Rookies to Know for 2023: Quarterbacks

Photo: Scott Wachter, USA Today Sports

In this position-by-position series, we'll look at rookies that should be on your radar before you begin your fantasy draft. It's important to understand that sometimes patience is required when selecting someone brand new to the league, but we want to be actively targeting players with a path to meaningful playing time. After a slow start to the season, Christian Watson was the WR9 after Week 8, while Garrett Wilson was the WR19 over that span. Brock Purdy didn't take over as a starter in San Francisco until Week 13 but was the QB12 to finish out the season - ahead of Justin Herbert and Deshaun Watson. If you had the good fortune of relying on Tyler Allgeier during your playoff run last year, he averaged 18.3 points, good enough for the RB8 spot. Teams have invested draft capital into their rookies, and eventually, they'll want to see if they have what it takes on Sundays.

Certainly, not every rookie mentioned below is worthy of being selected in your draft, but the aim here is to give you an edge over your leaguemates so you'll be ready to pounce before the rest of the league has had a chance to pick them up.

Quick links to all positions: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End

This article will focus on the quarterback position, where there will likely be three rookies starting for their respective teams in Week 1.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

There are probably multiple people in your league bemoaning the fact that Richardson was taken so highly in the NFL Draft. They're sure that he will prove to be a bust because they watched him play for the Florida Gators in 2022 and came away unimpressed.

Ignore them.

Truthfully, it doesn't matter what kind of quarterback anyone believes he is. Richardson is custom-made for major fantasy production, and we need to be chasing players with a high ceiling. Justin Fields emerged last season as an elite fantasy starter by averaging more points than any other quarterback in the league from Weeks 7-15. He did this despite having arguably the worst receiving corps in the league because he was running the ball at an insanely efficient level. Richardson not only has a better group of pass catchers but also had the best athletic showing at the NFL Draft Combine of any quarterback in history. At 6-foot-4 and 244 lbs, he ran a 4.43 forty-yard dash and vertical jumped more than 40 inches.

He flashed some special arm talent this preseason and has already been named the team's starter by new Colts head coach Shane Steichen. There are bound to be some bumps in the road early on, but Steichen came over from Philadelphia, where he helped establish Jalen Hurts as a top fantasy quarterback. Richardson's ability to run the ball makes him a safe bet to put up points as he continues to improve as a passer.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

The top pick in this year's NFL Draft has all the makings of a great quarterback despite being wildly undersized. He played the position at a masterful level during his final season at the University of Alabama. He has all of the intangibles that a quarterback is supposed to have: poise, toughness, confidence, intelligence. So much so that new Panthers head coach Frank Reich is rolling with him as his starter.

Despite my faith that he can overcome his small stature to succeed at this level, I don't view him as draftable this season unless you're playing in a superflex format. He's not a major threat to run the ball and doesn't have elite weaponry surrounding him. The team brought in veterans Adam Thielen, Hayden Hurst, and D.J. Chark, but their best seasons are likely already behind them. He could be viable as a fill-in starter once bye weeks begin.