Fantasy Draft Strategy: Here’s Why It’s a Mistake to Draft Two Quarterbacks in a 10-Team League

There’s a big difference between 12-team leagues and 10-team leagues when it comes to building your roster.

The staff at SI Fantasy recently participated in a 10-team PPR mock draft. The rosters required 1QB, 2 RB, 3WR, 1 TE and 2 FLX. Here is the final draft board and a breakdown from Michael Fabiano at SI.com.

I don’t do many 10-team drafts, and as the draft was unfolding, I realized maybe I should have approached my draft differently. I could have waited longer for a QB -- just as Dave Seperson did, landing Dak Prescott in the 13th round. In a 10-team league, you are pretty much guaranteed to get a Top 10 QB, so there’s likely no need to rush the pick if you can pick up advantages at other positions early in the draft. That being said, I am still happy with my selection of Joe Burrow, who I believe is going to have an MVP season in 2023, with the first pick in Round 5.

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But here’s one thing that surprised me:

Six teams took a second QB. Wow. What was I missing?

I wondered if I had made a mistake by not grabbing a second signal caller, so I looked back at 2022 for a bit of guidance.

In total points for the 2022 season, here were the top 10 QBs.

1. Patrick Mahomes 417
2. Josh Allen 396
3. Jalen Hurts 378
4. Joe Burrow 351
5. Geno Smith 304
6. Justin Fields 296
7. Trevor Lawrence 296
8. Kirk Cousins 292
9. Daniel Jones 289
10. Jared Goff 284

Only four quarterbacks averaged more than 20 points per game (Mahomes, Allen, Hurts, Burrow).

Here is a list of QBs that were available on the waiver wire in Week 6 of most 12-team leagues last season: Justin Fields, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, and Daniel Jones.

Yes, that’s correct. Every single one of these QBs available on the waiver wire finished in the top 10 for the season.

Here is how those QBs scored on a per-game basis:

Fields 19.73 points
Jones 18.06 points
Smith 17.88 points
Lawrence 17.39 points
Goff 16.70 points

Now, here are two QBs that played only one game and could have been streamed:

Davis Webb 20.82 points
Sam Howell 18.26 points

In a 10-team league, is there going to be a question as to whether or not you are starting your QB1? Barring a major injury, if you drafted Mahomes, Hurts, Burrow, or Allen, you’re starting them. Whether you are looking for a mid-season replacement or a bye-week streamer, a competent QB should be available on the waiver wire.

On the other hand, if your running backs or wide receivers suddenly don’t have the volume you expected, you will need to slot another one in sooner than later.

There is one roster spot for a starting QB; the combination of RB/WR/TEs takes up eight starting spots. With your final picks of a draft, choose wisely. Holding a QB on your bench for a coming bye week could be costly.

Here’s another way to think about it: A total of 16 quarterbacks were taken in our 10-team draft. That means 16 starting NFL quarterbacks are available on the waiver wire. Specifically, here are some QBs still available: Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr, Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray. 

With all those options available on the waiver wire, there is no reason to take two quarterbacks in a 10-team league.