By now, most fantasy football managers have heard of the term Konami Code. As it sounds, it’s become a cheat code of sorts. Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis coined the term as it relates to fantasy football. In his words from this 2013 article:

If you’ve never played Contra, it doesn’t matter (except we can never be friends). What’s important is that this is the most famous cheat code ever created. And I’m here to tell you that the Konami Code has been entered into our game of Fantasy Football, namely the rushing quarterbacks and how they affect standard scoring.

Since then, rushing quarterbacks have taken the league by storm. It’s important to know of the strategy and identify potential Konami Code quarterbacks to target in fantasy football drafts. Here’s a look at 2022’s crop of Konami Code quarterbacks along with their rankings, player notes, and, for those that played significant snaps last season, how much of their scoring came from rushing in 2021.

Josh Allen (BUF): QB1

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 15%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 7%

The back-to-back reigning fantasy QB1 showed no signs of slowing down in 2021. Allen led the quarterback position averaging 24.6 fantasy points per game and a whopping 26.7 expected fantasy points – nearly three points more than the next closest signal-caller. The Bills quarterback’s dual-threat ability – third in rushing yards (763) and rushing attempts (122) – provides him a fantasy ceiling that only a few other quarterbacks can match. No quarterback had more top-3 finishes or top-8 weekly finishes than Allen did a season ago

That’s why he’s deserving of being the first quarterback drafted across all formats.

Because even after taking a slight step back as a passer in 2021 – 104.9 passer rating vs. 97.9 passer rating – a higher passing touchdown ceiling exists for Allen in 2022. His 5.6% TD rate was worse than in 2020 and ranked just ninth in 2021. Case in point: despite finishing No. 1 overall, Allen ended with the 5th-most fantasy points under expectation.

Lamar Jackson (BAL): QB4

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 30%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 5%

Lamar Jackson had a season to forget in 2021, as he dealt with a plethora of injuries/illnesses and regressed immensely as a passer. Two key metrics at PFF that are important to analyze for QBs are performance in a clean pocket and throwing at the intermediate level.

Jackson ranked 28th in passer rating from a clean pocket (90.4) and 22nd in PFF passing grade at the intermediate level (70.0). Despite all his shortcomings as a passer, Jackson still finished the season second in expected fantasy points per game (23.8) and seventh in fantasy points per game (21.3).

His expected fantasy point per game output marked the highest of his career thanks to the Ravens’ willingness to throw more in 2021. From 2019-2020, Jackson had 37 or more passing attempts in a game only four times. He did so five times in 2021, with Baltimore throwing at a 60% clip.

However, I would not anticipate the pass-heavy approach to continue into 2022. Their philosophical change on offense was forced out of necessity based on the injuries. But a lack of passing doesn’t impact Jackson the way it does most other QBs with his greatest fantasy asset being his legs.

Jackson may never recapture his 2019 rare MVP form when he averaged north of 28 fantasy points per game, but a 22-point per game average seems like his norm based on his last two years of fantasy production. In 2020, he led all QBs in fantasy points per dropback. That cements him as a clear-cut top-5 fantasy QB.

Kyler Murray (ARI): QB5

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 13%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 9%

DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy. This penalty has massive fantasy football repercussions for the Arizona Cardinals offense starting with quarterback Kyler Murray.

Murray’s production dipped last season without Hopkins in the lineup over the final four weeks of the season. He averaged 18.8 fantasy points per game and 6.3 yards per pass attempt.

Murray averaged 24.9 fantasy points per game and 8.7 yards per attempt in the nine games with Hopkins fully healthy. He also posted the No. 1-ranked PFF passing grade (90.5).

Losing Hopkins for six games cannot be ignored, but the addition of Marquise Brown figures to make up for some of the lost production.

Jalen Hurts (PHI): QB7

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 23%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 18%

In his first full season, Jalen Hurts was the QB6 in fantasy points per game as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. An ankle sprain dropped his rushing numbers from 57.9 to 29.7 yards per game over his final three contests. Without that ding, his full-season numbers could have been even better. With another season in this offensive system incoming and A.J. Brown now on the roster, Hurts has top-three fantasy quarterback upside in 2022.

Deshaun Watson (CLE): QB14

Deshaun Watson‘s a no-doubt top-five option when he gets back on the field. He was exactly that from 2019-2020, and there is no reason to think the 26-year-old won’t pick up where he left off. During his last season of play, Watson led the NFL in passing yards and yards per attempt (8.9).

