Year to year, the viability of the late-round quarterback fantasy football best ball draft strategy fluctuates depending on the success of the players available in that range. We have to consider it in both that framing, but also the framing of how early quarterbacks work out.
If paying up for elite quarterbacks was dominant, it would be hard for late-round quarterbacks to win out. The theory behind the late-round quarterback fantasy football draft strategy is that it isn’t worth paying up for early quarterbacks, but with so many dynamic threats near the top of the draft board, does that still hold true in 2025? Let’s dive into five fantasy football late-round quarterbacks to consider in upcoming drafts.
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Late-Round Quarterbacks to Draft: Fantasy Football
If we look at 2025 ADP, combine it with quarterback rushing yards per game from 2024 and look at how the passing offenses performed, we can gain an overview of what they could improve upon for 2025.
| ADP | 2024 Rush Yards/Game | 2024 Team Passing DVOA Rank | |
| Trevor Lawrence | 129.8 | 11.9 | 17 |
| C.J. Stroud | 131.3 | 14.6 | 22 |
| J.J. McCarthy | 136.5 | N/A | 9 |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 143.7 | 1.5 | 16 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | 145.8 | 4.5 | 20 |
| Bryce Young | 148.8 | 17.3 | 30 |
| Matthew Stafford | 156.1 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Geno Smith | 157.7 | 16.1 | 29 |
| Anthony Richardson | 168.1 | 45.3 | 23 |
| Sam Darnold | 171.9 | 12.6 | 18 |
Anthony Richardson‘s rushing yards stand out massively in this range, but the risk of being benched also looms heavily. Because of this, Richardson is best reserved for 3-QB builds only.
Tua Tagovailoa is an interesting name, as we’ve seen him be a top-12 fantasy quarterback before, but we’ve also seen miserable performances from both him and the Dolphins. It seems a pivotal year for Miami across the board. If they can step forward, then it feels likely we will see Tagovailoa pay off this ADP.
This is one where we likely can ignore Tagovailoa unless we’re stacking him with multiple pieces of the Dolphins offense.
Geno Smith wasn’t necessarily a good fantasy asset in 2024, finishing as the QB15 in total points, but the high-tempo offense the Raiders will likely employ could benefit him after moving on from a Seahawks team that ranked 25th in plays per game in 2024.
Matthew Stafford is another interesting name in this range due to the addition of Davante Adams. Puka Nacua has only scored nine touchdowns in two seasons thus far, and Stafford suffered in fantasy last year due to throwing fewer than two touchdowns in 10 of his 16 games.
The addition of Adams could significantly help the team in the red zone and potentially elevate Stafford once again.
Bryce Young is the last name we’ll bring attention to here, with his 17.3 rushing yards per game the second-most of any quarterback in this range. It’s also noteworthy that from Week 12 onwards last year, Young was the QB11 in points per game and now has the additional benefit of Tetairoa McMillan on his offense.
*Much of the data in this article came from RotoViz’s Roster Construction tool.
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