Best ball draft targets: Quarterbacks

Best ball can be attacked similarly to redraft, but we also want to accentuate upside over consistency. That means there are some players who we often avoid in redraft that we will feel better getting in best ball. Picking some of these players will go against your instincts, but usually they can be had at value. Some of these guys are akin to the big, lumbering home run hitters who strike out a ton and have a .220 average but also knock out 30-40 homers each year.

We’ll look at quarterbacks first. You’ll want three quarterbacks in DraftKings best ball leagues, but you could get away with two studs, which I wouldn’t recommend. If you end up scrambling for your third quarterback, you can also split that third quarterback into two more for safety. The total number shouldn’t go over four though. There’s no need to clog one position with that many draft picks.

Daniel Jones, Giants

Jones was either a fumbling buffoon or the next Dan Marino his rookie season depending on which game you watched. With five games of 300-plus yards and two games of four touchdown passes and one with five. His upside was evident along with his downside, but those blow up games are what we’re looking for in best ball, as they are the games that count while the down games hopefully will be replaced by one of your other quarterbacks that week.

Joe Burrow, Bengals

Burrow will start from Week 1 with A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd to throw toward while having a poor defense that will give up points. That is a recipe for a lot of pass attempts his rookie season. That doesn’t mean he’ll put up big numbers, but there’s no doubt he’s a good quarterback and with a big workload, there will be some truly upside outings in Zac Taylor’s offense.

Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers

The offensive mastermind that helped Joe Burrow and company to breaking record on top of record at LSU has taken his talents to the Panthers. Joe Brady’s offense is set up perfectly for Bridgewater to excel this year. Much like the Bengals, the Panthers will need to throw due to a poor defense and they have some excellent weapons. Christian McCaffrey is like a free spot in your fantasy football bingo card and an easy target for Bridgewater to rack up fantasy points. Add in D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson, and the upside is evident.

Tyrod Taylor, Chargers

Taylor is just warming the seat for Justin Herbert, but the Chargers are a sound team overall and could win enough to keep Taylor in the driver’s seat for a good chunk of the season. I’d rather have a quarterback I know is secure in starting 16 games of course, but Taylor’s rushing ability gives him upside to go along with a chance to hold onto the job all season if they are winning. Like Bridgewater, he has an excellent receiving back in Austin Ekeler along with good receivers in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry. He can be had late in drafts if quarterbacks have flown off the board and you need one more.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins

Will Tua start soon or is Ryan Fitzpatrick going to see a big chunk of work early in the season? We should learn more as spring training gets in full swing, but there is little doubt that they want to get the Tua era going as soon as they can. If he shows enough in camp, I expect him to get the start Week 1 and like these other young guys on teams with poor defenses, there will be plenty of opportunity for big games.