Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Report: Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford and Bryce Young
Ted takes a look at the biggest movers in fantasy football ADP at the quarterback position over the last week.
Another week has come and gone, so it’s time again to check in on quarterback ADPs using FantasySP’s ADP Tool! As always, I will break down the biggest risers and fallers, both why they’re moving and whether you should invest in these players at their new prices. Let’s get started!
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Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Risers
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (-7.23)
This is an absolutely massive rise for Fields, and there’s an easy explanation for why. With Russell Wilson sidelined by a calf injury, Fields has been taking first-team reps for the Steelers in training camp and performing well enough to make some analysts speculate that he will be starting for Pittsburgh — if not in Week 1, then sooner rather than later.
And when he is on the field, Fields is a very valuable fantasy asset. His rushing ability makes him at least a borderline QB1, with top-five upside if it all comes together. With how important upside is in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, it’s not surprising that some fantasy managers want to believe the hype and grab Fields at a discount.
With that said, Fields’ current price is absurd. There’s absolutely zero reason to think Fields will start for the Steelers in Week 1, let alone at any point this season. Mike Tomlin himself confirmed when the two first joined the team that Wilson was the starter, and he did so again just this week by announcing that Wilson will start the team’s next preseason game.
The only reason to think Fields might start is that Wilson has had extremely pedestrian results since leaving Seattle. But Fields has been even worse, with lower PFF grades in both of the last two years. Fields is a player to put on your watch list and add as soon as there’s a real indication he might play NFL football this season, but he is not a player to draft as the QB24 … or draft at all.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (-2.24)
Kyler isn’t the next fastest riser in terms of total movement, but his two-point rise over the last week is the second largest relative to current ADP (it means much more to rise a couple spots in the seventh round than the 17th). Unlike with Fields, there is no one rumor or piece of news to point that explains this rise. I have noticed more Marvin Harrison Jr. highlights on Twitter of late, so that could be part of it.
However, this could also just be the market finally starting to correct Murray’s price. I’ve repeatedly made the case this offseason that Murray has been very undervalued by ADP. Long story short, Murray has a history of producing like a top-six fantasy quarterback, especially when he has an alpha receiver to target.
Fully healthy from his ACL injury and with MHJ in town, Murray is an absolute bargain at his current ADP. He could rise by two more full rounds and still be undervalued, at least when compared to some other middle-round quarterbacks (looking at you, C.J. Stroud).
Fantasy Football Quarterback ADP Fallers
Bryce Young, Pittsburgh Steelers (+4.70)
Young is being drafted late at QB30, but a fall of nearly five full slots is still a big move, especially given that there is no obvious reason for Young’s slide. He has reportedly thrown a few interceptions in practice, but that’s not usually enough to cause a move this large.
Obviously, Young isn’t really on the radar for 1-QB leagues. But he, like any starting quarterback, is definitely relevant in 2-QB or Superflex formats. And in those formats, last year’s first overall pick is slightly undervalued, especially with this recent skid.
For one, he’s the quarterback with the safest starting job in his range of the draft — he goes right behind Bo Nix and just two slots ahead of Drake Maye. For another, Young should take a step forward this year. While his rookie year was undeniably terrible by just about every measure, he did show some promise in terms of accuracy to open receivers.
The addition of an elite separator in Diontae Johnson, as well as the Panthers’ attempts to beef up their interior O-line, should help him take a step forward as a sophomore.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (+2.50)
There are two obvious reasons that fantasy managers might have soured slightly on Stafford over the last week. His presumed top target, Puka Nacua, is sidelined with a knee injury, and the 36-year-old picked up a hamstring issue of his own on Wednesday.
Given the Rams’ lack of weapons outside of Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Puka potentially starting the season banged up is certainly a red flag for Stafford. And Stafford has missed multiple games in each of the last two seasons, so a potentially lingering hamstring issue is nothing to ignore, even if it is reportedly not serious.
With that said, this is actually a time to buy the dip on Stafford. This recent slide has brought him directly below Kirk Cousins in ADP, which is an obvious mistake. Stafford has more proven upside than Cousins — he was the QB5 in 2021, which was an age ago in fantasy years but was still in this same Sean McVay offense.
Cousins also has the same injury concerns as Stafford, being only a year younger and coming off an Achilles injury. In terms of weapons, Nacua and Kupp are basically what fantasy managers are hoping Drake London and Kyle Pitts will become. It shouldn’t shock anyone if Stafford manages a fringe QB1 season this year if he and the rest of the Rams’ offense can stay healthy.
I’m not necessarily jumping up and down recommending you grab Stafford as your QB2 in every league, but he’s a solid pick and definitely undervalued at this point relative to other quarterbacks in his range.
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