When you examine the quarterback position in fantasy football, there are always those value picks that soar well past their ADP and can become a league-winner.
For example, in 2024, Washington Commanders rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels was drafted at that fringe QB1 territory (QB12 per FantasyPros ADP data). We also saw other players like Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go as the QB21, Bo Nix as the QB23, and Sam Darnold as the QB31.
All of these players – Daniels, Mayfield, Nix, and Darnold – finished as QB9 or better. The point: There’s value to be had in later quarterback tiers. Below, I’ll examine which QB2s right now, per our ADP data, have top-five upside.
Fantasy Football Sleepers
Drake Maye (QB – NE) | ADP: QB16
There’s no quarterback I’m more excited for in 2025 than Maye.
In 2024, Maye started 12 games for a terrible Patriots team.
While he started 12 games, he really only played in 11, as, in Week 18, he attempted just one pass.
Over those 11 games, he ran 52 times for 409 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 67.2% of his passes.
The team added two offensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft and signed Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses to play center and right tackle, respectively.
They also added numerous weapons, including Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and drafted Kyle Williams.
Not only that, but they have a great new running back addition with TreVeyon Henderson.
From the time Maye took over in Week 6 through Week 17, he was the QB14. He had six games of 17.7 points or better.
He can run, and he showed he could be a competent passer on a dreadful team. The sky is the limit for Maye in 2025 and beyond.
J.J. McCarthy (QB – MIN) | ADP: QB19
While Fields and Maye have some data for us to look back on, that’s not the case for McCarthy.
While he was in the same rookie class as Maye, McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.
So, all we have to go off is his college profile.
In college, McCarthy wasn’t asked to pass much as the Michigan Wolverines were a powerhouse on the ground.
Still, he completed 72.3% of his passes (332 attempts) in his final season, averaging nine yards per attempt.
As a runner, he ran 64 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns. He had 632 rushing yards and 10 scores over three seasons with the Wolverines, so there’s some rushing ability there.
To get even further, when asked to pass deep in his final season at Michigan, McCarthy executed. Of his attempts, 13.8% were on passes of 20-plus yards. He had 706 yards (15.3 yards per attempt) along with 10 touchdowns and one interception. He also had two drops.
When under pressure, McCarthy kept his cool overall, completing 63.4% of his passes for 780 yards, eight touchdowns, and three picks.
Now, he lands on a Vikings roster that allowed Darnold to go from a QB31 in 2024 ADP to a top-10 guy.
He has excellent weapons around him and an excellent head coach.
McCarthy could be massively surprising, and he’s the cheapest, ADP-wise, on this list.
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