This column was originally published in 2023, and has been updated for the 2024 season.
Quarterback has always been the signature position on the football field, and for fantasy football purposes, there is always tremendous depth at the position in standard leagues. Nothing against a standard league, but sometimes it can be just so, well, standard. Yeah, we all enjoy that one quarterback we don't even have to think about, fill in for the bye week, build the best set of typical flex-eligible options around the QB and there is your fantasy football team. It's fine, certainly time-tested and traditional, but perhaps we can do a bit better.
What makes superflex different?
Superflex leagues are becoming all the proverbial rage because there are so many productive quarterbacks in the NFL, it only makes sense to tap into that subset and rely on more than one of them for your fantasy team. That is what differentiates a superflex format from a standard one. The superflex slot -- in ESPN leagues, it is listed as "OP" (offensive player) -- can be a QB, RB, WR or TE, which is different from the regular flex slot, which cannot be a QB. Whenever possible, your superflex player should be a second quarterback, for even in average single-game performances they generally provide more fantasy points on a consistent basis than running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. We add scoring, we add strategy and we add interest!
How does this change the draft?
Fading quarterbacks in a standard league is a realistic and successful strategy because there are always more than 10 or 12 of them worthy of starting for your fantasy team. The line may differ for everyone, but it always seemed a bit silly seeing Kirk Cousins as a free agent in so many standard leagues, since he had been a top-12 QB in ESPN scoring each of his previous three seasons, and six of eight, before his season-ending Achilles injury put an end to that streak (although he was sixth in fantasy PPG among QBs with at least eight games played in 2023). In a superflex format, he has been an early-round draft pick in recent years, which feels more realistic.
Everything changes on superflex draft day, and unlike a standard league, in which we can usually spot the managers who jump for the top signal-callers such as Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen in the early rounds while half the managers wait a good, long while, most quarterbacks are coveted in superflex. They should be! One of the arguments for fading quarterback in standard formats is, put simply, "you only need one." In superflex, you tend to play two at all times and likely draft three or even four. They are that critical. This tips the value to the most important position in the sport.
Superflex formats are growing in popularity each year, not only because this format creates more scoring and a greater range in week-to-week results, but because anything goes on draft day. Most of us acknowledge draft day is the one we look forward to each year because we welcome the players we will aggressively root for over the next few months, but draft day can also be a bit predictable in standard play. This is not so in superflex formats.
For example, quarterbacks seldom are picked in the first round of standard leagues, and for good reason. You only need one, there is ample depth, and if you miss out on the top running backs and wide receivers, you may find yourself chasing a decent flex option all season long. In superflex, running back, which is often a problematic crapshoot to begin with outside of the elite options, becomes less important. Fill the active slots, get a little depth. Productive quarterbacks do not go undrafted in superflex. They go into active lineups.
Do your homework on quarterbacks ... you'll need them
More than half of the first round of a superflex league may be populated with quarterbacks. Or not. It's up to you and your leaguemates, of course! More decision-making in the early rounds may fluster some people, but it is good for the game. Unpredictability reigns. Take Mahomes or Allen with your first selection. Neither will be available with your second pick. Many managers in superflex formats take quarterbacks with their first two picks. This is a viable strategy, seeing as they are the top scorers.
We all love veteran running backs Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, right? They had solid 2023 seasons. Well, QB Baker Mayfield, who few would refer to as solid, scored more PPR points. So did Texans rookie C.J. Stroud, then-Commanders starter Sam Howell (since traded to be a backup in Seattle), and a host of other signal-callers. Mayfield was ignored in standard formats. This was not the case in superflex. This is a good thing. If we want to make fantasy football realistic, we should hardly ignore productive quarterbacks. They all throw the football. Some run quite a bit. All the starters matter.
Even as "Mr. Irrelevant" of the 2022 NFL draft, Brock Purdy, was proving to fantasy managers that his impressive and unexpected finish to his rookie campaign was hardly a fluke, there was little reason in standard leagues to invest. Most managers relied on more proven starting quarterbacks and needed a second QB only for the bye week. Purdy finished as the No. 6 QB scorer in fantasy last season. Yes, he was drafted in superflex leagues, but only as a low-end QB2 (since he was 19th in roster percentage at the position on opening night). Good for those who invested, especially for those who stacked him with 49ers WRs Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel Sr. Stacking is a more viable option in superflex. Take the risk and pile on the points!
Even the quarterbacks we viewed as supreme busts still offered significant value in superflex. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence notably struggled, but he still scored 262.54 fantasy points. That was more than the aforementioned Aiyuk and Samuel, exciting Falcons rookie RB Bijan Robinson and Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr., who caught 109 balls.
Even then-Jets backup Zach Wilson, who had to step in for Aaron Rodgers and was consistently unimpressive, averaged 10 fantasy points per game. It wasn't much, but it was more than Tennessee Titans RB Tyjae Spears, then-Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy and Buffalo Bills TE Dalton Kincaid. This season, Pittsburgh Steelers presumed starter Russell Wilson could lose his job to Justin Fields at any time, but in superflex, both will be rostered. Fantasy managers should have to rely on all the quarterbacks, including the Kenny Pickett types who are backups in elite offenses.
Fantasy football should be fun, and while there is nothing wrong with a standard league, superflex leagues feature more scoring and more strategy, and it is hard to see how this can be a bad thing. Try something different and you may find you like it a lot more.