It’s no secret that the league is starting to gain more and more athletic quarterbacks.
This is here to stay. With how today’s quarterbacks are raised from the different systems they play in, to the different coaches they learn under, we’re seeing a common thread among recent successful quarterbacks. If you want to make it to the next level, you’re going to need at least some baseline athleticism to escape the pocket and pick up first downs when things fall apart.
True dual-threat quarterbacks are still essentially fantasy cheat codes. Their ability to drop back in the pocket, survey the field, and decide to go through their reads or take off running can at times seem almost unstoppable. Now we’re seeing more of them? Defensive coordinators likely had very little sleep this offseason as they prepare for this new breed of hybrid quarterbacks.
2018 saw highs in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns stemming from the quarterback position. Now we have a 4,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in Kyler Murray joining the ranks of the NFL. Things are about to get brutal for opposing defenses. Running quarterbacks provide an almost indefensible attribute to offenses with their ability to convert for first downs and break the plane in the red zone for six points.
Let’s check out which quarterbacks accrued the highest percentage of their fantasy points from their rushing game last year.
| Quarterback | Total Fantasy Points | % from Rushing |
| Lamar Jackson | 157.8 | 58.1% |
| Josh Allen | 208.1 | 51.5% |
| Cam Newton | 282.6 | 25.8% |
| Marcus Mariota | 175.0 | 25.0% |
| Deshaun Watson | 331.9 | 23.8% |
No surprise, Lamar Jackson leads the fold with nearly 60% of his fantasy success coming from running. The rest of the list doesn’t have any surprising names pop out and should all be on your fantasy radar heading into the season.
Let’s dive into each one of these quarterbacks and their fantasy outlooks heading into 2019.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
It starts with last year’s most electric runner, Lamar Jackson. Jackson finished his rookie campaign starting only eight games (including playoffs), averaging a whopping 93.6 rushing yards per game. Jackson took off to run 16.0 times a game in those starts, with two games of at least 20 rushing attempts. That run percentage — he took off rushing on 22.9% of his snaps played — was a rate that dwarf’s even Michael Vick’s most run-heavy season where he went for 1,000 rushing yards (2006, 12.7%).
The Baltimore front office believes that we may see Jackson’s rushing attempts scaled back, but I’m not sure how much truth that holds. Jackson was a running quarterback during his collegiate days as well, accruing 4,132 career rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns. Never cresting a 60% completion rate at Louisville, Jackson’s bread and butter is creating plays on the ground.
Jackson’s poor passing continued with him to the NFL level, where he had an adjusted completion rate of 65.5% during his starts. That rate was 33rd out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks. Jackson also had a top-10 sack rate (8.6%) and tied for the league-lead in fumbles (12) despite playing in only eight games.
While the passing numbers, sacks, and turnovers were detrimental to his overall outlook, Jackson still led all quarterbacks in fantasy points per drop back (0.7) largely due to his rushing abilities. Baltimore spent this offseason finding ways to help Jackson’s growth. They added speedster Marquise Brown in the first round and the uber-athletic Miles Boykin in the third. They re-signed tight end Nick Boyle and brought in both Mark Ingram and fourth-round pick Justice Hill to diversify and improve the backfield.
Baltimore’s front office moves here indicate they want to help bail out Jackson’s accuracy issues with speedsters that can quickly separate and give him wide-open targets. They also want to build on his strengths by adding better talent to the running back room and force defenders in open space to make a commitment to either stopping the running back or stopping Jackson. Currently priced at QB15, there’s immense upside to a full 16 games of Jackson under center.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Another one of last year’s rookie fantasy phenoms, Josh Allen’s NFL debut was filled with its ups and downs. He made his first start in Week 2 and played the next five games until an elbow injury forced him to the sidelines. Upon his return in Week 12, Allen displayed otherworldly fantasy production. From Week 12 through 17, no quarterback had more fantasy points than Allen, buoyed largely by his 476 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns during this span.
Allen’s rushing ability — 631 total yards and eight rushing touchdowns — propelled him to fantasy relevance. Unfortunately, his throwing problems look like they’re here to stay. Allen’s accuracy issues travelled with him from Wyoming to Buffalo. He completed just 52.8% of his dropbacks, completing greater than 60% in just two of the 11 games he started.
Buffalo’s run-and-gun style of offense can be successful when Allen has the deep ball going. No quarterback had a higher percentage of his throws go for 20-plus yards than Allen, and the Bills front office decided to help him in that department with the addition of field-stretcher, John Brown. Brown’s aDOT last year when playing with a healthy Joe Flacco was 18.6 yards. Brown’s vertical routes have defined his career to date, as he’s been a big playmaker whenever targeted downfield.
