2021 Superflex Strategy Guide

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2021 Superflex Strategy Guide

It has been a slow burn, but SuperFlex leagues are finally gaining popularity and joining the mainstream as a viable alternative to standard setups. Since there are usually 25-28 startable quarterbacks in any given week in fantasy, SuperFlex leagues solve the scarcity problem we see arise in standard 1-QB leagues.

Unlike in tight end premium leagues (1.5 PPR points to TEs) where the gap between Travis Kelce and whoever the TE12 in fantasy points is gets wider and more pronounced, SuperFlex formats actually help make all quarterbacks more valuable. While you’d almost never consider playing guys like Daniel Jones or Jared Goff in typical 10-team, 1-QB leagues — Jones and Goff become viable, week-in, week-out starters.

Most SuperFlex formats give you the “flexibility” to start 2 QBs but only force you to start one. While that added option to not start a second QB is nice during bye weeks or when injury strikes, you are going to want to start a QB2 every single time in that FLEX spot.

The math is simple. Let’s stick with the Jones and Goff example and run through some hypotheticals.

Last year, Goff was the QB23 in fantasy points per game (15.9) while Jones was the QB31 (12.8). These two were the definition of replaceable in 1-QB leagues. Meaning, you could always find someone like Goff or Jones on the waiver wire to pick up, stream them, and expect somewhere between 12-16 points. While you can get away with the bargain bin quarterbacks for a week or two if you’re in a bind, you should never accept 12-16 FPG from your starting QB in 1-QB leagues. Ever. The gap between Goff and QB1 Josh Allen was a massive 9.9 points per game.

However, in SuperFlex leagues, the player universe expands and guys like Goff and Jones are not just weekly starters… they might be values in your draft.

Goff’s 15.9 FPG wouldn’t have even been on your radar in 1-QB leagues, but that output would have been good enough to out-score last year’s RB13 Josh Jacobs (15.7). Jones’ 12.8 FPG was pitiful in 1-QB, but it would have matched the WR38 in FPG Tyler Boyd.

So, guys like Goff, Jones, and other replacement-level QBs are usable again in SuperFlex formats. Great! Now what?

Let’s talk strategy:

How many QBs to take?

I’m a huge proponent of doing away with D/ST and Kickers in season-long leagues. How many times have you been beaten because the Patriots D/ST scored 30 points and the D/ST you picked up on the waiver wire scored 3? You might have a team that is five times better than the guy or gal with the Pats’ D/ST, but in the week you matched up, it didn’t matter.

SuperFlex leagues provide not only just another starting position, they also make the decision to rid your leagues of defenses and kickers a lot easier. So, that’s an added bonus!

All right. Let’s say you’re firing up a new SuperFlex league where there are 12 teams and you start 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 “normal” FLEX (RB / WR / TE), and 1 SuperFlex (QB / RB / WR / TE). So you’ll have 9 normal starters and let’s say 9 bench players to back them up.

In this setup, all 12 teams are undoubtedly going to want to start two QBs every week (for a total of 24 in play). But, as we know, bye weeks are pesky and injuries happen.

To be safe, I’d recommend drafting at least three QBs in every single SuperFlex league. You can get away with just drafting two studs, but we’ll talk more about that later.

Now, the combination of these three QBs is pretty much limitless, but you’ll most commonly see teams built like this: 1 QB in the top-12 by ADP, 1 QB in the top-24, and then 1 more QB that’s on the Taysom Hill / Teddy Bridgewater spectrum. My personal preference is to have three viable starters every week guaranteed, but there is obviously merit to waiting on that third QB and playing the waiting game with ambiguous job security.

Adjusting to the SuperFlex market

If you spend all off-season getting ready for 1-QB leagues and then you’re thrown into a SuperFlex draft with no preparation, there won’t be much overlap in what you’re used to.

While the QB12 by ADP in 1-QB leagues goes around the 100 overall mark in the 9th round, the QB12 in SuperFlex usually goes somewhere in the 35-50 overall range. So, basically, your normal 1-QB overall rankings need to bake in about 30-50 slot adjustment depending on how early/late you are in the draft. The rankings at the bottom of this article make that adjustment and give you an idea of where and when to take your QB1, QB2, and QB on your team.

So, on average, be prepared for a 2-to-7 round jump in quarterback ADP when comparing 1-QB to SuperFlex formats.