Just be wary that a 4-8 game suspension will likely be coming down for Watson. However, that would not shy me away from him or any of his teammates because fantasy leagues – both redraft and best ball tournaments – are won in November/December, not September.

Trey Lance (SF): QB15

Trey Lance is falling in best ball ADP because of reports surfacing that he is underwhelming at OTAs and because Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the roster. But after the 49ers beat reporters butchered the Trey Sermon situation last season and the 49ers’ massive investment in Lance last year, I view this situation as an easy buy-low scenario.

Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery is the reason he hasn’t been traded. Once he is deemed healthy, I’d presume he gets moved to a QB-needy team or to a roster that sustains an injury at the position.

Lance only started two games but showed off the rushing that excited fantasy managers during draft season. The 49ers’ first-year signal-caller averaged 22.4 expected fantasy points and 60 rushing yards per game.

Justin Fields (CHI): QB7

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 31%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 9%

Justin Fields has fallen all the way to QB18 in early best ball ADP. Everyone is afraid of the situation in Chicago. But don’t forget that a washed-up Cam Newton went from irrelevant to a top-12 ranked QB in one week last year because of rushing production.

Fields finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in his last four full games in 2021, averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game. He also averaged 56 rushing yards per game over his last six. All in all, Fields averaged 35 rushing yards per game during his rookie season. The last three rookie QBs to do so? Newton, Josh Allen and Robert Griffin III. They all finished as top-12 fantasy quarterbacks in their second seasons, with the two former QBs finishing top-6.

It won’t take long for the narrative to spin on the talented Fields after he starts the season hot out of the gates. Five of the Bears’ first six matchups are against secondaries that are the weak part of their respective defense, lost talent in free agency and/or are unproven. In Week 1, Fields takes on the 49ers. He rushed for over 100 yards against them last season.

Daniel Jones (NYG): QB25

Fantasy football point percentage from rushing yards: 17%
Fantasy football point percentage from rushing touchdowns: 7%

Per the Athletic’s Dan Duggan, the Giants want to unleash quarterback Daniel Jones. It’s music to the ears of fantasy drafters looking for a late-round quarterback with upside because Jones has the skill set to be that player in a better offensive environment.

Before a Week 5 concussion, Jones was the QB8 overall and in points per game (23.3). The Giants quarterback ranked third in rushing yards per game (47/game) and second in PFF passing grade.

This offseason, New York drafted the best offensive tackle in the draft with the selection of Evan Neal at No. 7 overall. It provides Jones the protection he desperately needs as he looks to prove to the New York organization that he is worthy of being the long-term answer at quarterback.

With the Giants upgrading their entire offensive line through free agency and the draft, Jones is back on the fantasy QB2 radar in Superflex formats. Recall that last season he was playing behind PFF’s third-worst graded offensive line.

He will also benefit greatly from the No.1-easiest strength of schedule for QBs.

Desmond Ridder (ATL): QB36

Desmond Ridder falls in the same third-round bucket as Malik Willis and Matt Corral from this class. Marcus Mariota might have been signed as the team’s bridge quarterback option, but that doesn’t wipe Ridder off the map to possibly win the job out of camp. The draft capital doesn’t ensure he’ll be given that shot, but Arthur Smith knows Mariota quite well from their time in Tennessee. If Smith thinks Ridder can bring something more to the table or operate similarly to Mariota, he could win the starting call. Smith’s love for play-action passing will help Ridder. Last year Matt Ryan ranked 11th in play-action dropback rate (minimum 200 dropbacks, per PFF). In 2021, Ridder was tied for 17th in play-action passing touchdowns out of 121 qualifying quarterbacks (minimum 200 dropbacks, per PFF).

Malik Willis (TEN): QB40

The fall from draft capital grace was tough to watch for Malik Willis. I could easily rant here about how NFL teams are foolish for passing on his moon-shot traits, but I’ll save that for another day. Despite falling to the third round, Willis still has a path to play as early as next season. Ryan Tannehill will be entering his age 35 season in 2023, and the Titans can save nearly 18 million against the cap if they were to cut him. The upside with Willis is immense just off of his rushing ability alone. While Tannehill won’t be mentoring Willis, it might not stop this talented rookie from taking his job.

FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings