Bounce-Back Quarterbacks Fantasy Football 2024: Kirk Cousins and Justin Herbert

We are moving to the quarterback position after discussing bounce-back running backs and wide receivers. In finding your best options at those positions, you must dive into the context of each player and team. Quarterback success outside of the game's best can fluctuate from year to year, but breakthroughs don't come often.

For example, when Matthew Stafford joined the Los Angeles Rams, he made a big leap from his last few years at Detroit. He went from QB15 while in Detroit to QB5 in LA. Ryan Tannehill went through something similar when he moved from the Dolphins to the Titans, going from QB30 in 2018 with Miami (missed six games) to QB9 in 2019 (points per game) in Tennessee and all the way up to QB7 in 2020.

It's important to remember that only elite quarterbacks are immune from big swings in performance. It often boils down to supporting cast and coaching staff. It doesn't make much sense to believe that Derek Carr will have a huge season when not much has changed this offseason.

The theme for quarterbacks for the highest growth potential is a new team - a hard reset. That's who you'll find on this year's list of my favorite bounce-back QB candidates.

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Cousins missed about half of the 2023 season due to a torn Achilles injury. He'll be 36 when the season begins, so having some apprehension about his prospects in Atlanta is valid. His average draft position makes him the 18th quarterback drafted, putting him at pick No. 113 or around the middle of round 10.

While Drake London doesn't quite compare to Justin Jefferson, the Falcons have a better cast and offensive line. Cousins will also have an elite running back at his disposal, and his play-action game will surely flourish.

London is at the bottom of the second tier of fantasy wide receivers. Bijan Robinson is considered a top 2 or 3 running back, and Kyle Pitts remains firm among the top 5 or 6 tight ends. And yet, Cousins is being drafted around the same time as Aaron Rodgers and after Jayden Daniels and Trevor Lawrence.

Something doesn't quite add up. We've seen quarterbacks implode on new teams in recent years, most notably Russell Wilson. But we have yet to observe Cousins slip into mediocrity. He was the QB7 by points per game last year and QB7 the year before.

I don't know if I'd wait until round 10 to make Cousins my starting fantasy quarterback. But I'd certainly feel good about slotting him into a backup role in a 1QB league or my second QB in superflex.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Changing zip codes isn't the only way to have a hard reset. Herbert is the recipient of the next-best thing: a new head coach and coaching staff. Things didn't pan out with Brandon Staley, now with the 49ers as an assistant head coach. 

Herbert was prolific in 2021 and has always been good; he's always been above average. Even the last two seasons, which were his worst statistically, he was the QB11 in points per game in 2023 and the QB11 in 2022.

While everyone continues to talk about how Jim Harbaugh will come in and shift the offense to run it more, we must remember that the Chargers don't have the running backs to support a power-running game. We can expect a dialing back in Herbert's passing volume, but that's about the extent of it.

When you factor in a more efficient offense after two down seasons, Herbert may not find his 2021 peak where he finished as the QB2, but a half-measure improvement to split the difference would still be a huge jump, putting him around QB6 or 7. Given his size and length, it's not unreasonable to think the Chargers could find a way to use Herbert's legs more in the red zone, too.

I recently saw an article that projects Herbert at QB18. That's a head-scratcher. Were we really that impressed by Kellen Moore and Staley's tutelage of Herbert? 

With back-to-back QB11 finishes, Herbert is now the QB15, according to his ADP. So he doesn't even need to improve to be a value. People act like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are so special. Gerald Everett and Austin Ekeler are also gone, but these decent players were products of being in an offense with Herbert, not the other way around. While they're certainly not bums, they aren't irreplaceable either. Cautious optimism and a nice ADP value are what I'm preaching here.

So much of the narrative continues to be this one-dimensional thinking that the Chargers are about to install the Wishbone offense and run it 40 times per game. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards aren't good or efficient enough to support that hypothesis. With all due respect, Allen was the only player of note lost, and between Quentin Johnston, Josh Palmer and Ladd McConkey, the Chargers have enough youth to make a splash. If Ekeler is so amazing, he wouldn't be ranked as the RB34. The calls for Herbert's demise have been premature, and I see it the other way: a bounce-back.