top 5 fantasy Kyler

3 Unlikely Players to Finish as Top 5 Fantasy Quarterbacks

This season in fantasy football, four clear players are most likely to finish in the top 5 fantasy rankings. Those players are Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts. These quarterbacks are ranked far above the rest of the field because of one common reason: their dual-threat ability. Each of these quarterbacks has the upside for 800 rushing yards and ten or more rushing touchdowns. If you aren’t able to get one of those top guys, who should you consider drafting in fantasy football? This article goes through three dark horse candidates that have top 5 fantasy upside this season. Let’s get into it. 

3 Unlikely Players to Finish as Top 5 Fantasy Quarterbacks

 

1) Kyler Murray

Last season, Kyler Murray disappointed a lot of fantasy players because of how much potential he had. Although he still finished as the 12th-best fantasy quarterback, he was being drafted to be at least a top-seven quarterback. But I still think Murray has that upside in his outcome range. He gets another year learning this offense, led by Jonathan Gannon, and another offseason to build up his chemistry with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride.

This is pretty much the same situation that he had last year, so as long as Murray improves marginally, he is going to be a great fantasy quarterback. And the main reason why Murray will always be his rushing upside. Last season, Murray ran the ball 78 times for 572 yards and five touchdowns. This was Murray’s lowest rushing attempts in a full season of his career. If he brings that back up to his career averages, Murray can get back to being a top 5 fantasy quarterback.

2) Justin Fields

Next on the list is Justin Fields. Although he may not be an elite quarterback in the NFL, Fields has consistently been a great quarterback in fantasy football. His rushing upside is something that you don’t find in these later-round quarterbacks. Even last season, before he got benched, Fields averaged 18.9 fantasy points per game as the starting quarterback, which would have been good for 8th-best among starting quarterbacks.

Now, Fields has the opportunity with a new team and a new head coach to rewrite the narratives surrounding him. He is also back with his college teammate and elite receiver, Garret Wilson. This team is going to run their offense using the rushing attack from Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, and Fields himself. I would be drafting Fields because of his extremely high upside in fantasy football, with the hope that he can get back to being a top 5 fantasy quarterback.

3) Drake Maye

Last on this list is Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. In Maye’s rookie season, he showed some potential to be a good quarterback in today’s league.  This offseason, the entire Patriots offense was revamped. They brought in Mike Vrabel to be their head coach and brought back Josh McDaniels to be their offensive coordinator. They drafted an explosive running back in TreVeyon Henderson, a receiver in Kyle Williams, and signed Stefon Diggs to be Maye’s veteran safety blanket. All of this, combined with the rushing upside that Maye brings, makes me confident that Maye has top 5 fantasy quarterback potential.

The Last Word and Honorable Mentions

To recap, there are three quarterbacks who are dark horse candidates to finish inside the top 5 fantasy quarterback rankings by the end of the season. Those quarterbacks are Kyler Murray, Justin Fields, and Drake Maye. Some more names to mention are Dak Prescott, who has finished as a top fantasy quarterback twice in his fully healthy seasons. The Cowboys traded for George Pickens, who should help this passing attack even more. The last honorable mention is Trevor Lawrence. This one is by far the least likely to happen, but a new offensive-minded coach in Liam Coen and the addition of a generational prospect in Travis Hunter might give Lawrence the tools to becoming a top 5 fantasy quarterback.

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