You should always wait on drafting a quarterback. I say that, yet in a recent staff fantasy mock draft, I reached for Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen with the 2.12 selection. Do as I say, not as I do! I’m of the opinion that in many league formats, you probably don’t need a backup quarterback, let alone a sleeper. For example, in a 10-team league with one starting quarterback, there should be plenty of capable replacements on the waiver wire—so there’s no need. You should use that extra bench spot on another running back or wide receiver.
So with that in mind, I believe there are a couple parameters that need to be fulfilled first before drafting a backup quarterback.—because you probably don't need one in the first place. First, you should only be looking for one in 12-team leagues or larger. However, if you miss out on a Tier 1 QB (Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert), that's when you should be seeking out a backup QB.
Before we dive in, I’d like to clarify what is a sleeper in the first place. Sleeper, to me, doesn’t mean a player nobody has heard of that comes out of nowhere to succeed. I believe that’s more of a fantasy "breakout" than sleeper. Instead, a sleeper is a player who will significantly outperform his current average draft position value.
