Fantasy Football: 3 big-name quarterbacks we're fading at ADP this season
· Yahoo Sports
Quarterback is the highest scoring position in fantasy football, but that doesn't always mean you should prioritized the biggest names in the pool. The rise of the Late-Round QB draft strategy means a lot of big-name signal callers are being faded year in, year out. Our Yahoo analysts take a hard look at the quarterback position and identify three candidates to fade at draft cost.
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Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (ADP: 100)
Fantasy football is a game about numbers, not names. Keep that in mind as we discuss the Mahomes fade.
The sports car Kansas City offense has been stuck in the shop the last two years, ranking 21st and 15th in points and 20th and 16th in yards. Mahomes offset some of the passing leakage by running proactively last year, but after ACL and LCL tears in Week 15, those scrambling yards are unlikely to repeat. It's hard to get excited about the KC pass-catchers — Rashee Rice is a solid underneath option but not a downfield weapon, Travis Kelce is entering his age-37 season and Xavier Worthy has struggled to make a consistent impact in the NFL. It wouldn't be surprising if free-agent acquisition Kenneth Walker III became the steadiest drumbeat in the KC offense this year.
You can do well at almost any draft price point at QB this year, but Mahomes being drafted around Pick 100-105 in Yahoo leagues doesn't make sense. — Scott Pianowski
Lamar Jackson, Ravens (ADP: 38)
I love Lamar Jackson. He is not worth his 38th overall ADP. It's nothing against him, QBs rarely are. Josh Allen has been a top-two fantasy QB for six straight seasons, the pristine example of consistency and fantasy greatness. Although Jackson would have smashed this price as the overall QB1 in 2024, the other five seasons since 2020 he wouldn't have hit, and we can't afford early QB misses. The position is too easy to find in late rounds to not have a massive season as an early-round QB.
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If I do select one early, everything has to be perfect in their situation. With a new, first time play-caller, Derrick Henry in the red zone, a great defense and coming off injury, there just isn't enough for me to select Jackson over a potential top-10 WR or RB. If you want to invest in Jackson, I'd rather select Zay Flowers, who was a fantasy WR1 with Jackson on the field in 2025, in the same round. — Joel Smyth
Jaxson Dart, Giants (ADP: 88)
If I look toward the end of the QB1 ranks in ADP, I see the QB14, QB6, QB5, QB7 and QB13 in PPG. The guy in the middle of that list should stick out. The QB5 on a per-game basis drafted as the QB11? Sign me up. However, the results only tell (less than) half of Jaxson Dart's 2025. The first problem is we only got 12 clean starts from him last season. Dart became a regular at the "Sideline Blue Tent" establishment and even wound up with an extra two weeks off after suffering a concussion against the Bears. Meanwhile, his highs masked the need for continued development as a passer.
Dart's drop-back efficiency ranked in the bottom third amongst all starters. His 25.0% pressure-to-sack ratio was fifth-worst when compared to first-year starters going back to '21. And the preseason hasn't done him any favors. We're still wondering if he can beat the "inconsistent" allegations.
If I wanted to make a bet on a second-year passer with some mobility, efficiency concerns and a WR1 with an injury history, I'll take Tyler Shough about three rounds later. — Chris Allen
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