Draft Strategy: Superflex Leagues

If you've been a part of Headliner Nation for a while, you already know that we have a pretty strong take on drafting quarterbacks early. We want you to get the most value possible in a one-quarterback league. But if you're playing in a superflex league, we're going to have to dramatically change that thought process. In a superflex league, quarterbacks are going to go early, and they're going to go often.

Here is some good news: in 2024, I firmly believe that the quarterback position is going to be deeper than we've ever seen it before. This depth is going to allow us to go with the flow of our superflex league drafts a little bit more often instead of needing to lock ourselves into drafting quarterbacks right away. Guys like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, and Patrick Mahomes are going to be going in the first and second rounds. Anthony Richardson and Joe Burrow can also be tossed up there. All the big-name quarterbacks are probably going to be gone by the end of the second round in a superflex league.

While everybody else is busy gathering up those quarterbacks in the first couple of rounds, you could get some really, really good value on the top players at other positions, namely running back and wide receiver. There is a batch of quarterbacks being drafted outside the top 12 quarterbacks that could still be fantasy viable. They may not give you the type of upside that you would get with some of those other quarterbacks that go in the first couple of rounds, but they could still give you a nice offset, allowing you to have the top positional players elsewhere and then have guys at the quarterback position that won't seem nearly as big as a downfall as you would if you had to wait to draft running backs or wide receivers a little bit later.

Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Jared Goff are all going to be worthy of a starting spot in a superflex league. Maybe you don't spend your first couple of round picks on a quarterback. Maybe you still want an elite option. That's fine. Go ahead and roll with one of the elite options in the first or the second round, then start filling in your other positions afterward. Then use your second and third quarterback picks on guys in this area. Guys like Will Levis and Russell Wilson, going super late in drafts, could also end up being really good values as your quarterback three this year.

In superflex leagues, don't get tied into drafting your quarterbacks right away. Go with the flow of your draft and let things play out for you. My superflex draft strategy is early, mid, and late. I want to focus on my quarterback positions in those three areas of the draft. Now, keep in mind the ADP that you see floating around out there may not show what a superflex league would end up being, so you have to bump your quarterbacks up a couple of rounds in terms of those ADPs.

Early: I want to get a quarterback—my number one quarterback—in the first three rounds. Go ahead and take an elite option if you want to, and that will make sure that you're set up at your QB1 position.

Mid: This is where some of these secondary guys I talked about would come into play. Give me a Jared Goff, an Aaron Rodgers, somebody in the middle rounds that I feel really, really good about to be my quarterback two. Someone consistent, even if they don't offer as much upside as the QB1 guys.

Late: That's where guys like Russell Wilson and Will Levis come into play. Let me take a shot at somebody that's going to give me a ton of value at the quarterback position that probably won't play a whole lot for me but would definitely be a good fill-in for bye weeks or if I have an injury.

In a superflex league, you need to leave your draft with at least three quarterbacks. But one more tip for my early, mid, late strategy: after you take your quarterback early, whether it be in the first or second round, make sure you get your top position players at running back and wide receiver. If you end up going with one of the elite options in the second round at quarterback, then your first round needs to be one of the top running backs or one of the top wide receivers. Then draft your quarterback in the second round. After that, we need to be filling in either the RB2 or the WR2—whatever you drafted in the first round—and then either the RB1 or the WR1, the opposite of whatever you drafted in the first round. That will give us a really good balance to our roster and will allow you to still grab one of these quarterbacks that I've talked about in those mid rounds.

Then, as we go through the rest of the draft, fill out all of your starting spots. Give yourself a little bit of depth on your bench, and then target your quarterback three. Superflex leagues are becoming more and more popular. Lots of people are switching over to them, and it emphasizes the quarterback position a lot more. If you play in a league that greatly benefits the quarterbacks in terms of fantasy scoring, then quarterbacks in superflex leagues become even more important because you want to have two quarterbacks starting at any given time. If you're in a league that balances the scoring of the points a little bit more and the quarterbacks don't have nearly the type of upside, then you could end up choosing to target some other positions instead of going after your second and third quarterback.

Again, just make sure you go with the flow of your draft. Make sure you know your league settings, and you'll be successful in all of your superflex leagues.