2QB fantasy football: the format where Quarterbacks are actually highly valued, just like in real life football. When you have to start 2QBs every week, the difference between teams with good QBs and ones with bad QBs will be magnified. As a result of the change in value to QBs, we must adjust our draft plans for that position. In this article, I will present different draft strategies and how each one functions in redraft leagues and in dynasty leagues.
For the purposes of this article, I am using ADP (Average Draft Position) data from the website twoqbs.com. They host mock drafts for the 2QB format and track ADP for both redraft and dynasty, which is perfect for this article.
Note: When writing about players being taken in certain rounds, I will always use a 12 team format.
Know Your League
The most important rule to follow is to know how your league mates value QBs. While the owners in some leagues practice patience, others may not. It is possible that the 1st round could pass without a single QB taken, or everyone might use their first selection to address the position.
It can be difficult to know how QBs are valued if you are the new owner in the league or you are joining a startup. If it is possible to go back and look at draft results from previous seasons, I would do just that: see where QBs have been taken in previous years. If not, you may have to decide on your strategy while the draft is happening. It is important to have a clear idea of what you would like to do but it is equally essential to be flexible.
I will now present several strategies that can help you with 2 QB drafts. It may be an advantage to have most, if not all, of these strategies in mind when entering the draft so that you are able to adapt to which one will work best at the time.
QB – QB
Redraft
As for other QBs, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson and Tom Brady are all being taken in the 2nd or 3rd round. Cam Newton and Drew Brees are not far behind in the 4th round while Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff are being drafted in the 5th round. These ADPs make it seem like using your first two draft picks on QBs may be excessive but there may be an advantage in doing so, especially if you consider two or three QBs to be in a tier above the rest. If you cannot swallow using a 1st and a 2nd pick on a QB, I would still recommend filling both starting QB slots by the 4th round.
Dynasty
In dynasty, the need and desire to be more aggressive when taking QBs is even more apparent. There is not much change for Rodgers as he moves from a redraft ADP of 10.7 to 6.7 in dynasty. The value of other QBs in dynasty becomes apparent when Wilson, Wentz
QB – QB – ?? – QB
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I personally enjoy drafting QBs aggressively in 2QB drafts, but aggressive is a subjective term. For some people, drafting QBs aggressively means drafting two by the 3rd round. For others, it may be to take a QB 1st overall. Probably the most extreme example of drafting QBs highly that I have come across is courtesy of podcast host and fantasy writer John Hogue. He recommends going QB-QB in the first 2 rounds and then taking another QB in the 4th round, while the 3rd round is reserved to the best available RB or WR. The point of taking your QB3 so early is that it will give you trade leverage during the season when certain owners are scrambling to fill their QB2 slot. It will also protect your high QB investments in the case of an injury.
1QB Early
Redraft
All that this means is that even if you want an advantage at QB over your leagues mates and draft an elite one in the first 3 rounds, you do not have to double up and draft your QB2 right away. You can afford to wait until the 6th round to get a very productive QB.
Dynasty
As I have mentioned before, according to this ADP data, QBs seem to be valued higher in dynasty. While I said that in redraft you could afford to wait until the 6th round to get a QB who is ranked in the top 12, this does not appear to be the case in dynasty startups. The last
Late QB
Redraft
The last strategy that I will explain is to wait on QBs. This will allow you to draft elite RBs and WRs (or even TEs if you dare) in the first three or four rounds. I will recommend trying to fill your starting requirements at RB and WR before taking a QB. Therefore, in a league where roster setting are 2QB/2RB/2WR/1TE/FLEX, this late round QB strategy would dictate that you wait until the 6th round to take a QB. I would use my first five picks to take at least 2 RBs and 2 WRs as well as one extra player from the position you prefer flexing. According to
With the late QB strategy, once you take the plunge and draft a QB, I would recommend getting your QB2 and even your QB3 as soon as possible. If you wait until the 6th round to take a QB, it is not out of the question to go QB in the 7th then again in the 8th round.
Dynasty
The ADP data shows that drafters favor the young QBs in dynasty. The simple math indicates that a young QB like Dak Prescott will probably have many more years of production than those in their late 30s. However, for those owners looking to win right away, having an older QB1 isn’t out of the question, especially considering how late some of them are going. If we use the same late QB model as we did for redraft (filling RB, WR and FLEX starting position), some QBs available could be Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers. Again, like in
In 2QB dynasty drafts, it is the 6th-8th rounds where we begin to see the rookie QBs in dynasty. Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen all have ADPs in the 7th or 8th round. Drafting one might not get you much immediate production but would give you a nice pairing to go along with the older players mentioned earlier. If you do decide to take a rookie QB, it is imperative that you take another QB who is a week 1 starter to act as a placeholder while you wait for the rookie. Andy Dalton with an ADP of 87, Blake Bortles with an ADP of 106.3 and Eli Manning with an ADP of 120.7 all fit these criteria.
Redraft to Dynasty Discrepancies
Here are the QBs who have the biggest ADP drops from redraft to dynasty formats. For those who draft in dynasty startups with more of a redraft mentality, here are three QBs that you should target:
Redraft ADP (Round) Dynasty ADP (Round)
Tom Brady 34.6 (3rd) 45 (4th)
Drew Brees 45.3 (4th) 62.3 (6th)
Case Keenum 129.6 (11th) 147 (13th)
As can be seen, Brady, Brees and Keenum are being drafted one to two rounds later in dynasty as compared to redraft. This is the opposite of what we see with most of the other QBs who tend to be drafted higher in dynasty. If you are going into a 2QB dynasty startup trying to win now, you can feel comfortable taking both Brady and Brees in the 3rd and 4th round as your two starters. I would then recommend drafting a rookie or 2nd year QB later to compliment these older guys. As for Keenum, you can attempt to save him for later, in the 11th round for instance, to be your QB3. That will allow you to draft eight players from other positions, thus giving you decent depth on your team as a whole.
Zig or Zag
I think the most important thing you can take away from this article is that there are many options available to not only you but to your leagues mates as well. The point is, it is impossible to know exactly how the draft will unfold beforehand. Having a plan is important, but flexibility is key. Remember to be present-minded in order to take advantage of any trends you see unfold during the draft.
I hope that this article helps you prepare for your 2QB leagues in both redraft and dynasty. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter and let me know what strategy you prefer, or if I missed any type of strategy.
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