2024 Draft Guide: Superflex

By Tony Kneepkens >>

In this article, I want to cover some strategies and ideas specific to the number of starting quarterbacks your league requires. I will briefly touch on “standard” leagues that require one starting quarterback only, leagues that have a Superflex position (you are allowed to play a quarterback in one of the flex spots), and leagues that require two starting quarterbacks per team.

Standard (1 QB)

In a 12-team standard league that only allows one starting QB, three fairly common strategies are all viable if executed well:

1. Draft a single stud QB and start them as many games as possible, potentially only adding a single bye-week fill-in for one week if all goes perfectly. 
2. Draft 2 QBs with the plan to play matchups between the two or stash a high-upside rookie for later in the season. 
3. You might target a single late-round QB with favorable early-season matchups with the plan to add and drop QBs throughout the season or until a permanent starting option has been uncovered. 

In any of these scenarios, there are plenty of QBs to go around. Even if all 12 managers want to execute a similar strategy, likely, some or all of the mid-20s QB range (think Geno, Baker, Carr, etc.) will be available as waiver or free-agent pickups throughout the season. Suppose you draft a high-end stud, and they suffer a significant injury. In that case, you can add a start-worthy QB from waivers and likely even trade for a comparable player to the one you’ve just lost if you are motivated to without completely changing the makeup of the rest of your team.

Understanding How Superflex/2-QB Changes Things

In 12-team Superflex or start-two QB leagues, there are still a few different draft or roster-building approaches to take, but one key difference is that all of the starting QBs (and likely some backups) will be drafted and rostered all season. Most teams in these formats will covet having three (or more) starting QBs rostered so that they can feel comfortable covering bye weeks or tough matchups with a strong option from their bench. If we assume 32 clean, clear-cut NFL QB situations, this means 4+ teams in a 12-team league will be feeling behind at the position with only two starting QBs. In reality, most years are something like this current one, where there are approximately 25-27 NFL QB situations that seem very straightforward and another 5-7 that almost no one would project a single QB to start all of the games. Some reasons for relatively uncertain QB situations can include a bridge starter with a young QB behind (NE this year), starting players returning from injuries or suspensions (Brissett/Watson as an example previously), or just teams with general uncertainty (LV or PIT this year).

This means that there are some additional tiers and tier breaks that we need to be aware of during our drafts and throughout the season compared to a single QB league: 

1. There is a tier of QBs that are generally unowned in single QB leagues but are also considered straightforward QB situations (Baker, Geno, Carr, etc.). These QBs gain quite a bit of value in Superflex and 2 QB leagues because they are a comfortable 3rd QB on someone’s bench, the final “safe” starting options, and you could even grab two players like this plus a higher-end QB and play matchups and cover byes that way.
2. There is a tier of QBs from the remaining “uncertain” QB situations that will likely have multiple QBs from each NFL team drafted in these formats where multiple QBs can or must be started like Fields/Wilson, Brissett/Maye, Nix/Stidham, etc. This group will be the next tier drafted and some managers will covet getting both pieces rostered to feel like they have their bases covered.
3. The NFL is unpredictable. Previous star QBs might fade, or players might get injured, and a team will experience a cluster of QB injuries, and we get to 3rd or 4th QB options that no NFL GM can realistically prepare for. While I will never predict injuries to specific players, I think it is realistic to assume that there will be injuries and surprises throughout the NFL season. The final QB tier to be aware of is all of the primary backup QBs in the league not already drafted in #2 above. You can consider “handcuffing” your own QB(s) or even take a flier on a backup from another team who has shown previous ability or plays in a QB-friendly system (some of my favorites this year include Joe Flacco, Jake Browning, Jameis Winston).

Superflex/2-QB Differences