Quarterback remains one of the trickiest positions to evaluate in fantasy football. Gone are the days when the prototypical pocket passers provided the most value. In today’s game, the top-tier fantasy quarterbacks all combine passing acumen with rushing upside. The likes of Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have consistently produced fantasy football points both through the air and via the running game.
Given the limited number of fantasy football-viable quarterbacks around the NFL, Superflex managers must identify the high-upside options in the later rounds. Those who invested in Baker Mayfield as their QB2 ahead of the 2024 season were rewarded with surprisingly strong production. Mayfield’s rushing ability complemented the high level of passing production in Liam Coen’s system.
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Fantasy Football Late-Round Quarterbacks to Target
In what follows, I’ll outline players with a similar outlook to Baker Mayfield in the later rounds in 2025. They should be targeted as high-upside quarterbacks that can be acquired in the later rounds of Superflex drafts. Here are late-round quarterbacks to target in fantasy football superflex league drafts.
Drake Maye (QB – NE)
The odds were stacked against Drake Maye during his rookie season. To add to an already steep rookie learning curve, the Patriots’ roster was among the league’s worst. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), New England’s offensive line ranked 31st in pass blocking and 32nd in run blocking. The team’s pass-catching corps was subpar as well. None of the Patriots’ wide receivers or tight ends were able to accumulate more than 675 receiving yards or 66 receptions in 2024.
Despite this, Maye showed undeniable flashes. According to PFF, he earned a respectable 3.7% big-time throw rate and an 88.1 NFL passer rating.
Can't wait to see what next year has in store for @DrakeMaye2 ???? @Patriots pic.twitter.com/4YgaJn5rlJ
— NFL (@NFL) May 27, 2025
With a much better ecosystem surrounding him in 2025, Maye is primed to make great strides as a passer. For one, the appointment of head coach Mike Vrabel will instill some much-needed stability for Maye and the Patriots. It’s important to recall Vrabel’s key role in revitalizing Ryan Tannehill‘s career in Tennessee. The additions of Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury and first-round rookie selection Will Campbell will greatly improve this offensive line. Maye will also benefit from much-improved weaponry with the likes of Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson and Kyle Williams now in the fold.
What makes Maye such an enticing fantasy asset is his rushing ability. He displayed a clear willingness to move the chains with his legs as he accumulated 45 scrambles in 2024 — a tally only surpassed by Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams and Brock Purdy. He ranked first in yards per attempt and third in yards after contact per attempt among quarterbacks with a minimum of 30 carries, per PFF. Managers can rely on Maye’s rushing production to provide a steady floor on a week-to-week basis.
The former third-overall draft selection is brimming with talent. Expect Maye’s efficiency and touchdown output to improve drastically in a much more fruitful system in New England. He’s well worthy of QB2 consideration in Superflex drafts.
Bryce Young (QB – CAR)
It’s been a tumultuous start to Bryce Young’s career. That said, he seemed to truly come into his own towards the end of the 2024 season. In the final three games of the season, Young accounted for 10 total touchdowns and didn’t throw a single interception over that span. Per PFF, his big-time throw rate of 6.6% ranked third among signal-callers with a minimum of 200 dropbacks.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales’ ability to extract the maximum potential from quarterbacks is well-documented, and it appears he may have added another success story to his resume. Young will have a great opportunity to build upon his strong finish and become a great contributor in fantasy football in 2025.
Many of Young’s past struggles have been attributed to a lack of reliable pass-catching weapons. To this end, the Carolina Panthers invested their eighth overall draft pick in highly-touted wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. In his final season as an Arizona Wildcat, McMillan ranked second in receiving yards, fourth in contested catches and third in missed tackles forced, per PFF.
McMillan will immediately provide Bryce Young with the reliable boundary receiver he’s been longing for. McMillan joins a pass-catching corps featuring the sure-handed veteran Adam Thielen as well as sophomore wideouts Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker. If Legette and Coker can continue their development in 2025, this would further help Young’s emergence as a reliable fantasy football asset.
A key component of Young’s second-half success was an increase in rushing volume. From Weeks 1 to 10, Young averaged a modest 2.14 rushing attempts per game. This tally increased to four rushing attempts per game from Weeks 12 to 18. The spike in rush attempts coincided with an increase in Young’s overall efficiency and better performances from the Panthers as a whole. Carolina will continue to utilize Young’s rushing ability as they look to contend in the underwhelming NFC South.
Young’s inconsistencies across his two-year career have made him an undervalued option in Superflex drafts. Currently being selected as the QB24, according to average draft position (ADP), he possesses both the passing upside and the rushing floor to potentially propel him up draft boards.
Geno Smith (QB – LV)
Geno Smith doesn’t possess the upside that Maye and Young do. For the most part, this is simply due to Smith’s lack of mobility. However, Smith is a proven commodity in the NFL and now finds himself in an offensive ecosystem that is conducive to fantasy football production. Smith’s reunion with head coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas will prove to be beneficial for the Raiders and for fantasy managers alike.
Smith enjoyed his most productive seasons under Carroll’s stewardship in Seattle. Across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he accrued 50 passing touchdowns and an excess of 7,900 passing yards.
The Raiders have quietly assembled an exciting corps of skill-position players. Brock Bowers is coming off a record-breaking rookie season during which he averaged a staggering 2.02 yards per route run and 5.3 yards after catch per reception, per PFF.
Jakobi Meyers, who accumulated an impressive 87 receptions and 1,027 receiving yards in 2024, will surely help with Smith’s acclimation in Las Vegas as well. The running back room is headlined by rookie Ashton Jeanty. Per PFF, Jeanty led all FBS running backs in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, missed tackles forced and rushing grade during his final collegiate season.
Smith’s passing volume figures to be among the league’s highest in 2025. The Raiders’ defense was the second-worst unit in the NFL in 2024, per PFF. Without any additions of note throughout the offseason, it’s safe to presume Las Vegas will continue to concede points at a high rate in 2025. Smith and the Raiders will often need to keep up with opposing offenses, especially given their stature in the AFC West that features the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix.
Newly-appointed offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is notorious for running fast-paced offenses as well. At any rate, Smith will be asked to handle a great deal of passing volume and will accumulate additional fantasy points as a result. Smith is a strong candidate to outperform his current ADP as the QB25.
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