Top 5 quarterback sleepers for 2019 fantasy football

Everyone knows that hitting on the right sleeper can take your team from the bottom of the league, straight to the top. Just ask anyone who stumbled upon Patrick Mahomes last year. I can not speak to that because I tried to pick him up from waivers just a week too late and some lamer in my league had already claimed him. Crushing.

The quarterback position is an easy one to ignore, thinking that if you miss out on the top few guys that everyone else is more or less the same. WRONG! There are a few quarterbacks who you can get at a discount right now, who will return far more than their current ADP by season’s end.

Here are five signal callers who in my mind, offer the most upside for their current draft position (ADP and rankings via fantasyfootballcalculator.com).

Cam Newton

Current ADP: 9.02 | Current ranking: QB11

Sure, I get why people are maybe a little low on Cam Newton heading into this season. He’s coming off shoulder surgery which is supposedly changed his entire throwing motion. Those aren’t easy things to come back from, let alone then return to MVP levels of performance. But, what if—and hear me out for a second—what if this fixes Newton’s throwing motion and all of a sudden, the errant balls that plagued his game in the past became non-existent. What if Cam all of a sudden became a more accurate passer just in time to capitalize on the shorter, timing offense that Norv Turner enjoys operating in. What if? Sprinkle in his well known rushing ability and you can start to see why I’m all over him at QB11. Kyler Murray—who we’ve seen nothing from—and Drew Brees—who we’ve seen enough from—are both going ahead of Cam. I’d happily have Cam over either of those guys.

Dak Prescott

Current ADP: 11.11 | Current ranking: QB17

Here’s a surprising fact for all you at home reading this: Dak Prescott has never finished below QB11 in fantasy football (at least according to Pro Football Reference’s data). I kind of understand the Dak hesitation, but that being said, I also don’t. Here’s a guy who’s thrown at least 20 touchdowns and rushed for six in every season he’s played and you can get him in basically the 12th round. Add to that, he’s now had a full offseason to continue working with the best wide receiver he’s ever played with in Amari Cooper (sorry tail-end-of-the-career Dez Bryant). Who would you rather have: Dak or Ben Roethlisberger? That’s an easy choice for me. I never thought of myself as a Dak truther but I guess here I am. When are the meetings? I hope they aren’t on Mondays because those are my busiest days.

Kirk Cousins

Current ADP: 12.10 | Current ranking: QB20

Is Kirk Cousins a great quarterback? No. He’s a good quarterback who’s prone to bouts of excellence and ones of very, very average-ness. However, Cousins is a good fantasy quarterback. He’s been a top 15 fantasy QB going all the way back to 2015 with last year being his lowest, finishing as QB13. Now, another year in the Vikings’ system with a few more weapons around him, couldn’t you see him returning to his top 10 glory where he’d spent the past three years? I certainly could. Even if he doesn’t and continues to hover between QB10 and QB15, I’d happily take that in the backend of the 12th, early 13th round. Cousins is the quarterback you can draft late and know you’re going to get solid top 15 production. That’s a win for me.

Derek Carr

Current ADP: 14.08 | Current ranking: QB23

Carr is my pick for the quarterback who could come out of nowhere to suddenly be a top 5 fantasy QB. Besides for the fact that he now has legit offensive talent around him in Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and hopefully an actual ground game in Josh Jacobs, we’ve seen Carr before be a top fantasy QB. Hell, he was a MVP candidate back in 2016 before he got injured. For most of Carr’s career, he’s flirted between QB15 and QB20 which is already a step above the QB23 you’re currently getting him at. But given the talent around him, and the talent that he does possess—he did throw for career high 4,049 yards, 68.9 completion percentage and 7.3 yards per attempt last year—I wouldn’t be surprised if Carr works his way into top 10 contention this year.

Sam Darnold

Current ADP: 15.03 | Current ranking: QB26

You’re buying Sam Darnold if A) you’re a die-hard Jets fan and need some Jets player on your roster or B) you lost a bet and were forced to pick your QB with your last pick in the draft. Well lucky for you people who picked option B, you could’ve done much worst. At least Darnold has legit receivers to pass to (sorry not sorry Nick Foles). Obviously the biggest benefit Darnold received was that of Le’Veon Bell, who will not only be a weapon in the ground game, but will surely be Darnold’s safety blanket in the flats. I’m not sure what the highest of highs for Darnold looks like, but I’m sure that he’ll offer those who draft him decent upside given how cheap you can get him.