Rookie quarterbacks with upside their first NFL season

Quarterbacks were taken with the top three picks in the 2021 NFL draft, with Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers respectively. Two more quarterbacks went in the first round, making this rookie class one to watch going forward. Here are the rookie signal callers with the most fantasy football upside this season.

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

There’s significant hype around Fields, although he’s currently not listed as Chicago’s starting quarterback. The Ohio State product has been the talk of training camp and everyone is anticipating big things from him. Andy Dalton may start the season under center, but the Bears could ultimately move to Fields pretty early. His fantasy upside comes from his mobility. If Dalton struggles early, the Bears will face tremendous pressure to play Fields.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have declared the quarterback competition between Lawrence and Gardner Minshew “open”, but you don’t take a guy No. 1 overall and not start him right away. The Jaguars have a solid group of receivers and a pair of decent running backs. Lawrence will have his rookie struggles, but could also put up big numbers for a team likely to be playing from behind a lot.

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

Similar to Fields, Lance isn’t currently expected to be the starter. However, there’s tremendous buzz around him during training camp. Jimmy Garoppolo may ultimately start the season, but the Niners did move up to No. 3 for Lance and could push him into action early. His fantasy upside, like Fields, comes from his mobility. Among the rookie quarterbacks, Lance probably has the best weapons around him in San Francisco.