You’re On The Clock: Burrow, Prescott, Love
Part of the fun of doing a Fantasy Football Mock Draft is that every draft can be different. No matter how similar two leagues are in format and rules, you will get a brand new experience navigating through each draft that you do. However, there are still common patterns that form, which can lead to tough decisions that you’ll find yourself forced to make in multiple drafts. Imagine you’re on the clock in the late fifth or early sixth round, and after filling your roster with stud running backs and wide receivers, it’s time to choose a quarterback. In an ideal world, you could snag a quarterback at the end of a tier at great value and call it a day. But other times, like this one, you’re staring at Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Jordan Love, who are all within nine picks of each other in ESPN ADP. Here is the case to be made for each of them, along with the decision I would ultimately make.
Joe Burrow, Bengals
The big question surrounding Joe Burrow is his health. When healthy, there’s no doubt that he has the talent to be a top 5 fantasy quarterback. In fact, he was even better than that in 2022 when he finished as the QB4 on the season. Of course, 2023 was a different story, where he was plagued by a calf injury early in the season before suffering a season-ending wrist injury in November. He ended with a lackluster average of 15.3 points per game, but he looked like his usual self after finally getting over his calf issue. Between weeks 5 and 10, he topped 20 fantasy points in four out of the five games. Ja’Marr Chase is set to lead his receiving corps once again, and even Tee Higgins, who previously requested a trade, looks committed to the Bengals for the season. There is no question that Burrow can be an elite quarterback, as long as his surgically repaired wrist doesn’t hold him back.
Dak Prescott, Cowboys
Dak Prescott is in the reverse situation of Burrow, with 2022 being an injury-plagued season but 2023 being one of the best years of his career. He finished with the third most fantasy points among quarterbacks, thanks to his league-leading 36 touchdown passes. He has shown near-elite ability in fantasy for many years, and there’s no reason to think he can’t continue that trend. It also helps that he gets to throw the ball to the consensus WR1, CeeDee Lamb. Of these three quarterbacks, Prescott is the safest pick. Even though he doesn’t have the upside of the elite QBs who can also be a running threat, you can plug him in knowing he will give you above-average production that won’t tank your team.
Jordan Love, Packers
Jordan Love exceeded all expectations in his first year as a full-time starter. So much so that he inked a new extension that makes him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, he threw for 4,159 yards with 32 passing touchdowns while rushing for 247 yards with 4 rushing touchdowns. That production propelled to finish as the QB5 for fantasy, behind only Allen, Hurts, Prescott, and Jackson. Love doesn’t have one alpha wide receiver like the two previously mentioned quarterbacks, but he did a great job spreading the ball around to Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Luke Musgrave. He doesn’t come with the same track record as Burrow and Prescott, but the level of success he had in his first season starting is truly remarkable. Who’s to say he can’t take a step forward in his second year? Love and his receivers are all very young, so it’s easy to see a world where they all take a step forward after getting a year’s worth of experience under their belts.
My Take
If I’m on the clock in this situation, I’m drafting Joe Burrow. Not only does he have the most upside in my opinion, but I also think he has the clearest path to achieving that upside. If his wrist is completely healed and not affecting his play, he should be a slam dunk at his current ADP. While it’s exciting to dream about Love taking another step forward in his second year as a starter, I think his lack of experience compared to the other two firmly places him at the bottom of the three. It’s not out of the question that he actually regresses in year two instead. Prescott is a safe choice, but he’s just a bit too boring for me to want to spend this early of a pick on him. The quarterback position is deep enough that I’m fine waiting in drafts to play the matchups with two guys ranked in the 12-16 range, and Dak doesn’t possess enough league-winning upside to convince me to take him that much earlier.
