You can never have too many startable quarterbacks in a superflex league. Don’t believe me? Get a load of this predicament I was in last year: Going into Week 12 in one league, I had five guys. No, not the burger chain. I’m talking actual NFL quarterbacks: Jaxson Dart, C.J. Stroud, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Flacco. The first four names on that list all missed that week with injuries, leaving Flacco as the only guy left. I had to rush to the waiver wire and grab Mason Rudolph to plug into my superflex spot. He got me 10 points, and I lost by three. Sadness ensued.
Now, obviously, that’s an extreme example. But it does drive home my point: you want as many usable quarterbacks as you can get your hands on. You can play them in a pinch. Or, flip them for picks when they get a spike in value. You can use them to help tier up at another position. Then again, you can just hoard them so your leaguemates can’t use them. Whatever your preferred strategy, I have five quarterbacks named below who are relatively inexpensive (or… free?) that could pay off in a big way under the right circumstances in dynasty.
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Upside Quarterbacks that are Attainable or “Free for the Taking”
Malik Willis | Miami Dolphins
While not exactly “free,” per se, you can typically get Malik Willis in startup drafts around Rounds 9-10. Miami’s new signal-caller is usually the last real starter on the board before you start getting to some major question marks at the position.
Willis’ outlook was a little rosier before the Dolphins shipped receiver Jaylen Waddle off to the Broncos, but there’s still an enticing ceiling he could hit if things break right. For one, Miami will likely replace Waddle with a rookie wideout using one of its two first-round picks. A new shiny toy to sling the rock to will help the offense. Second, he has the confidence of his coaches and front office — Willis followed head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan in the move from Green Bay to South Beach. And of course, he has the rushing chops to put up some serious numbers in fantasy.
Malik Willis‘ Advanced Metrics
In two seasons backing up Jordan Love, Willis stepped in and started three games when called upon. In those contests, he amassed 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. To add a cherry on top, he also looked sharp as a passer, completing 43-of-54 passes (79.6%) for 612 yards and three more scores with zero interceptions.
That ability to escape the pocket and pick up yards on the ground gives Willis both a solid floor and ceiling. With the Packers fighting for a playoff spot last year, he got the start in Week 17 against the Ravens. With Lamar Jackson watching from the opposite sideline, Willis ran all over Baltimore’s defense, piling up 60 yards and two touchdowns. He ended up with 31.5 fantasy points that week, which was top 3 at the position.
The question with Willis isn’t talent. In a limited sample size, we’ve seen it in bunches. The main question is, how long will he hold the job in Miami? While he did sign a three-year, $67.5 million deal, if the Dolphins stink up the joint next year, there’s a real chance they hit reset and go fishing in the loaded 2027 quarterback class. On the flip side, if Willis plays well and wins enough games to put Miami out of range for a top QB prospect, he will buy himself another year to run the offense.
For now, I’d take the cautious approach and consider Willis a really good one-year bet. He can be your QB2 if you have a stud to pair him with, but he’s the perfect QB3 for a contending team. Banking on anything more other than 2026 output could backfire, but for this season coming up, the upside is tantalizing.
2. Jacoby Brissett | Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett was a savior for fantasy managers last year. After taking over the job for an injured Kyler Murray in Week 6, Brissett went on an unexpected tear. He ripped off nine consecutive QB1 weekly finishes, much to the delight of those who plucked him off the waiver wire or had him buried on their bench. He cooled off late, but from Weeks 6-15, Brissett was the 10th-highest scorer in all of fantasy football, averaging 21.5 fantasy points per game in that span. My reaction to that info was basically Dr. Alan Grant taking off his sunglasses after seeing a dinosaur for the first time.
Despite the awesome fantasy output, Brissett failed to elevate the Cardinals much in real life. They limped to a 3-14 finish and now hold the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Normally, that would be a prime spot to take a shot at an elite quarterback prospect, but outside of Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to Las Vegas, this class doesn’t have one.
Jacoby Brissett‘s 2025 Explosive Play Rating
Still, nothing is promised to Brissett for this upcoming season. The good news is that Arizona brought in only minimal competition at the position. They signed Gardner Minshew, but he’s more of a backup than a real challenger for the starting job. He has experience, with 47 career games and nearly 12,000 passing yards, but c’mon… It’s Gardner Minshew. Seems like a fun guy to have a beer with, but we’ve seen enough to know he’s not a franchise guy at this point.
That bodes well for Brissett to potentially run it back in 2026. With a great trio of weapons to throw to in Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson, the former NC State QB could be a bargain-bin starter once more. If you can land him for a couple of third-round picks, I’d do it. If you’re a contender and need the points, then a late second-rounder is also fair. Who knows, maybe he crushes it again next season? It’s worth the minimal cost to find out.
