As we start getting closer to the 2024 fantasy football season, the time to buy players before the season is starting to tick down. For quarterbacks, in particular, the off-season is the best time to buy them because, in a Superflex format, they’re gold. If you think some of these guys are expensive now, wait until injuries kick in and the price skyrockets even more. With that being said, today we’re going to dive into the three best quarterbacks to buy for your dynasty Superflex leagues.
Bryce Young
Before Bryce Young took his first professional snap for the Carolina Panthers in a regular season game, his KTC value was at its peak, hovering around QB10. However, as soon as his struggles were made apparent, his value immediately dropped over 1,100 points down to QB20. That's currently the value equivalent of James Cook or Xavier Worthy which is way too low.
We're talking about the first overall pick in last year's NFL draft, who was stuck in an unimaginative offense with an uninspiring coaching staff for his rookie season. The Panthers fired that previous staff and brought in Dave Canales as their head coach, who is the closest thing over the last few seasons to a quarterback whisperer.
As the quarterback coach in 2022 with the Seattle Seahawks, he turned Geno Smith into Cinderella, who finished the season as QB5 with over 4,000 yards passing and 30 TDs.
Once Canales was gone from Seattle in 2023, we saw Geno turn back into a pumpkin as Canales took the reins as Offensive Coordinator in Tampa Bay. Expectations were very low for the Baker Mayfield-led offense following Tom Brady's departure, but under Canales, Baker also finished with over 4,000 yards passing to the tune of a QB10 finish with 28 TDs.
I'm willing to bet on Canales having a similar and profound effect on Young's production for the 2024 season. Not to mention all the new offensive weapons they've surrounded him with such as Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, and JT Sanders to go along with their top target from last season, Adam Thielen.
All it will take is a few good games for Young to see his value increase right back up to where it was last summer. With any success at all this season, Young should vault himself back into the top 15 of dynasty quarterback ratings.
Based on Sleeper data of Superflex startup drafts, Young isn't going off the board until round seven. Because of his current depressed value, you could trade for him straight up for Ladd McConkey, Isiah Pacheco, a late 2024 1st round pick, or even a mid to late 2025 1st round pick.
I'll happily deal away any of the above-referenced names or picks for Young as a QB2 or QB3 in Superflex leagues. Positional scarcity in Superflex leagues plus a longer window to retain his value makes him the better investment.
Baker Mayfield
It doesn't look like the dynasty community is convinced after Baker Mayfield's resurgent performance in 2023. Despite finishing as the QB10 last season, he's currently ranked as QB23 on KTC.
Unlike Bryce Young, Mayfield's value has actually risen since last offseason (QB35 last August), but not nearly enough commensurate to his age, situation, and recent production. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned their offense intact, extending Mike Evans for another two years while keeping Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Cade Otton, and Rachaad White. They also added Jalen McMillan and Bucky Irving in the draft.
As I mentioned previously, when talking about Young, the Buccaneers lost Dave Canales, their offensive coordinator from last year, and brought in Liam Coen. This may be a cause of concern for some, but I think there will still be enough familiarity and continuity to allow Mayfield to pick up where he left off. Coen runs the same offensive system and comes from the same Sean McVay coaching tree as Canales, both of whom previously worked under Shane Waldron while with the Rams and Seahawks, respectively.
You can currently draft Mayfield at the end of round seven in Sleeper Superflex startup drafts. At his current KTC value, you could move off of aging veterans like Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, or Travis Kelce straight up for Mayfield. You could also trade a future 2026 1st-round pick for him. I like all these potential moves to acquire Mayfield as my 2nd or 3rd quarterback in Superflex leagues.
In the short term, I prefer the investment in Baker over those aforementioned stars nearing the end of their playing careers. Considering Baker just signed a new 3-year deal, he could easily play himself into another extension if he produces similarly as last year going forward.
Even if he doesn't produce top-10 numbers again this year, as long as he finishes a high-end QB2, his value should easily soar past where he was mid-season last year and perhaps higher than it ever was while he was with the Cleveland Browns.
Will Levis
When Will Levis got his chance to start in week nine last season, he couldn't have dreamed up a better performance. Fantasy owners jumped for joy as he put up an eye-popping 34-point fantasy game, throwing for 4 TDs. Unfortunately, the rest of the season wasn't as explosive.
It was a mixed bag of single-digit fantasy performances, along with a few games in the high teens, then ending the year with an injury. That said, you could see the promise and potential. He averaged just over 15 PPG in the games he started and finished (he left the week 17 game after only six pass attempts).
After that dramatic first start, Levis's trade value was at its peak, jumping up to QB15 but since then, it has plummeted back down to its lowest point since the beginning of the 2023 season, down to QB21 on KTC. His current ADP on Sleeper Superflex startup drafts has him going as the final pick of the 8th round as QB25.
I find this value to be way too low. Levis was the 2nd pick of the 2nd round in last year's NFL draft and is likely not only to improve upon his rookie season but also be given every opportunity to retain the starting job for at least a few more years. So, it's hard for me to believe his value won't increase.
Then factor in what the Tennessee Titans have done this off-season to set the stage for his fantasy success. They gave Calvin Ridley a big bag of money to join DeAndre Hopkins as Levis's top receiver on the outside. They brought in Tyler Boyd to start in the slot. Why is that significant? Well, he knows the system that the new Head Coach, Brian Callahan, wants to implement from his days as Offensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both Callahan and Titan's new Offensive Coordinator Nick Holz (previously the Jacksonville Jaguars Passing Game Coordinator) ran spread offenses with mostly three wide receiver sets, and both systems helped support 4,000-yard passers and multiple fantasy pass catchers in recent seasons.
Don't forget, there's also Chigoziem Okonkwo at the tight end spot and both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears out of the backfield who are all excellent pass-catching options.
They also upgraded their offensive line via the draft and free agency to give Levis more time in the pocket and improve his completion percentage from last year. Levis is set up nicely to be a solid QB2 in Superflex leagues, so now's the time to buy low.
In one of my Superflex dynasty leagues, where I have an excess of middling running backs, I'm making offers to a running back needy manager either straight up or pairing them with a 3rd round rookie pick to make a trade happen. Referencing the KTC trade analyzer, a fair offer for Levis is Zamir White & a late-round pick or Zack Moss & an early 3rd-round pick.
If you have top-end depth at WR, you can offer a Terry McLaurin or an inconsistent and oft-injured Christian Watson. If you have an early 2nd-round pick and are thinking about drafting Keon Coleman, Bo Nix, or Michael Penix, you can trade that pick straight up for Levis. You could even try a future 2025 2nd-round or 2026 1st-round pick.
Even if Levis never becomes a top-12 quarterback option, he's going be a solid QB2 with huge upside, and his value should rise after a strong preseason and/or early season performance.
He should retain that value longer than any of these middling running backs I would offer in trade, who tend to get hurt more often and are easily replaceable in both real football and fantasy, making Levis a better dynasty investment. Buy now, and whether you ride with him for a few seasons or flip him mid-season when his value spikes again, now is the time to trade for Will Levis!