Over the years the preferred format of dynasty fantasy football has changed. For years the quarterback position was overlooked and devalued by the fact that you could only play a dozen of them in any given league. However, with the onset of the Superflex era, where you can play multiple quarterbacks, the position has taken on a new outlook. Quarterback is now king. We here at dynasty nerds are highlighting some of the players that we are planting our flag behind, and for me, I am once again laying claim to the New York Giants signal-caller as one of the top young quarterbacks in the league. Without further ado, let us examine this talented youngster and why I think you should invest in him.
Background
Daniel Jones was tailor-made for the New York Giants. At the end of the Eli Manning era, the team began to search for a new franchise signal caller. Towards that end, they chose to check in with an old friend. That friend was Duke University Head Coach David Cutcliffe. He was the same exact coach who had developed and coached Eli Manning in college at Ole Miss. As it turned out, he would again send a youngster to the Big Apple in the first round of the NFL draft.
Jones was seen as a work in progress when he left Duke. While most college quarterbacks who make it to the NFL leave behind a slew of big numbers, Jones’ career output was much more modest. Despite the lack of gaudy passing numbers, Jones did flash his immense potential on multiple occasions. The talent around him was simply not up to snuff in the difficult ACC. You can see some of his college film below.
One area in particular where Jones shined was when the spotlight was the brightest. When he only compiled a 17-19 record as a starter, he did manage to get the Blue Devils into a pair of Bowl Games in his final two seasons. Jones led his team to victory in both of those contests and was named MVP of both games. He continued his primetime dominance when he was named MVP of the Senior Bowl, his final game as a collegiate athlete.
Jones would follow up his exciting play with an excellent combine. Unlike some prospects, Daniel Jones competed in every single drill at Indianapolis. He was certainly one of the bright spots in the quarterback position, leading to his selection in the 1st round by the Giants.
Giants Career
Jones began his career as a spectator. He sat behind two-time Super Bowl Champion Eli Manning for the first few games of his career. Once he took over following a slow start, he enjoyed a roller coaster-like season. Jones experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows across his first year leading the Giants. Indeed Jones put up his career-high in passing touchdowns, but he also had a ton of turnovers, including 18 fumbles with 11 lost.
Much like his time at Duke, the Giants have struggled to find competent weapons to surround Jones. This lack of top-end talent is the primary reason Jones has put up lesser numbers across his first few seasons. Then enter Brian Daboll. The current Head Coach of the Giants took over for the overmatched Joe Judge, who struggled to put together a winning product. The change was palpable immediately.
In his first season as the top man in New York, Daboll engineered a turnaround that saw the Giants go from a cellar dweller to a team who actually won a playoff game. Along the way, he helped to develop his quarterback in much the same way he had done for Josh Allen in Buffalo. In particular, he helped to unlock Jones the runner. Last season Jones put up a 120/708/7 stat line as a rusher! You can see some of his highlights from that excellent season below.
Daniel Jones 2022-2023 NFL Highlights pic.twitter.com/mkXoSIR8ma
— SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS (@SizzlyBacon99) July 30, 2023
Fantasy Outlook
Heading into 2023, Jones is set up for a true breakout season. First and foremost, for the player, his future was secured when the team gave him a four-year $160 million contract with $104 million guaranteed. This means that he will be given a true opportunity to grow within the Daboll system.
Despite a dearth of quality pass catchers during his time in East Rutherford, Jones has managed to increase his completion percentage in each and every season. Jones has also raised his QBR over the last three seasons consecutively, leading up to his career-high 92.5 rating in 2022.
The Giants have made three key additions to the passing game that should help to fully unlock Jones’ potential. Free agent additions Parris Campbell and Darren Waller headline the veteran weapons that GM Joe Schoen brought in to provide some pop to the passing game. He supplemented that by adding the reigning Biletnikoff Award Winner in former Tennesse Volunteer Jalin Hyatt.
Waller is the prize of these additions. He is one of the most talented tight ends in the entire NFL. His back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020 were historic years for the Raiders franchise. He is an imposing physical mismatch that will give Daniel Jones a go-to target in the passing game.
Here is every reception of 20+ yards for #Raiders TE Darren Waller during the 2020 season: pic.twitter.com/0Ve3xWNwPc
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) July 2, 2021
Early reports out of Giants camp are that all three of these key new additions are meshing well with Jones. The key element that all of these players bring to the Giants’ lineup is speed. Waller is a physical freak who came out of college as a 4.46 40-yard dash wide receiver at 6’6″ and 238 lbs! Campbell and Hyatt are speedy receivers in their own right. They will all bring important potential for YAC in the passing game. Hyatt actually just broke an NFL record of being clocked at 24 MPH at training camp on a beautiful pitch and catch, which you can see below.
Jalin Hyatt has VIDEO GAME speed 😳
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) August 1, 2023
Hyatt was reportedly clocked at 24 MPH earlier this week, which is an NFL record.
Hyatt has reportedly been one of the Giants “biggest standouts” so far at training camp.
Hyatt has reportedly also looked “unstoppable” on the deep ball during… pic.twitter.com/zXH5yRbXYZ
When you add the dynamic Saquon Barkley to this mix, you have the potential for a quality set of pass catchers. The former Penn State running back is one of the best overall athletes in the entire NFL. In seasons where he has played the majority of the games, he has averaged over 50 catches per year. Barkley provides an excellent supplemental weapon for the passing game with the ability to take a dump-off pass and take it to the house.
Last season, Jones finished as the QB11 in standard-scoring fantasy leagues. He managed to do this despite only tossing 15 TD passes. That is less than names like Davis Mills and Andy Dalton. If he can mesh with his new weapons and keep the lion’s share of his rushing numbers, he will be a surefire QB1 for your Superflex leagues.
Final Thoughts
Jones is my absolute favorite quarterback add in all of Superflex. You won’t find a better young signal caller who comes at such a reasonable price. When searching through the Dynasty Nerds Trade Browser, there are some absolute no-brainer trades that any Superflex manager should immediately jump on. You can get Jones for as little as a single 2024 first-round pick or even a player swap for largely unproven young rushers like Isiah Pacheco. Either of these deals is a no-brainer.
These are just some of the many reasons that I believe that Daniel Jones is a screaming buy in Superflex leagues. I have been a fan going all the way back to when the Giants selected him in the first round. Many in the dynasty community poo-pooed the idea of drafting Jones despite his lofty draft stock. It has been my experience that any quarterback a club deems worthy of a first round pick is worth the gamble in Superflex leagues. My flag has been firmly planted in Jones’ camp since the beginning, and it will remain there heading into 2023. Grab yourself some shares of Vanilla Vick, and thank me later.
Thank you for reading this article! Please be sure to join the #Nerdherd, so you don’t miss out on any of the amazing things we have to offer @Dynastynerds.com. Use my promo code DynastyHolliday for a 15% off discount. You will get rankings, extra podcasts, and access to our rookie film room. For just a couple of bucks more, you can get access to our revolutionary DynastyGM tool. So much for so little; why miss out on all the fun? Also, you absolutely must check out our new mock draft tool. Find it in your Apple & Android app stores. Follow me @ReflipeWThenuz for more dynasty content and other musings.
