SuperFlex league draft strategy: When to take your second QB, when to stack and where to find value

As the times adjust, so must we. It’s why, within fantasy, there’s been a push over the past half-decade or so to eliminate kickers from fantasy and to find a happy point in between full PPR and standard scoring with half-PPR.

The same is true for SuperFlex leagues. You all know what they are by now, so I don’t have to do a full rundown. But, if for some reason you don’t and you’re new to fantasy football, SuperFlex gives you the option — and 95 percent of managers take advantage of it — to start a second quarterback.

Because let’s face it, leagues with one quarterback are of the past. Fantasy managers know that if you only have to start one quarterback, you want to be one of the last — not first — to draft one given the pass-heavy NFL and lack of true difference between scoring from the position week to week.

So the consensus is that, yes, in a SuperFlex league, everyone is going to start two quarterbacks. But now, after this format has been played for the past five or six years pretty consistently, you have to start questioning the right way to go about getting those quarterbacks.

With the second quarterback spot, it’s often a mad dash to lock up two signal-callers in the first few rounds, pushing other top-tier talent down the board.

All respect to Jayden Daniels, but are we really taking him in the second round over A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, Jonathan Taylor, and Bijan Robinson?

Just like there’s a right and wrong way to eat a Snickers, there’s a right and wrong way to go about drafting your two quarterbacks.

Don’t Rush It

In Round 1, it’s hard to overthink it. If you’re in the front half of the draft, you want to take one of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud, or Lamar Jackson. You’re leaving stud RBs and WRs on the board, yes, but you’re in the spot to take the elite of the elite at quarterback to get an advantage with the format.

In the back half, though, you have a decision to make. Double-dipping is tempting given the format, but you’re also looking at a draft start of Dak Prescott and Jordan Love with no picks until the latter part of the third round.

So not only are you taking QBs in the backend of the QB1 range, missing out on the elites, but you’re now going to miss out on the top-end RBs and WRs, too.

So what’s the answer here?

To me, I’m taking one quarterback with one of my first two picks, and opting to take the best player available with the other. This is why drafting with tiers is so important. 

Yes, there’s a chance that the best players on the board will both be quarterbacks if people opt to take running backs or a receiver like CeeDee Lamb or Justin Jefferson in the first round. But it’s more likely — since everyone knows, historically, it’s been a dash for quarterbacks in SuperFlex leagues — that position players will be pushed down.

Capitalize on this. 

Again, with standard leagues, the issue became that quarterbacks weren’t being differentiated enough, causing teams to realize they can end up with the QB12 as their starter and the drop-off from QB5 to QB12 wasn’t as drastic as it would be taking the direct loss at skill position values by passing them up for a signal caller.

I’ll argue that the same is true here, too, and that going into your draft with your draft strategy written in pen — not pencil — to take two quarterbacks right away will actually hurt you more than help you.

I wanted to go through and pull the data, but luckily, my friend Mick Ciallela over at Fantrax already did the work.

Look at those gaps.

Instead of forcing yourself into pairing Dak Prescott and Jared Goff, why not wait and take Baker Mayfield in the sixth round or Geno Smith after pick No. 100?

By doing so, while everyone else pairs up to take the quarterbacks early, you’re able to hammer wide receivers and running backs in Rounds 2-5 without losing much at that second quarterback spot.

There are dart throws late at receiver and running back, yes, and that’s exactly what they should remain — dart throws. If you get into a position where you’re counting on them as starters or contributors to your team because you hammered quarterback too early, you’re already setting yourself up for failure.

Larger Field Approach

If you’re in a large field (bigger league size) and are looking to stand out from the competition, I don’t mind you taking a riskier approach with your team build. I’m looking at my regular redraft SuperFlex leagues with the same lens as I do cash games in DFS. I want to optimize the best lineup possible to give me a chance to cash. For seasonal leagues, I want the lineup that is going to give me the best chance to make the playoffs, which should be the first goal for any team in fantasy.

But in a larger pool league where there are overall prizes, I’m looking at it like I do GPP formats in DFS. I want to differentiate myself enough from my competition, taking approaches and strategies that they don’t, in order to swing for the fences but without burning my money.

That’s why for SuperFlex leagues, in these types larger formats, I want to pair both of my quarterbacks with their top receivers.

Here’s the pairings that are realistic that you can take given ADP:

Is the approach risky? Yeah, of course it is. You’re banking on all four hitting at the same time, but when they do, it’ll be really hard for you to lose that week.

The key is building safety nets around them with your other picks. With this approach, I’m making sure I leave the draft with another QB who can fill in on the bye weeks. I’m also avoiding all rookies with this approach. I need safety, not more risk. And while shiny toys are fun and can pay off, the boring veterans are the better approach here.

Finding the Values

Even with quarterbacks going as early as they typically go in SuperFlex leagues, there is still value to be found.

Everyone is in on Year 2 Anthony Richardson, and can you really blame them? His athleticism was on full display before his injury last year, and growth can only be projected with him this season. But, per Sleeper ADP, Richardson is the seventh QB off the board, being drafted No. 15 in SuperFlex leagues. You’re paying for the growth, and leaving little room for a positive ROI.

One of my favorite values is Kirk Cousins in Atlanta. Yes, there was a lot of noise around him, the Falcons, and his health this offseason, and that’s exactly why I’m in.

He’s coming off of an Achilles injury, and still isn’t at 100 percent healthy, but that’s priced into his ADP. What’s also being priced in is the Falcons’ offense last year, as well as the presence of rookie Michael Penix Jr. But with Arthur Smith out, this Atlanta offense has a chance to take a major step forward under Cousins. Even if he’s 80 percent of the QB we’ve known in the past, opposing defenses are going to be stacking the box against Bijan Robinson, allowing Cousins to work with Kyle Pitts and Drake London in the passing game. He’s a Top 12 QB for me.

Can you tell I’m in on Baker Mayfield this year? I’ve mentioned him a few times in this piece, so why not once more? He had a breakout last year, and while that doesn’t automatically mean he’s going to replicate it, I’m finding few reasons why he won’t at least be a high-end QB2 this season.

Bryce Young is going No. 118 overall. The same Young who the Panthers moved up for last year in the draft. The same one who they traded their 2024 first rounder for. And, yes, he looked awful. But I’m not ready to write off a QB who most had as a toss-up for No. 1 overall with C.J. Stroud after one terrible year. The Panthers, even after adding Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, and Jonathon Brooks, have one of the worst offenses in the league. But still, Young is an afterthought, and with his pedigree and being just 22 years old, there’s potential value here as a backend QB2/QB3.

Remember Arthur Smith? Yeah, he’s in Pittsburgh now. I’m sorry, Pittsburgh fans, but what I’m not sorry for is that Pittsburgh is going to have an upgrade at QB no matter what with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Now, I’m of the camp that the Bears should have built around Fields instead of taking Caleb Williams, so maybe I’m just an idiot, but I truly believe in Fields being a face of the franchise QB still. As for Wilson, he was dealt a bad hand in Denver, and it was awkward there from Day 1. Is he the same Wilson from his prime Seattle days? No, he isn’t. He’s more of a game manager now, but I think there’s some prime Alex Smith game manager in him for fantasy. If not, Fields will get his shot.

We can all agree, at least, they are in a better situation than they would be with Kenny Pickett under center still.

(Top photo of Kirk Cousins: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)