media.cnn.com
After a free agency period which saw a considerable amount of quarterback movement, it appears that a handful of veteran QBs will be starting for a new team in 2024. Five of them in particular seem highly likely to start a significant amount, if not all, of their teams’ games. Here’s a breakdown of the fantasy value of each of them.
5. Jacoby Brissett - New England Patriots
By far the least attractive of the options is the Patriots’ Jacoby Brissett. While not a bad quarterback by any means, Brissett’s numbers have never been great in any of his eight seasons, which included stints as the starting guy in Indianapolis and Cleveland. Although Brissett’s stats have been rather favorable with 51 passing touchdowns to just 23 interceptions in his career, he has never thrown for 20 touchdowns in a single season and has only surpassed the 3,000-yard passing mark once. Brissett fits into the prototypical “game manager” trope, an archetype which is a major red flag when it comes to fantasy football.
It doesn’t help that New England likely has the worst group of offensive weapons of any team in the league. Outside of running back Rhamondre Stevenson, there’s absolutely no one on this Patriots’ offense who fantasy players should feel comfortable drafting. Keep in mind that New England still holds the 3rd overall pick in Thursday’s draft, even though some reports have linked them with a potential trade back. If they stay put, they’ll most likely be doing so in order to draft their next franchise QB, a decision which would certainly limit Brissett’s starts, if not completely eliminate them entirely. Even if he ends up being named the starter, Brissett is poised to be one of most unattractive options as a fantasy QB in 2024.
4. Gardner Minshew - Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew is a reasonably better fantasy option than the likes of Jacoby Brissett, but that’s not saying much. Over his five-year career, Minshew has never been considered anything higher than low-end to average starter in the NFL. Most recently, he’s been relegated to a backup role in both Indianapolis (although he did start 13 games in 2023 due to Anthony Richardson’s injury) and Philadelphia before that. As things currently stand, Minshew seems in line to be given the opportunity to be a starter with the Raiders, assuming that they don’t draft a QB or elect to go with Aidan O’Connell.
Minshew’s numbers have been consistently modest with 59 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over five seasons. Vegas does have a solidified top-20 overall fantasy option in Davante Adams, as well as Jakobi Meyers who should serve as a fringe WR2 to WR3 in fantasy in 2024. Realistically, fantasy owners should avoid Minshew in most cases, however, he could occasionally be a decent plug-and-play guy on certain weeks.
3. Sam Darnold - Minnesota Vikings
I have spoken about Sam Darnold’s potential positive fantasy outlook in a previous article. In many ways, Darnold’s situation is exactly the opposite of Jacoby Brissett’s. Minnesota has a plethora of elite offensive weapons centered around receiver Justin Jefferson who should once again be a consensus top three pick in all leagues. Blossoming second-year receiver Jordan Addison should likely slot in comfortably within the top 50 picks, as should running back Aaron Jones and perhaps even tight end T.J. Hockenson, who will be a projected top five fantasy player at his position in 2024.
With four elite offensive weapons, Darnold has, by far, the best supporting cast in his NFL career as a starter. Even if the Vikings end up drafting a QB, there’s a solid chance that Darnold will be named as the initial starter. If this happens, Darnold should be treated as a matchup-based serviceable fantasy quarterback with the potential to be drafted in later rounds.
2. Russell Wilson - Pittsburgh Steelers
After a lackluster two-year stint in Denver, Russell Wilson gets a change of scenery in a situation that seems rather familiar. The Steelers have a strong defensive culture led by a Super Bowl winning head coach, just like Wilson previously had in Seattle. While most were quick to blame Wilson for the Broncos’ lack of team success over the past two seasons, his statistical output still remains quite strong.
Wilson put together a formidable campaign in 2023, throwing for 26 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions. His touchdown/interception ratio was the fifth best in the entire league and above the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, and many others. It’s a safe assumption to say that Pittsburgh currently has better weapons than Denver had in either of the past two years. They also are a much more stable organization with a winning culture. All of these factors should help slot Wilson into the top 15 to 20 of the fantasy QB rankings which should make him rostered in the majority of leagues.
1. Kirk Cousins - Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins looks like the obvious choice of these five to have the best fantasy season in 2024. He is joining a talented roster loaded with offensive weapons. The Falcons play in one of the weakest divisions in football, meaning that Cousins should be a fantasy starter in most weeks based on matchup. Statistically, Cousins was having a stellar 2023 campaign at the time of his season-ending injury, having racked up 18 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions in just eight starts.
Cousins has consistently put up good numbers throughout his 12-year career, eclipsing 4,000 yards in seven of his last eight full seasons and reaching 30 or more passing touchdowns in three different years. His production also remained constant when he swapped out Washington for Minnesota in 2018. There’s no reason to believe that he shouldn’t remain a strong fantasy option in Atlanta.
