Erickson: 2021 2QB/Superflex Fantasy Football Rankings

Fantasy football leagues continue to morph into formats that require starting more players, thus adding additional layers of strategy. The granddaddy of “deep leagues” is the two-quarterback format. Requiring at least two starting quarterbacks necessitates a deeper understanding of the quarterback position and the overall player pool. Superflex leagues — which allow for a third starting QB — take things even further. 

Obviously, quarterbacks are worth much more in these leagues than in standard leagues, so drafters new to the format will have to become comfortable pushing QBs up their rankings. The popular late-round quarterback approach is much less effective when each team is rostering up to three quarterbacks at any given time. There are few options off the waiver wire in-season. 

Simply put: Moving to a two-quarterback structure makes the most important position in real NFL football that much more important in fantasy football. Starting or joining a two-quarterback league is a great way to add another layer of strategy — I can't recommend it enough. 

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For those who make the plunge, here are my top-300 overall 2QB-league fantasy football rankings. The top-300 will show how quarterbacks rank among all players, and I'll break down the deep crop of quarterback tiers below. 

For those interested in ADP data, be sure to follow this link for a public Google Sheet provided by Sleeper. The document contains the most up-to-date ADP in 2QB/Superflex formats.

Top-300 2021 2QB/Superflex Fantasy Football Rankings (last update: Aug. 25)

QUARTERBACKS

These tiered quarterback rankings will be slightly different than my one-quarterback Best Ball, PPR, Half-PPR rankings — selecting two and three QBs throughout the draft naturally spreads the group thinner.

Starting quarterbacks who offer weekly stability (Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr and Jared Goff) but not a super-high fantasy ceiling are often left for dead in one-quarterback leagues. But in the two-quarterback format, having a stable body at the QB2 spot is critical.

Too many swings on more volatile fantasy quarterbacks with higher ceilings could result in a roster falling out of contention if players don’t pan out. Anyone who isn't starting two starting quarterbacks each week is at a massive disadvantage.

TIER 1: THE FANTASTIC FOUR

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS
KYLER MURRAY, ARIZONA CARDINALS
LAMAR JACKSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS

Not much has changed with the top-tier of fantasy quarterbacks aside from the fact that their value increases substantially inside the 2QB/Superflex Format — these players are all worthy of being selected in the first round.  My rankings feature four quarterbacks in the top eight and five within the top-16 overall players.

Superflex draft results from the 10th pick! thanks @EverydayFFB for the invite! pic.twitter.com/HavPhVyU7s

— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) August 30, 2021

These quarterbacks have all shown the ability to routinely post 25-30 fantasy points per game, which exceeds the average points scored by the league’s top fantasy running back and wide receivers even in full-PPR settings.

An ideal start to a draft would be to pair one of these stud QBs with a workhorse running back. There’s a chance that at least one sneaks into the second round, so that's the priority for those drafting a running back first. 

Across all fantasy formats, Prescott tends to be the last name off the board from the elite tier of quarterbacks, which makes aggressively pursuing him worthwhile. The Cowboys quarterback has elite upside — he finished first in passing yards per game last year (371) — and a super safe floor that few can beat. He’s the only quarterback to finish inside the top 10 every season from 2016-19.

Some might cite Prescott’s gaudy passing numbers as a small sample-size trap, but that’s hardly the case, as Dallas’ pass play percentage (70%) under neutral game-script conditions ranked second before Prescott’s injury. The Cowboys’ atrocious defense made sure that the team was required to throw the ball a ton, but Dallas remained an uber-aggressive passing team even before the score got out of hand.

Expect to see more of that style of play with Prescott in 2021, making him and his offensive weapons premium fantasy football commodities. The defense still projects to be poor (31st-ranked secondary and 27th-ranked defensive line), so the high-end passing numbers will stay firmly in place. 

TIER 2: TOP-TIER UPSIDE