The best thing about SuperFlex is it changes strategy so much and forces teams to adjust more on the fly. In general, you’ll see anywhere from 7-9 running backs go off of the board in the first round of 1-QB leagues. In SuperFlex? There are usually a minimum of 5 QBs taken in the first.

Let’s dive deep on some draft strategies and go through those examples using our excellent and recently updated Fantasy Points Generator.

Note: All of the sample drafts in this article have the following setup in the generator:

  • 12 teams

  • 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (RB / WR / TE), and 1 SuperFlex (QB / RB / WR / TE, set up as a second starting QB) as starters (9 total)

  • 9 bench slots

  • PPR scoring for RB / WR / TE

  • 4-points per TD for QBs

NOTE: To set up a SuperFlex draft in the Fantasy Points Generator, place “2” in the starting QB requirements, since you’re almost always going to want a QB in that slot anyway.

Check out my tutorial using the Fantasy Points Generator for Superflex leagues here.

Two Studs

The name of this strategy speaks for itself. You want to bludgeon your leaguemates week in, and week out with two high-upside QBs and not have to worry about who to start on Sunday mornings.

While locking in a floor of 35 points and having the upside of 50-60 combined between your 2 QBs every single week is certainly appealing, it comes with an opportunity cost. What does your depth look like at your other starting spots?

Here are a few sample team’s I drafted using the FPG.

The first one is from 3 overall, which is primed for Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are a sweet pairing, but I have to admit that I’m pretty underwhelmed with the way my running backs look here. I love Antonio Gibson in the second round, but RB2-4 could be a problem unless Damien Harris or Michael Carter breaks out. And if Gibson goes down, I’d better hope I played the waiver wire well. The wide receivers are sick, though. That’ll be a common theme that you’ll notice in all of these sample drafts. Receiver is deeper than ever.

Ok, let’s look at this another way. Let’s draft two stud quarterbacks from the back-half of the first round out of the 10 hole and see how that shakes out.

Alright, so off the bat, this team is much stronger at running back than the previous team from the 3 spot. Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson is such a ridiculously good pairing that I just punted my QB3 with Marcus Mariota late. Wide receiver might be a problem, though. While my 3 starters are Cooper Kupp, Diontae Johnson, and then one of Jerry Jeudy or Michael Gallup the team next to me (9 overall) went with just one stud QB (Dak Prescott) and then with 2 cheap late-rounders (Derek Carr and Sam Darnold). Team 9’s starting WRs are Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, and Allen Robinson. His WR4 is Brandon Aiyuk.

And therein lies the rub with the two-stud strategy. No matter when you’re drafting from overall, early or late, you’re going to be much weaker at either running back or wide receiver than a few of your opponents. Still, Lamar and Wilson have a chance to combine for 55-60 points alone four or five times a year. That is such a massive difference in your two highest-scoring slots and can theoretically float your entire roster even if you have league-average to slightly above-average starters at RB or WR. Two studs makes the most sense in deeper 12-teamers where that positional advantage at the highest scoring potential starting slots matters most.

One Stud + Mid-Rounder + Late-Rounder

Ok, so, the 2 stud approach offers a massive positional advantage at quarterback and you can set and forget that spot, but it’s bound to leave you weak at one of running back or wide receiver.

What happens if we take a stud first or second rounder and then follow that up with a mid-round option at QB2 and a late round QB3?

Here’s a look at that strategy from 4 overall:

Now we’re talking. I probably got a little lucky with Russell Wilson falling into the second, but you get the general idea here. Justin Herbert was also on the board in the second. I’m stacked at receiver and feel great about Derrick Henry as my anchor RB1 followed up with some mid- to late-round darts. Joe Burrow is a fantastic QB2 target in the 4th or 5th round of drafts and I have two pairings between Burrow-Higgins and Wilson-Metcalf that make a ton of sense from an upside perspective. Tight end is a bit lackluster, but I’m completely fine throwing darts there if I miss out on Kelce, Waller, or Kittle. Honestly, I was targeting Waller in the third round, but Team 3 took him right before me. Dammit, Team 3.

One Stud + Two Streamers

One other variation of the One Stud strategy is to take it just a step further and target two options in the later rounds and then just pick between that pairing every week. You also get a small added benefit of not having to worry about whether or not you have a hole at QB3, too.

Let’s pick from the 8 hole.

The 8-10 spot is a dead zone in any draft, and this team is a reflection of that. At the very least, I’ve got a top-10 option at every starting position and Justin Jefferson and Keenan Allen is an awesome duo, too.

2 or 3 Mid- to Late-Rounders

We’ve spent most of the time drafting studs, but it’s time to change things up.

