Everyone wants to draft Josh Allen in fantasy football this year, but are you willing to spend a third or even a second-round pick to get him?
If not, there are many other productive options at quarterback this season, with QBs 2-10 all capable of posting big numbers this fall.
If you decide to wait until really late to draft a QB (or if you play in a two-QB league), consider these five QB breakout candidates who have the potential to outperform their average draft positions this season.
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5
Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Mills (QB30 ADP) shouldn’t be selected outside of two-QB leagues, but he showed flashes of potential as a rookie last season. The Texans used a third-round pick on Mills in 2021, and Houston didn’t bring in any QB competition this offseason — they’re all in on Mills. He has a promising rookie running back in Dameon Pierce, a proven wide receiver in Brandin Cooks and a talented young receiver in Nico Collins. The pieces are in place for Mills to take a big step forward in Year 2.
4
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Similar to Mills, Tagovailoa (QB16 ADP) shouldn’t be a target in single-QB leagues, but he’s also poised to see his stock rise in 2022. In his second season last year, Tagovailoa showed improvement in completion percentage (64.1 to 67.8), yards per attempt (6.3 to 6.8) and passer rating (87.1 to 90.1). Granted, those are marginal improvements, but similar increase this year could go a long way, especially with Tyreek Hill, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Chase Edmonds, and Raheem Mostert joining an offense that already featured Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki.
3
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Entering his second season and his first year as a full-time starter, Fields (QB17 ADP) will aim to have a breakout campaign in 2022. Fields’ fantasy stock will get a huge boost from his rushing ability — the former first-round pick ran 72 times for 420 yards and two touchdowns last season. He could be this year’s Jalen Hurts in fantasy.
2
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
There are numerous examples of top QB prospects who made huge leaps in their second season, and Lawrence (QB19 ADP) is a strong candidate to do so this autumn. The Jaguars will likely fall behind and have to throw in many games this season, and Lawrence’s targets will include Marvin Jones, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram, and dynamic receiving back Travis Etienne. Expect a breakout season from Lawrence this year.
1
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
An obvious choice to have a breakout year, Lance (QB13 ADP) is already being drafted as a starter in deep leagues. In his two starts last season, Lance rushed 24 times for 120 yards, which are very promising totals for a QB. And in his second start last year, Lance completed 69.57 percent of his passes. Lance is now the full-time starter in San Francisco, and he’s the top QB candidate to have a huge breakout season in 2022.
