There are a LOT of different fantasy football formats out there, but the “Superflex” league is quickly becoming one of the most popular.

Quarterback has always been the most valuable position in real-life football, but it wasn’t the most valuable in fantasy football – until now. In a Superflex draft, quarterback is more properly weighted as a focal point of your fantasy team.

 

 

 

Let’s take a moment to cover exactly what superflex fantasy football is, and then get into the steps you’ll follow with your new, proven superflex draft strategy. 

What Is Superflex Fantasy Football?

Once upon a time, the only fantasy football format out there was standard scoring. But folks realized that running backs were too powerful compared to wide receivers, so a new format needed to be invented to boost them up. And that’s how we got PPR (Point Per Reception) league scoring.

The same thing has happened recently with quarterbacks. Folks realized that having only one QB spot didn’t make them valuable enough…but having two QBs was far too rigid. And thus, Superflex fantasy football was invented!

The idea is pretty simple. In a traditional league, the flex spot can start a running back, wide receiver or tight end. In a Superflex fantasy football league, this traditional flex spot becomes – you guessed it – a superflex spot. You can start RB, WR and TE as usual, but you can ALSO start a QB there!

That doesn’t mean you NEED to start a QB at Superflex. The QB position scores the most points in most fantasy league formats, so you’ll likely WANT to start a QB there when you can. It’s just not a rigid requirement. Your Superflex draft strategy and who you ultimately select will in no small way affect whether or not this is an obvious lineup choice for you each week. But more on this in a moment.

Superflex Draft Strategy - Dominate Your 2024 Draft

There are different strategic elements that you can mix and match to come up with your own Superflex draft strategy. Which specific strategy you use is much less important than making sure you have one on draft day.

Superflex Strategy: The Two Drafts

There are actually two drafts in a superflex draft: the real draft and the QB draft. And, because there are a finite number of quarterbacks that are either starting or have a chance to start, the QB draft ends before the actual draft. Sometimes it ends well before. 

So, you absolutely need to keep that in mind if you really want to be sure that you get two or three quarterbacks – especially if you are drafting on one of the swing picks at 1 or 12. If you don’t take a QB there, just know there are 20+ picks until you draft again. 

Superflex Draft Strategy: Zero QB & Hero QB

I personally have had success treating superflex QBs like I do RBs. At the start of the draft, I will take whatever slam dunk superstar QBs might be available – much like we do with “hero RB” taking Christian McCaffrey or Breece Hall. But one thing I’m not going to do is force my hand to take a QB I don’t believe in early on just because there’s a run on the position – especially since there are likely still superstar RBs and WRs available. So, I’ll roll the dice if I need to.

Much like Zero RB and Hero RB, the game then is about getting as much value at other positions as possible then taking as many QB upside stabs as you can later on. Last year C.J. Stroud, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy and Baker Mayfield all went outside the top 20 QBs and finished as QB1s in fantasy. 

Kyler Murray returned Week 10 to be a QB1 over the remainder of the season and, during his eight games starting, Jake Browning was QB6. It’s entirely possible. And the beauty vs. Zero RB is that, unlike RB, you don’t HAVE to start two quarterbacks. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t die if you start an RB or WR in your superflex.

Superflex Strategy: Third QB & Timing

You need to use your gut instincts a lot of times when deciding whether or not to roster a third QB, but TIMING is often crucial to these decisions. Some examples:

  • Bye Weeks: This is obvious – if you have two QBs with the same bye week, you MIGHT want to consider a third. That is much more important in 2 QB leagues than superflex leagues, of course, because you don’t HAVE to start a QB there.
  • Injuries: We don’t have definitive timelines yet on some players because it’s early. But you wouldn’t draft Nick Chubb to be your starting RB or T.J. Hockenson to be your starting TE right now, would you? Same goes for someone like Daniel Jones coming off a serious injury.
  • QB Battles: This especially applies to rookies, but there are some others that are up in the air (like Gardner Minshew vs. Aiden O’Connell with the Raiders). You need to consider who might be a short-term starter you can utilize (like Jacoby Brissett perhaps) vs. the players you hope can take over the starting job down the stretch and win it for you.

