Fantasy football: How first-round QB picks could fare for fantasy

May 5—There were five quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL draft last week, including signal-callers being selected with the first three picks.

Four, or perhaps all five, of these players will start at some time in the 2021 season, so let's take a way-too-early look at the fantasy football prospects of the QBs taken early in the draft.

—Many thought Ohio State's Justin Fields was the second-best quarterback in this class, and Chicago traded up nine spots to grab the former Buckeye with the 11th pick. After the Mitchell Trubisky experiment didn't work, the Bears' GM and coach are putting all of their eggs in Fields' basket.

Chicago has veteran Andy Dalton to probably start the season, though "Soldier Fields" should grab the starting spot quickly. Once he does, expect good numbers. Fields has proven to be very accurate, will gain yardage on the ground, and will make wide receivers Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet even better.

Though Nick Foles is still in the quarterbacks room for Chicago, he will be a non-factor. He might even be gone before the season starts. Fields would make an effective QB2 for your fantasy team, and could be putting up great stats by midseason.

—Of course, the No. 1 quarterback to get on your team from the 2021 class is Trevor Lawrence, drafted first by Jacksonville and coach Urban Meyer, formerly of Bowling Green State University and the Buckeyes. It is expected that Lawrence will be under center in Game 1. The Clemson product is the Jaguars franchise quarterback right now.

Lawrence has been compared to Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck coming out of college, and his athleticism and accuracy are well known. He will probably throw a lot of interceptions early in the season, but he'll also show flashes of brilliance.

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Lawrence has the advantage of a long leash. Even if he plays badly, he probably won't get pulled. Since the Jaguars will most often play from behind, Lawrence will be a gunslinger. You'll need to get him early in your fantasy draft.

—Another quarterback slated for the starting role from Week 1 is BYU's Zach Wilson, who was drafted with the second overall pick by the New York Jets. Since Gang Green traded Sam Darnold to Carolina before the draft, Wilson will be give the reins early.

While at Brigham Young, Wilson broke legend Steve Young's single-season completion percentage record at 73.5 percent. He threw for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions in 2021, and rushed for 255 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The thing to watch out for is Wilson is a small town Utah kid going to New York, where Jets quarterbacks go to combust. If he can get off to a good start, Wilson would be worth a mid-round pick in your fantasy draft as a QB2 or QB3.

—San Francisco's Trey Lance is in a much different position. The 49ers moved up to select the North Dakota State star with the third pick, though they still have Jimmy Garoppolo No. 1 on their depth chart.

Since Lance played only one game in 2020 before North Dakota State's season was postponed by the coronavirus, chances are Lance plays behind Garoppolo to start the year. In 2019, Lance threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns with zero interceptions. He also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.

For fantasy purposes, Lance looks like a late-round pick, where he will have great value in keeper leagues. For now, the starting job is Garoppolo's, but don't rule out a late season run for Lance.

—The 15th pick of the 2021 NFL draft is in the same boat as Lance. Alabama's Mac Jones dropped to the New England Patriots, who see him as the franchise quarterback. Most likely, the Patriots will stay with Cam Newton as the starter, though anything can happen.

New England will have patience with Jones, who completed 77 percent of his passes last year with 44 touchdowns and only four interceptions. With the Patriots' offense going through an overhaul, it would be best to have Jones in a learning situation.

Make no mistake, though, Jones is the long-term solution in New England. He is definitely a draft-and-stash quarterback for your fantasy team.

First Published May 5, 2021, 1:27pm