I’m a huge proponent of drafting QBs in the mid-rounds of 1-QB leagues when the RB and WR pool starts to tighten up. I’m actively targeting Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott in the sixth round when I already have the majority of my starting RBs and WRs filled out. While we don’t have that same luxury in SuperFlex, there is enough depth at the position for a modified mid-round QB strategy to work.

Let’s take a look at a mid-round QB strategy from the front- and back-half of the first round…

From 1 overall:

And from 12 overall:

So, both of these teams project out as No. 2 in starter points despite being drafted at opposite ends of the board (1 and 12). If you get the 1.01 this year, CMC is a lock, but then you miss out on the entire top-8 QB range. Because of that, I like the idea of turning around at the Round 2 / 3 turn and taking Darren Waller and a receiver to give you two non-QB positional advantages at RB and TE. The 12th overall team has a similar sort of strategy, but is just a bit weaker at QB and is especially weaker at TE.

Overall, the mid-round strategy is somewhat risky, but can pay off in a big way if you draw a pick at or near the turns and you play the QB board right. However, every draft room is different and if there is a run on QBs and you get caught out at the end of it, you could be staring down Daniel Jones or Tua Tagovailoa as your QB1. Gross.

YOLO QB

How confident are you that you can find the right late-round QBs? While the rest of your league hammers QBs in the first 6-7 rounds, you load up at every other position and try to secure advantages at running back, wide receiver, and tight end. This isn’t for the faint of heart, but with a fairly deep QB pool of 25-28 passers, it’s worth considering if you keep getting sniped on QBs.

Let’s run a YOLO QB team from the 3 hole:

The optimizer loves this team from an overall projection standpoint. Alvin Kamara / J.K. Dobbins are a great duo and the WR trio of Calvin Ridley / CeeDee Lamb / Robert Woods is what dreams are made of. That said, you likely are going to want to secure an advantage at TE for this strategy to work, too. Otherwise, you’re probably going to find it hard to make up the scoring hole at QB. On average, my QBs on this team are probably only good for 12-16 FPG apiece, which shakes out to 24-32 combined.

Final Thoughts, Quick Hits

  • My favorite all-around strategy and teams are the ones that feature One Stud + Mid-Rounder + Late-Rounder. You go QB in the first or second, take your second QB in Round 4-6 (like Ryan Tannehill or Joe Burrow), and then take Trey Lance or Justin Fields late. With the way ADP has set up, it’s the best blend of QB strategy without completely sacrificing your running back and receiver depth. I’m typically a very balanced player, though, and I never take unnecessary risks with the way I construct teams. So, this might be my personal drafting bias seeping in, but this strategy will work in every single format from shallow 10-team SuperFlex leagues to deeper 12- and 14-teamers.

  • 2-3 Mid-Rounders is the second-best variation of strategy. While everyone chases QBs early, you stack up your RB / WR depth or take an elite tight end. Since the league is only going to start 20 QBs total every week instead of 24, you can get wild with your late-round combinations and take as many as 4 options if your bench is deep enough.

  • On that note, Lance and Fields need to be a part of your draft plan regardless of the way you’re building your teams. They both have the rushing upside we’re always looking for and have been getting dinged all summer because neither is expected to start Week 1. Who cares, though? You’re getting high-end QB1 upside at a low-end QB2 price and it’s easy to stop-gap them early in the year with guys like Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, or Cam Newton until the rookies take over.

  • Rolling with a Two Stud strategy makes more sense in deeper 12-team leagues or 14-teamers and less sense in shallower 10-teamers. Everyone is going to have some small holes at RB / WR in 12- or 14-team leagues anyway, which makes securing a positional advantage at your QB slot even more important. I did a version of this strategy in the Scott Fish Bowl, where my first 12 picks were (from 11 overall): Russell Wilson / Darren Waller / Matthew Stafford / Keenan Allen / Chris Carson / Julio Jones / Adam Thielen / Deebo Samuel / Chase Edmonds / Michael Gallup / Marquise Brown / Darrell Henderson.

  • Finally, Ryan Tannehill sets up as the best value overall at the position. Over the last two seasons, Tannehill has been one of the most efficient passers in the game — ranking second-best in passer rating, second-best in touchdown rate, first in yards per attempt, and second-best in fantasy points per dropback. If the Titans defense continues to regress and gives up more points, it’ll give Tannehill and the passing attack even more upside with a few more pass attempts per game. You’re getting high-end, high-floor QB1 production in the 3rd and 4th rounds of drafts and, if you target him, you have the flexibility to adopt any strategy. Tannehill can be a part of a Two Stud build, a Mid-Rounder squad, or as a part of a One Stud + Streamers team.

Rankings — Updated 9/3

Note: The players themselves are in the same exact order as our Top-200 overall rankings, just with a baked-in adjustment for QB value and scarcity.

OverallNamePosition RankTeamBye
1Christian McCaffreyRB1CAR13
2Dalvin CookRB2MIN7
3Patrick MahomesQB1KC12
4Alvin KamaraRB3NO6
5Ezekiel ElliottRB4DAL7
6Josh AllenQB2BUF7
7Lamar JacksonQB3BAL8
8Kyler MurrayQB4ARI12
9Travis KelceTE1KC12
10Derrick HenryRB5TEN13
11Dak PrescottQB5DAL7
12Tyreek HillWR1KC12
13Davante AdamsWR2GB13
14Russell WilsonQB6SEA9
15Saquon BarkleyRB6NYG10
16Aaron JonesRB7GB13
17Jonathan TaylorRB8IND14
18Antonio GibsonRB9WAS9
19Austin EkelerRB10LAC7
20Aaron RodgersQB7GB13
21Stefon DiggsWR3BUF7
22Nick ChubbRB11CLE13
23Najee HarrisRB12PIT7
24Joe MixonRB13CIN10
25Calvin RidleyWR4ATL6
26DK MetcalfWR5SEA9
27Justin JeffersonWR6MIN7
28DeAndre HopkinsWR7ARI12
29Darren WallerTE2LV8
30Tom BradyQB8TB9
31Clyde Edwards-HelaireRB14KC12
32Terry McLaurinWR8WAS9
33Keenan AllenWR9LAC7
34Allen Robinson IIWR10CHI10
35CeeDee LambWR11DAL7
36A.J. BrownWR12TEN13
37David MontgomeryRB15CHI10
38George KittleTE3SF6
39Matthew StaffordQB9LAR11
40Jalen HurtsQB10PHI14
41Justin HerbertQB11LAC7
42Ryan TannehillQB12TEN13
43Robert WoodsWR13LAR11
44D'Andre SwiftRB16DET9
45James RobinsonRB17JAX7
46Adam ThielenWR14MIN7
47Amari CooperWR15DAL7
48Mike EvansWR16TB9
49Miles SandersRB18PHI14
50Chris CarsonRB19SEA9
51Javonte WilliamsRB20DEN11
52Gus EdwardsRB21BAL8
53Cooper KuppWR17LAR11
54Chris GodwinWR18TB9
55Diontae JohnsonWR19PIT7
56Tyler LockettWR20SEA9
57Joe BurrowQB13CIN10
58Brandon AiyukWR21SF6
59Chase ClaypoolWR22PIT7
60Josh JacobsRB22LV8
61DJ MooreWR23CAR13
62Ja'Marr ChaseWR24CIN10
63Jerry JeudyWR25DEN11
64Tee HigginsWR26CIN10
65Baker MayfieldQB14CLE13
66T.J. HockensonTE4DET9
67Mark AndrewsTE5BAL8
68Kyle PittsTE6ATL6
69Justin FieldsQB15CHI10
70Trey LanceQB16SF6
71Kirk CousinsQB17MIN7
72Trevor LawrenceQB18JAX7
73Tua TagovailoaQB19MIA14
74Mike DavisRB23ATL6
75Kareem HuntRB24CLE13
76Chase EdmondsRB25ARI12
77Deebo SamuelWR27SF6
78Julio JonesWR28TEN13
79Trey SermonRB26SF6
80Myles GaskinRB27MIA14
81Damien HarrisRB28NE14
82A.J. DillonRB29GB13
83Darrell Henderson Jr.RB30LAR11
84DeVonta SmithWR29PHI14
85Michael Pittman Jr.WR30IND14
86Darnell MooneyWR31CHI10
87Tyler BoydWR32CIN10
88Robby AndersonWR33CAR13
89Logan ThomasTE7WAS9
90Sony MichelRB31LAR11
91Raheem MostertRB32SF6
92Michael GallupWR34DAL7
93Odell Beckham Jr.WR35CLE13
94Ben RoethlisbergerQB20PIT7
95Matt RyanQB21ATL6
96Ryan FitzpatrickQB22WAS9
97Kenny GolladayWR36NYG10
98Antonio BrownWR37TB9
99JuJu Smith-SchusterWR38PIT7
100Marquise BrownWR39BAL8
101Laviska Shenault Jr.WR40JAX7
102Courtland SuttonWR41DEN11
103Kenyan DrakeRB33LV8
104Michael CarterRB34NYJ6
105Jamaal WilliamsRB35DET9
106Robert TonyanTE8GB13
107Derek CarrQB23LV8
108Sam DarnoldQB24CAR13
109Zach WilsonQB25NYJ6
110Daniel JonesQB26NYG10
111Zack MossRB36BUF7
112Ronald Jones IIRB37TB9
113Jarvis LandryWR42CLE13
114Jaylen WaddleWR43MIA14
115Noah FantTE9DEN11
116Dallas GoedertTE10PHI14
117Tyler HigbeeTE11LAR11
118Elijah MooreWR44NYJ6
119DeVante ParkerWR45MIA14
120Brandin CooksWR46HOU10
121DJ Chark Jr.WR47JAX7
122Corey DavisWR48NYJ6
123Marquez CallawayWR49NO6
124Mecole HardmanWR50KC12
125Carson WentzQB27IND14
126Teddy BridgewaterQB28DEN11
127Jameis WinstonQB29NO6
128Michael ThomasWR51NO6
129Marvin Jones Jr.WR52JAX7
130Mike WilliamsWR53LAC7
131William Fuller VWR54MIA14
132Jonnu SmithTE12NE14
133Jared GoffQB30DET9
134Mike GesickiTE13MIA14
135David JohnsonRB38HOU10
136Leonard FournetteRB39TB9
137Tony PollardRB40DAL7
138Melvin Gordon IIIRB41DEN11
139Jakobi MeyersWR55NE14
140Sterling ShepardWR56NYG10
141Mac JonesQB31NE14
142Tyrod TaylorQB32HOU10
143James WhiteRB42NE14
144Bryan EdwardsWR57LV8
145Russell GageWR58ATL6
146Curtis SamuelWR59WAS9
147Jimmy GaroppoloQB33SF6
148Devin SingletaryRB43BUF7
149James ConnerRB44ARI12
150Henry Ruggs IIIWR60LV8
151Rondale MooreWR61ARI12
152Nyheim HinesRB45IND14
153Phillip LindsayRB46HOU10
154J.D. McKissicRB47WAS9
155Giovani BernardRB48TB9
156Damien WilliamsRB49CHI10
157Parris CampbellWR62IND14
158Gabriel DavisWR63BUF7
159Jalen ReagorWR64PHI14
160Kenneth GainwellRB50PHI14
161Alexander MattisonRB51MIN7
162Cole BeasleyWR65BUF7
163Emmanuel SandersWR66BUF7
164Terrace Marshall Jr.WR67CAR13
165Evan EngramTE14NYG10
166Rob GronkowskiTE15TB9
167Amon-Ra St. BrownWR68DET9
168Tyrell WilliamsWR69DET9
169Nelson AgholorWR70NE14
170A.J. GreenWR71ARI12
171Rashaad PennyRB52SEA9
172Darrel WilliamsRB53KC12
173Latavius MurrayRB54NO6
174Tre'Quan SmithWR72NO6
175Marquez Valdes-ScantlingWR73GB13
176Austin HooperTE16CLE13
177Taysom HillQB34NO6
178Devontae BookerRB55NYG10
179Carlos HydeRB56JAX7
180Randall CobbWR74GB13
181Wayne GallmanRB57ATL6
182Jamison CrowderWR76NYJ6
183Cam NewtonQB35NE14
184Anthony FirkserTE17TEN13
185Gerald EverettTE18SEA9
186Cole KmetTE19CHI10
187Blake JarwinTE20DAL7
188Tony Jones Jr.RB58NO6
189Adam TrautmanTE22NO6
190Christian KirkWR77ARI12
191K.J. HamlerWR78DEN11
192Quez WatkinsWR79PHI14
193Byron PringleWR80KC12
194Sammy WatkinsWR81BAL8
195Zach ErtzTE23PHI14
196Hunter HenryTE24NE14
197Davis MillsQB36HOU10
198Drew LockQB37DEN11
199Jacob EasonQB38IND14
200Andy DaltonQB39CHI10

Graham Barfield blends data and film together to create some of the most unique content in the fantasy football industry. Barfield is FantasyPoints’ Director of Analytics and formerly worked for the NFL Network, Fantasy Guru, and Rotoworld.