The quarterback landscape is certainly filled with young, talented superstars. The likes of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen have league-winning potential, but come with high price tag. For late-round quarterback strategies, or superflex leagues, finding a productive signal caller with upside later in the draft can return huge value to invest higher capital in other positions.
Below are my 2023 fantasy football quarterback sleepers.
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Quarterback Sleepers
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff seems to be right at home after two seasons in Detroit. The former number one overall pick leads an exciting young offense with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jameson Williams.
The Lions flipped a switch mid-season in 2022 falling just short of making the playoffs. After a 1-6 start, Detroit finished on an 8-2 run. During the last six games of the season, Goff tallied four top-10 fantasy weeks. He posted a 17-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the last 10 games.
Goff’s upside is limited to his throwing ability with less than 100 yards rushing in each of the last four seasons, but he still managed to finish 10th in quarterback fantasy points last season.
The Lions defense came in dead last in yards allowed last season pushing Goff into shootout mode on a weekly basis. The additions of Jack Campbell and Brian Branch should help Dan Campbell‘s defense in the longterm, but Goff will be asked to outscore opponents again in 2023.
Goff can be found in most mid-QB2 rankings, but could easily notch another top-10 fantasy season.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Let’s be honest here, Tua Tagovailoa has not lived up to his hype in his short career. Through three seasons, he has missed significant time in each due to injuries. Before we bury him in the rankings as injury prone, let’s take a closer look at the potential he showed with his numbers last season.
In 13 games in 2022, with Tyreek Hill joining the Dolphins, Tagovailoa posted the highest QB Rating (105.5) and yards per attempt (8.9) in the league. He had four top-5 fantasy weeks on the year and finished in the top-18 each of the last nine games he played.
Hill and Jaylen Waddle give Tagovailoa the best wide receiver combination in the league and the Dolphins have upgraded the running back room with rookie Devin Achane. Rumors continue to swirl that recently released Dalvin Cook may also join the team this offseason. With this offensive firepower, the floor for Tagovailoa is remarkably high barring more injuries.
He is certainly worth the shot as a sleeper quarterback option this season. If he can stay healthy, Tagovailoa could easily be in the top-5 conversation at the position for 2024.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
With little information on Jordan Love‘s NFL abilities, it is understandable why he is falling to the back end of quarterback draft rankings. Love has thrown a total of 83 passes with the Packers in his three seasons backing up Aaron Rodgers. A lack of recent production has made many forget the Utah State product was a first-round NFL talent that the Packers traded up to take, even with an All-Pro behind center.
Love’s receiving corps has the same question marks. Christian Watson showed some promise last season with three 100-yard games over the last eight weeks. Fellow second-year wideout Romeo Doubs is the talk of the offseason workouts again this summer, but is unproven, and the Packers added second-rounder Jayden Reed to the mix in the draft. Add rookie tight end Luke Musgrave and Green Bay is a complete unknown in the passing game.
For a late round flyer, taking a shot on the unknown may be better than settling for the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr with proven limited upside. We should know within the first few weeks if Love is a viable fantasy option.
Rookie Quarterback Sleeper
CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
The excitement level for second-overall pick CJ Stroud seemed to wane as the NFL draft got closer and closer. Questions about the mental makeup of the new Texans franchise quarterback and worries that his final collegiate game against Clemson was a fluke convinced many that he was no longer a top-end talent.
Reports from Houston are glowing about Stroud’s arm talent and leadership. He joins one of the worst rosters in the league and an offense in dire need of excitement. The Texans will likely be playing from behind a lot on 2023. Stroud will be asked to throw the ball a lot and create offense with his feet. He struggles under pressure at Ohio State throughout his college career until his incredible last game.
Stroud doesn’t have the rushing potential of Anthony Richardson, but he knows how to throw touchdown passes. He tossed 85 of them in two seasons as a college starter. Behind Richardson and Bryce Young, Stroud will likely be the third rookie quarterback off the draft board. He may end up as the best of the three by season’s end.
