm.
Nice shock: Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Darnold is by far the most important shock performer on the quarterback place this 12 months — and maybe throughout all positions as properly. When the offseason started, he was not even on the radar of fantasy managers and even NFL pundits getting an early begin on previewing the 2024 season. When the Vikings chosen J.J. McCarthy with the tenth total choose on this previous 12 months’s NFL draft, Darnold remained within the background of conversations across the group till McCarthy required season-ending surgical procedure in August.
Darnold was anticipated to take over the beginning quarterback duties for Minnesota and sure function a one-year stop-gap till McCarthy was prepared, however his degree of play in 2024 made him a lot extra helpful, as he now’s prone to even keep on long-term with the group. Darnold had nice weapons within the passing recreation to depend on, together with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, although his play matched the expertise round him as he set a brand new career-high in passing grade (83.6) – the sixth-best mark within the league.
Darnold put up sturdy manufacturing numbers all year long, ending top-three in passing yards (4,153), throwing for 35 touchdowns (fourth), and solely completed outdoors the top-15 fantasy quarterbacks in per week 4 instances throughout 16 video games, finally being a weekly fantasy starter and ending the 12 months as the general QB7 – a consequence that no one anticipated.
Nice shock: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
It’s not all the time straightforward for rookie quarterbacks to hit the bottom working within the NFL. Nevertheless, a couple of did so this season, none had been extra spectacular than Jayden Daniels. Nonetheless, Nix’s efficiency in Yr 1 shouldn’t be neglected, and judging by his offseason ADP, his top-10 end was not within the seemingly vary of potentialities as he was drafted properly outdoors the top-24 quarterbacks.
Nix had plenty of expertise as a beginning quarterback popping out of faculty, however plenty of his newer pattern of labor popping out of Oregon, whereas wanting promising for NFL success, didn’t essentially present plenty of hope for fantasy functions as a low common depth of quarterback passer that figured to translate much less to fantasy success within the NFL. Nevertheless, Nix, whereas nonetheless not a high-ADoT (common depth of goal) passer, was so environment friendly as a passer, whereas including some stable speeding manufacturing as properly, that he ended up being a near-every-week starter by season’s finish.
Nice shock: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Whereas not almost as shocking as the opposite two, Mayfield’s ADP being outdoors the highest 20 earlier than ending contained in the top-five is sufficient of a soar in worth that he actually qualifies as deserving of a shoutout right here. Even after ending as the general QB10 in 2023 (Weeks 1-17), expectations gave the impression to be that Mayfield would regress and never stay a weekly beginning possibility, based mostly on his ADP. Not solely did he show that idea unsuitable, however he was among the many actually elite fantasy quarterbacks this season, delivering 12 top-10 weekly finishes throughout his 16 video games performed.
What’s extra spectacular relating to Mayfield’s manufacturing is that he did so with out Mike Evans for 3 video games and with out Chris Godwin for the ultimate 9 video games of the 12 months. Mayfield’s willingness to get the ball downfield by no means waivered as he ranked among the many top-five quarterbacks in yards per try (8.0), ranked third in total passing yards (4,279) and tied for second in passing touchdowns (39).
That is now the second-straight season that Mayfield has thrown for over 4,000 passing yards and ranked among the many top-10 in passing touchdowns however enhancing on final 12 months must be sufficient proof to maintain him from being a shock on this checklist once more subsequent season and keep away from being drafted outdoors the top-20 quarterbacks once more.
Shock disappointment: C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Stroud’s rookie season was so promising and spectacular that hopes had been excessive for him going ahead in his NFL profession. He was typically thought-about a top-five dynasty quarterback this previous offseason, however this 12 months’s disappointing efficiency has harm his inventory, a minimum of for now. Stroud was additionally drafted as a top-five quarterback in redraft leagues this season, and regardless of taking part in each recreation, he completed as the general QB18 must be thought-about nothing lower than an enormous disappointment.
Stroud managed simply two top-10 weekly finishes all season lengthy and 5 finishes outdoors the top-24 throughout 16 video games as he struggled considerably to reside as much as his 2023 offensive rookie of the 12 months efficiency. Stroud regressed when it comes to his passing grade (76.8) this season, however loads of different areas triggered his low fantasy output this season, as highlighted within the chart under. In consequence, many fantasy managers had been disenchanted within the return he offered on their funding this 12 months.
C.J. Stroud’s manufacturing in contrast over his first two common seasons (Weeks 1-17):
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 |
| Passing grade | 76.8 | 79.6 |
| Passing touchdowns | 19 | 23 |
| Passing yards | 3,677 | 4,108 |
| Interceptions | 12 | 5 |
| ADoT | 8.7 | 9.4 |
| Adjusted completion price | 72.0% | 73.9% |
| Dashing touchdowns | 0 | 3 |
Shock disappointment: Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
He was drafted proper behind Stroud this offseason, one other second-year quarterback the place expectations had been excessive, although there was a minimum of some danger contemplating the small pattern measurement of his rookie 12 months, he nonetheless managed to disappoint in 2024 for a lot of causes. One of many predominant the reason why Richardson disenchanted in Yr 2 was that the teaching workers determined to bench him after simply 10 video games within the NFL, together with his rookie 12 months, which felt like an extremely brief leash for a former top-five choose at this level in his profession, although additionally an indictment on his degree of play to that time as properly.
By way of the primary month of the season, Richardson ranked thirty second amongst 35 qualifying quarterbacks in PFF passing grade (48.4) and tied for the league lead in interception (six) via that stretch as properly, earlier than Joe Flacco needed to step in and take over. Flacco’s stint as a starter was additionally short-lived, and whereas he performed higher when he took again over as a starter from Week 8-on, he nonetheless solely managed two top-five weekly finishes on the 12 months over 11 video games. The remainder had been all outdoors the top-10 weekly finishers, finally ending because the QB23 on the 12 months and never dwelling as much as his high-end fantasy potential.