3. Mac Jones | San Francisco 49ers
You might have to wait until 2027 for the payoff, but Mac Jones is someone who should be on everyone’s radar. Brock Purdy suffered a turf toe injury in Week 1 and started only one more game (Week 4) before he was fully healed by Week 11. In his stead, Jones filled in admirably and started most of the games in the first half of the year, keeping San Francisco’s season afloat in the process.
In fantasy, Jones was serviceable, if unspectacular. He simply lacks any rushing to ever reach truly elite heights. Still, he threw for over 270 passing yards five times and amassed three QB1 weekly finishes in his starts. That’ll do in a pinch if you’re desperate at the QB2 spot.
Where Jones really excelled was in accuracy. He thrived in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, ranking first in both red zone (76.9%) and play-action (64.4%), while finishing second in clean pocket (73.1%) completion percentages. Those numbers prove he can still lead an NFL offense, even after flaming out in New England a few years ago.
Mac Jones‘ 2025 Advanced Accuracy Metrics
Maybe Jones is the next major reclamation project? The problem is he’s under contract for one more season, so unless someone meets San Francisco’s asking price, he’ll be backing up Purdy once more in 2026.
Savvy managers can use that uncertainty to get Jones at a relatively low price for now. Might only take a bench player or a third-round pick to snag him. Offer a little more to fluff up the deal if you must, just don’t go overboard. But I think come this time next year, Jones will be penciled in as the starter for an NFL team, and you’ll be happy you have him.
4. Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts
What a difference two years make.
Rewind the clock 24 months, and Anthony Richardson was being selected right about the Round 1-2 turn in startups. Silly in hindsight, but he was coming off a rookie season where he showed flashes of fantasy brilliance in just a couple of games played. People took a small sample size and let their imaginations run wild.
But now? Richardson is barely a blip on the radar after falling out of favor in Indianapolis and can be drafted in the middle rounds of a startup. Daniel Jones — even coming off a torn Achilles and broken leg — is clearly the starter after signing a two-year, $88 million deal this offseason. That leaves Richardson sitting out in the cold.
According to reports at the start of free agency, the former No. 4 overall pick was given permission to seek a trade, but it’s been all crickets since then. It may take an offseason injury or something else to get a team interested. Until then, we wait.
In the meantime, go see if you can land Richardson on the low. Better yet, see if you can get him a toss-in in a deal. He’s still only 23 years old, while the passing numbers have been gross, the rushing is awesome. In his 15 career starts, he’s logged five top-10 finishes mainly due to his legs. In those games, he’s racked up 635 rushing yards and 10 TDs on 111 rush attempts — numbers that will always buoy him and provide a decent floor.
Richardson is a risky QB, but he’s a lot more interesting and palatable at his price now than he was just two short years ago.
5. Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns
Last one here, and before you hit the “X” at the top right of the window and close this article, hear me out: once upon a time, Deshaun Watson was a fantasy stud. If you’ve only been playing fantasy or watching football since COVID, then you wouldn’t know that, but it’s true. For context, Josh Allen was the QB1 last year, averaging 22.0 fantasy points per game. In 54 games from his rookie year in 2017 through 2020, Watson averaged 22.4 fantasy points per game. The dude was legit.
From 2018 through 2020, he finished as a top-five quarterback in total fantasy points scored each season. Then, well… you know what happened. Watson was traded to the Browns and looked like a shell of his former self. Over the next three seasons, he played only six to seven games each year, averaging around 1,100 passing yards, 150 rushing yards, and around eight total touchdowns. Watson somehow played worse than those numbers might suggest, at times looking like one of the worst QBs in football.
Deshaun Watson‘s Per Season Stats
And that was before he tore his Achilles in 2024… twice.
Since then, we haven’t heard much from the quarterback of the 2016 national champion Clemson Tigers. However, he’s still under contract in Cleveland for a comically large sum: $46 million smack-a-roos. Because of that, there have been some rumblings that Watson could be in the “pole position” to be Cleveland’s starter in 2026. Yes, even over “Pro Bowler” Shedeur Sanders.
In all seriousness, Watson’s days as a bona fide superstar are long behind him. Yet, he’s still only 30 years old and may get a chance to start. That makes him a very easy bet to make at his current cost, which is after Round 20 in startups. In existing leagues, Watson may still be on the waiver wire after years of doing next to nothing. If he’s not, see if you can get him as a throw-in on a trade.
There’s no risk at that cost. If it doesn’t look like he’s going to start, then you just simply cut him and move on.