Allen has a ton of work to do in terms of accuracy with the ball. That doesn’t mean he still can’t produce big fantasy outings with his combination of downfield throwing and rushing skills. Those two skillsets probably make Allen a safer bestball candidate. With 51.5% of his fantasy points last year coming from his rushing game, he’s sure to provide you with several top fantasy outings when both the running game and passing game click.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton’s fantasy finishes — QB12, QB2, QB17, QB1, QB17, QB3, QB4, and QB4 — have led to him being a top-shelf fantasy asset every year he’s been healthy. The five seasons where he played all 16 games? All top-five fantasy finishes. His combination of rushing and passing has made him a true fantasy savant those weeks where both come together.
Last year, we were able to see a new side of Newton’s game emerge. His accuracy numbers climbed significantly last season (67.8%) to the highest rate of his career. Having a sure-handed checkdown machine in Christian McCaffrey certainly helped raise those numbers (86.3% catch rate), and there’s reason for more optimism heading into 2019 with Newton’s shoulder fully functional again.
Newton is also loaded with playmakers on the perimeter with D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel. Moore’s steady underneath routes should help raise Newton’s accuracy numbers, while Samuel’s big play ability helps raise his fantasy ceiling. Add in the healthy return of his most trusted target, Greg Olsen, and Newton could be on the precipice for another top-five fantasy season.
As long as Newton plays a full 16 game season, it’s difficult for me to see him falling outside the top-10, worst case scenario. That makes him a tremendous buy for me entering this season — particularly with his current ADP of QB13 on DRAFT.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
The 2018 season was likely one that Marcus Mariota would like to forget. He had career-lows in completions, pass attempts, and passing yards. Injuries also played a toll with him experiencing a litany of issues that kept him from 100%.
While there were certainly a lot of negatives, there were also some positives that Mariota can build from. His 68.9% accuracy rating was a career-best, ranking top-six at the position. He was also a highly successful rusher last season, setting career high’s in rush attempts (64) and rushing yards (357). That rushing success could be a bright spot for Mariota entering 2019. Averaging 4.2 rushing attempts per game, Mariota’s on the lower spectrum of dual-threat quarterbacks with rushing upside. That being said, few have as many weapons as he does to throw to in Tennessee.
The Titans helped upgrade the weapons surrounding Mariota this offseason by drafting one of this year’s most talented receivers in A.J. Brown and signing one of the most efficient slot receivers in Adam Humphries. Add in first round talent Corey Davis, speedster Taywan Taylor, and reliable checkdown option Delanie Walker? Now you’re giving yourself a chance to win on any given play. Possessing a plethora of weapons at his disposal to attack every part of the field, we may be in for a potential breakout campaign from Mariota. The cheapest of this quarterback rushing group, Mariota can be bought at low-end QB2 prices for someone with high QB2 potential. He’s a great buy-low candidate, specifically in dynasty leagues.
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
Injuries are a common theme here among these last three quarterbacks. Deshaun Watson’s broken rib and collapsed lung held back Watson’s sophomore campaign, drastically cutting back his throwing attempts. Despite battling through this injury for much of the second half of the season, Watson finished the year as the fantasy QB4.
23.8% of Watson’s fantasy points came from his rushing game last season, with him putting up a 99-551-5 rushing stat line. He became just one of three quarterbacks over the last decade to throw for 4,000-plus yards and run for more than 500. That was with a massive injury that forced him to take a 12-hour bus ride to a Jacksonville game when doctors wouldn’t let him fly due to potential swelling.
Watson is now looking sharp in OTA’s and minicamp, with no lingering injuries slowing him down. He’s reportedly looking “light years ahead” of where he was in his rookie year when it comes to knowledge and command of this offense. Playing behind an offensive line that still has a lot of areas to improve, don’t be surprised if we see a similar 500-yard rushing campaign out of Watson this season. He’s one of the rare “Konami Code” quarterbacks that can punish defenses equally with his arm and with his legs.
These five quarterbacks led the league last year in percentage of fantasy points stemming from rushing statistics. It wouldn’t shock me at all if any repeated this feat next year or if saw the likes of Mitchell Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, or Kyler Murray join them. The ability for a quarterback to extend drives or finish them off by taking off running the ball makes these dual-threat quarterbacks the new era of quarterbacks for opposing defenses to gameplan around. Until they find a way to slow them down, I’ll be using rushing upside as a tier breaker when in fantasy drafts. I suggest you do the same.
