Dual-threat quarterbacks are all the rage in fantasy football. If you have a quarterback who can pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards, there’s a good chance your team will not only be in the playoffs but contending for your fantasy league championship.
While Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have yet to lead their franchises to a Super Bowl win, they are among the dual-threat quarterbacks who’ve helped fantasy owners win championships.
The 2024 NFL draft brought six first-round quarterbacks into the league. But one stands out as the next great fantasy superstar: Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Like No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, Daniels is his team’s unquestioned starting quarterback. While Williams arguably has more weapons around him, he doesn’t offer the same upside as a runner as Daniels.
In many fantasy drafts this summer, Daniels is going around the 10th or 11th round, which could be a massive steal. Pro Football Focus made five bold fantasy predictions for 2024, one of which featured Daniels:
Jayden Daniels could break fantasy football: Daniels scrambles at a rate far higher than any other quarterback, which could lead to elite fantasy production.
More from PFF on Daniels:
Quarterbacks who excel at running the ball are extremely valuable in fantasy football. Justin Fields finished as QB6 in 2022, thanks to his 1,143 rushing yards. Jalen Hurts averaged over 23 fantasy points per start in 2020 despite completing 51.9% of his passes. That same season, Taysom Hill averaged 21.6 fantasy points per game during his four starts at quarterback.
Daniels has a chance to be a better runner and passer than those players in his first season.
Daniels put up a 91.5 PFF rushing grade throughout his college career, the highest mark among Power Five quarterbacks over the last decade. He also racked up the most missed tackles forced, while Jackson and Hurts ranked in the top five.
Not only was his running quality superior, but he also scrambled far more than any other quarterback. He scrambled 258 times during his college career, the most by any quarterback in the last decade. The next closest had 180 scrambles.
This could result in more rushing attempts and big runs from Daniels than other rushing quarterbacks. Every quarterback with 100 or more rushing attempts in the last decade has averaged at least 18 fantasy points per start — a number Daniels should easily achieve.
Do you believe yet?
Daniels receives a lot of attention for his running ability. He’s dynamic. What’s often overlooked about Daniels is his touch, accuracy and his fondness for the long ball.
The tables are set for Daniels to have a monster rookie season.