Many of these things could be factored into a traditional fantasy football draft strategy, too. Your ultimate Superflex draft strategy simply will have a few different angles to it.  

Superflex Draft Strategy: How To Approach The Early, Middle & Late Rounds In 2024

Early-Round Superflex Draft Targets

You can’t go wrong with the superstars at a good value like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes. I’m also more willing to spend up on mobile QBs early like Anthony Richardson or Kyler Murray. There is a reason folks agree Patrick Mahomes is the best passer in the league, but he goes QB4. 

Mid-Round Superflex Draft Targets

In the QB12-20 range, you might want to assess risk before making your call. If you went with some higher risk, higher reward plays like Richardson, Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels as your first QB, you might want someone “safe” like Trevor Lawrence or Jared Goff. We don’t even know if Daniels is definitively starting Week 1. If your first QB is someone like Patrick Mahomes, I’m shooting for the moon with my second QB pick.

Late-Round Superflex Draft Targets

From QB20 on out I’m doing two things. I’m either drafting “bounce back” candidates I personally believe in (like Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, maybe Derek Carr). Or I’m going for big upside with unknowns. What if Drake Maye gets in there and runs the ball a ton like he did in college? What if Will Levis blows up with the new weapons he has? Or Bryce Young or J.J. McCarthy with their weapons? 

Visualize what the path to success is and then jump on it. The last thing you want is to have a mediocre QB where you are debating whether to start them or a WR2 in your superflex. Go for upside and it will make your life easier. 

How To Set Up A Superflex Fantasy Football League

We might be doing this backwards, but now that you know the basics of Superflex strategy, let’s make sure you have a Superflex fantasy football league to join in the first place.

Most fantasy football platforms now allow for Superflex, so finding a place to play isn’t a major concern. And while most people know what superflex is, make sure your leaguemates know exactly what they’re getting into. At a minimum, they need to know what the basic Superflex strategy is. Think how confused the other owners will be if your Superflex draft starts and they still don’t know you can start two QBs.

For rules, here’s what I would suggest you use when you start up a new Superflex fantasy football league:

  • Number of Owners: If it’s an 8-10 team league, you could actually get away with a straight 2-QB league. Having 10, 12 or 14 is probably the sweet spot for superflex. Anything more than that and things get pretty dicey because there are only 32 starting QBs at any given time.
  • QB Scoring: Now we don’t want quarterbacks to be TOO powerful. So, I would suggest making passing touchdowns four points instead of six points. Regardless, the first round is going to be loaded with QBs, but with six-point passing, the QBs you have might be all that matters.
  • Number of Flex Spots: Another way to ensure QBs aren’t overpowered is by adding additional traditional flex spots. If you simply take your one flex and make it a superflex, everyone will start QBs there. I like to have it set up where you have the superflex and an additional normal flex or a superflex and TWO normal flex spots. That boosts the values for RB, WR and TE. Bonus points if you really even the playing field by adding tight end premium.
  • Roster Limits: Now, I personally don’t utilize this rule because I trust the players I’m playing with to be “normal”. But sometimes, you might have someone that decides to hoard QBs and just draft five in a row. So, I have seen some folks put a roster limit of 3-4 QBs. There is a difference between “trade bait” and being ridiculous.

Ready to start your Superflex adventures with a successful 2024 season? After you’re set up in your league, check out the rest of the Superflex content from our Fantasy Football Draft Guide, including Superflex Player Rankings, a Superflex Mock Draft and more.

2024 Fantasy Football: Related Draft Guide Articles

Expand your 2024 fantasy football knowledge with our exclusive draft guide articles, filled with extra tips and advice for the upcoming campaign: