Fantasy Football Busts: Justin Herbert, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, Will Levis (2024)

All fantasy football research is essential for success within your leagues. However, the most critical work is the research that helps you fade players. Successfully fading players can be the key to fantasy football championships. Every fantasy football player has a “new car smell,” but we must look past the shiny, buffed-up exterior and under the hood to ensure you don’t have a lemon.

Today, we help you avoid the lemons at the most critical position in football: the quarterback position. These fantasy football quarterbacks, although talented in their own right, are walking time bombs for your fantasy team. These fantasy football quarterbacks will not elevate your roster, but rather fill you with nightmares of draft regrets. Here are fantasy football quarterbacks to avoid.

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Fantasy Football Busts: Quarterbacks

Here are a few potential fantasy football busts at the quarterback position to avoid as you begin drafting ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)

Here is another quarterback with all the talent in the world in his right arm. But the issue here is the players around him and the playcalling. Justin Herbert has lost Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Gerald Everett, and Austin Ekeler. He is left withQuentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer and rookie Ladd McConkey.

Justin Herbert must feel like the kid that got left behind in school as the Los Angeles organization revamped the whole team around him. The organization even changed its coaching tree. Jim Harbaugh was brought in for success in a franchise that has failed to reach expectations each of the last few years. His offensive coordinator choice, Greg Roman, ushers in an era of 1980s football where the run game is the key to their success.

The combination of new coaching and lackluster pass catchers makes me want to fade Herbert, despite his “must draft” name.

Kirk Cousins (QB – ATL)

Every year, I write this article and I have to add someone coming off an injury who will not match the hype and this year, that is Kirk Cousins. The aging superstar stands at 35, coming off an Achilles injury towards the end of last season. Cousins will also be learning a new offense, including the cadence of his wide receiver and pass-catching core while returning from this injury. Cousins was already an immobile quarterback, and with the injury, he should become even more of a statue within the pocket. Aging statues in the pocket don’t pique our interest in fantasy football, especially when the crowd, media, and players could turn against Cousins in favor of the young, electric Michael Penix Jr. who the Falcons selected with the 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)

We love Cooper Kupp. We love Puka Nacua. We Love Kyren Williams. So, we should also love the quarterback leading the charge, right? Not so fast there! We have another aging quarterback (36) in the twilight of his NFL career. Stafford did benefit from Puka Nacua emerging onto the scene last year, but he suffered from being interception-prone. He also has less mobility than a skyscraper. He has a talented arm, but if the aging Cooper Kupp has another season of injuries and with other teams having a year of tape on Puka Nacua, we must temper our expectations of this passing offense for 2024.

Will Levis (QB – TEN)

My fading of Will Levis started before he entered the NFL. I believe he is just a bit too tight in his upper body to be an accurate quarterback in the NFL long term. If Will Levis is going to become a superstar, this year is his only chance. The Titans surrounded him with Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyjae Spears, and Tony Pollard. Now, Levis will have to elevate his own game. He had eight passing touchdowns last season, including a four-touchdown game, and his completion percentage was an average of 58.4% in 2023. Even with these weapons, Will Levis has accuracy issues, and the risk doesn’t outweigh the reward for me.

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Remember to read all the fantastic work here at FantasyPros. If you ever need unique answers training for your specific league, don’t hesitate to contact me on Twitter at @jpep20. Good luck with all your drafts this week!

Blaine Blontz is a featured writer at FantasyPros, providing unique insights and in-depth analysis.