Being a rookie starting quarterback can be difficult. Let's see what these sophomore quarterbacks have to offer going into 2022.
Five QBs were drafted in the first 15 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. Let's see how those five stars fared in 2021, and their outlook heading into 2022.
Trevor Lawrence
Coming in as the highest-rated NFL draft prospect since Andrew Luck, we knew the expectations for Lawrence were high. Unfortunately, the expectations did not exactly live up to the hype. With a circus act of a head coach, it was an uphill battle from the get-go.
Lawrence was the 1.01 in most SF dynasty rookie drafts this past season. However, his performance was underwhelming for his return on investment. In 2022, Lawrence gets a fresh start with more experience.
He ended 2021 with only three TD passes in his final six games. Sure, the offense dealt with injuries, but so does every team. With only one game over 20 fantasy points this season, Lawrence was hardly a viable QB to start in SF leagues. He finished the year as QB 23, despite playing all 17 games.
In positive news, the Jaguars recently hired former Eagles head coach, Doug Peterson. I believe this will help spark an offense that struggled throughout the year. Right now, Lawrence is a highly valued dynasty asset that needs to prove his value. I would consider him a fringe QB2, but I would keep him on the bench until further notice.
Zach Wilson
As the NY Jets' first pick in 2021 — number two overall — the pressure was on for Zach Wilson. He was drafted to be THE guy to come in and change the dynamic of one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Wilson, similar to Lawrence, struggled mightily to find consistent fantasy numbers to begin the year.
Wilson's season was put on hold due to a knee injury that kept him out from Week 8-11. Once he came back in Week 12, we started to see a higher floor and a higher potential ceiling. Wilson only topped 20+ fantasy points twice and had less than 15 fantasy points five times to finish out the year. He was impossible to put into your lineup week in and week out, even as your QB2.
With the emergence of rookie Elijah Moore, there is so much potential for these guys to break out together in their sophomore year, especially now that both will be coming into the season healthier than they ended.
I would avoid starting Wilson in your SF lineup until he is able to string together some consistent fantasy numbers. Until then, I would keep Wilson on your bench and play more secure options to start next fantasy season.
Trey Lance
Talk about selling the house for the future of your franchise. Trading multiple first-round picks to move up and grab Trey Lance number three overall, really sets the tone in terms of what direction your team is headed.
Although there was speculation Jimmy Garoppolo was only going to start a fraction of the year, he ended up playing the whole season and took the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. We were able to see Lance start in three games his rookie year, due to Garoppolo being hurt.
Now that it seems like the 49ers' plan is to trade Garoppolo during the offseason, it looks like 2022 is Lance's time to shine. In the three starts I had mentioned earlier, Lance averaged around 17 fantasy points per game. With the highest rushing upside out of all the sophomore quarterbacks, Lance is a highly anticipated SF dynasty asset.
To me, he has the highest upside going into the 2022 season, especially with the talent the 49ers have on offense. Lance is also the sophomore quarterback I feel most confident starting as my QB2 to begin the year. I see his ceiling being similar to Jalen Hurts and having top-12 potential.
Justin Fields
As a die hard Bears fan, trading up in the NFL draft to grab Justin Fields was the best start to an offseason I could have asked for. Unfortunately, landing Fields ended up creating some quarterback controversy within the team. With Dalton being promised the starting role, it was uncertain when Fields was going to begin his Bears career.
In Week 2, Dalton exited with a knee inury and it was Fields' time. With Nagy gone and Eberflus in as the new head coach, the plan is to “build the offense around Fields” instead of Fields trying to fit into a system not meant for him. We can only hope…
Fields started his rookie season with disgusting fantasy numbers, and not in a good way. He was only able to pass 10+ fantasy points ONE time in his first five starts. Fields was clearly unstartable in any format to begin the year. After his worst fantasy outing of the year against the Buccaneers, Fields followed it up with his best fantasy outing against the 49ers with 25+ points.
He finished the season with at least 16+ fantasy points in every game he started and finished, though he was injured in Week 11. With Fields having a solid rushing floor, I would feel more comfortable with him as my QB2 in a superflex lineup compared to some of these other guys. I would not consider him an every-week starter going into 2022, but the floor is there if you need it or based on matchup.
Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones
Fresh off a National Championship win with Alabama, you would think Jones would be higher on teams' draft lists. Of course, Jones was drafted by the Patriots to follow the legacy Brady left behind. As the only other rookie quarterback to start all 17 games, he had the highest fantasy finish as QB18.
Even with a solid finish, Jones struggled to provide a consistent ceiling and only put up 20+ fantasy points twice. The Patriots were a heavy run team throughout the year, so Jones wasn’t asked to do all that much. The 2022 hope is for him to throw down the field more and show off his arm. Jones doesn’t give you much on the ground, the touchdown passes will make up for it. Going into his sophomore season, I see Jones as a low-end QB2 with a safe, but low floor.
Summary
As you can see, most of these sohpomore quarterbacks still need to prove themselves to be reliable SF starters, even as your QB2. The outlier here would be Trey Lance, based on the promise he has shown when he has been the starter. He has the most value as a dynsasty SF play to me out of the sophomore bunch. I can't wait to see what all of these guys bring to the table next fantasy season!
Thank you for reading my article on sophomore quarterbacks! You can read all of my Recruiting Series articles on my IDP Guys author page. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @ShotgunFantasy and follow @IDPGuys to keep up to date.
