Justin Fields, C.J. Stroud and 3 More Underrated Quarterbacks In 2025 Fantasy Drafts

The best piece of advice I've ever received in fantasty football re-draft leagues is to wait on selecting a quarterback. The difference between the top fantasy starter and bottom-ranked projected starter at quarterback is not as great as the other fantasy positions.

That might be even more true in today's league with lots of great quarterbacks.

But for a fantasy manager to be really successful while waiting on drafting a signal-caller, one has to correctly identify potentially underrated quarterbacks.

We're here to help in that area. Here are five signal-callers who appear to offer fantasy value based on their ADP.

Justin Fields, New York Jets

After years of hype around Fields, the Jets starter appears to finally be undervalued. He might be the most underrated fantasy quarterback entering Week 2 of the NFL preseason.

The experts at Fantasy Pros have Fields rated as QB10 in standard leagues. It's not hard to understand why. In a small sample, Fields improved as a passer last season, and he still has his tremendous running ability. In 50 NFL games, he's averaged 50.2 rushing yards per contest.

From 2022-23 when Fields was Chicago's regular starting quarterback, he averaged 6.3 yards per carry and 64.3 rushing yards per game.

Yet, based on the consensus ADP from ESPN and Yahoo, Fields is the QB15 off the board and possesses an overall ADP of 117.

Fantasy managers can grab him as a low-end starting quarterback in 12-team leagues in the 10th round. Even in 10-team leagues, Fields could be starter worthy, and yet managers could land him in the 12th round.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Stoud experienced the "sophomore slump" in 2024. After throwing for 23 touchdowns and 4,108 passing yards with only five interceptions as a rookie, Stroud posted 20 touchdowns along with 3,727 passing yards and 12 interceptions last season. Stroud had less production in his second season despite playing more games than his rookie campaign.

As a result, Stroud has dropped on ranking lists. Similarly, his ADP has dropped too.

Interestingly, they just about equally fell. Fantasy Pros has Stroud rated as QB19 while his ADP has him just ahead of that as QB18.

The Texans have a lot of question marks at receiver with a few rookies potentially playing large roles. But it wouldn't be shocking, if those rookies prove capable immediately, to see Stroud bounce back from his sophomore slump.

That doesn't mean Stroud will be a top 10 fantasy quarterback at the end of the season. Draft accordingly. But it's a reasonable bet that he will be a top half fantasy quarterback rather than in the bottom half of the league again.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

The same can be said for Lawrence, who also offers potentially more value than Stroud.

I'd buy more into the idea of Stroud bouncing back. At 23 years old, the Texans quarterback is still very much developing and learning. Lawrence is entering his fifth NFL campaign and has arguably only had one above average fantasy season.

But keep in mind Lawrence is just 25 years old, and he will have a new offensive-minded head coach this fall in Liam Coen. The Jaguars also have an impressive young stable of offensive playmakers to support Lawrence.

In his best season during 2022, Lawrence posted 4,113 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. It's not a bad idea to buy into him reaching those totals again and stashing him on the fantasy bench to begin the season.

Fantasy Pros has Lawrence rated as QB18 this preseason. His overall 142.5 ADP has him as the 20th quarterback off the board.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Sensing a theme here? Tagovailoa is another bounce back candidate that fantasy managers could draft after the 12th round.

Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023. But last season, his yards per attempt average dropped from 8.3 to 7.2, and Tagovailoa missed six games because of a concussion and hip injury.

He needs to stay healthy and find Tyreek Hill down field more often to be worthy of starting in fantasy leagues this season. It's risky to bet on that happening. But fantasy managers should feel confident about him as a QB2, and the reward of that risky bet is high.

Tagovailoa could return to QB1 status by the end of the season.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

Based on his Fantasy Pros rankings and ADP, Penix is actually getting overdrafted. He's going off the board as QB22, and Fantasy Pros has slotted him as QB24.

But managers shouldn't be slaves to the rankings all the time. The late rounds are a particularly great time to play a hunch.

Penix arguably has just as much of a chance to be a breakout candidate in 2025 as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and J.J. McCarthy. Yet, those three quarterbacks are significantly ahead of Penix in ADP and the draft rankings.

In the 2024 regular season finale, Penix threw for 312 yards with two touchdowns. He averaged 8.2 yards per pass. It was only one game, but it indicates what Penix is capable of in his second season with the Falcons.

If fantasy managers want a young signal caller with high upside who offers great value, Penix is the best quarterback to target.