The evolution of the quarterback position in fantasy football has been an interesting one over the past two decades.
True gunslingers like Peyton Manning and Brett Favre dominated the position and could lead a fantasy team to an easy victory with one of their patented 300-yard, four-touchdown performances.
Then Michael Vick stepped into the spotlight and showed the fantasy community that, if you added a rushing element to a quarterback’s game, they could be unstoppable.
Pure pocket passers were still prominent, but we began to witness the emergence of more rushing quarterbacks, and the fantasy community immediately followed suit.
Players like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen helped buck the trend of waiting on a quarterback in drafts.
Today, we find ourselves at a time when the transition is taking another step forward.
Jared Goff might have thrown for more than 400 yards with four touchdowns, but all eyes are fixed on the likes of Bo Nix, Brock Purdy and even Justin Herbert.
Nix didn’t have to do much running this past week, but he’s already had six games with 25 or more rushing yards and has four rushing touchdowns on the season.
Meanwhile, Herbert has run for more than 30 yards in three of his past four games with one rushing touchdown, and Purdy has run for at least 25 yards in four of his past six with four rushing TDs.
What the fantasy managers have begun to see is that you don’t need to reach in your draft for someone like Jackson or Allen.
If your mid-to-late-round quarterback is adding an extra 5-7 points each week thanks to his rushing totals, you are in a fantastic spot.
And if they get into the end zone, it’s even better.
Why else would Anthony Richardson, a guy often criticized for his poor passing technique, finish as the seventh-highest scoring quarterback from Week 11?
And it goes even deeper.
Though the Giants are looking to move on from Daniel Jones, they don’t want to eliminate the rushing aspect of his game from their offensive scheme.
Why else would they give their Week 12 start to Tommy DeVito instead of Drew Lock?
Tommy Cutlets may not be the passer Lock is, but he rushed for at least 35 yards in three of his starts last year and showed he isn’t afraid to mix it up on the ground.
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Should you be looking to stream a quarterback for any of the upcoming weeks, you should immediately be sorting your available quarterbacks by rushing yards.
You could certainly go the Cutlets route, but Richardson is likely still available in numerous leagues, as is Nix, according to roster numbers on ESPN and Yahoo.
Even Drake Maye has some appeal given his rushing ability.
Just think of how many fantasy weeks you’ve lost by just a few points.
If you can make that up with your quarterback’s legs, you’ll be in a great spot for your fantasy playoffs.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.
