ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which second-year quarterback will have the best career?
JASON WOOD
It may be a boring answer because it's probably the consensus, but I don't see why Jayden Daniels isn't the pick. If you track NFL history and rookie performances, it's rare for a rookie signal caller to have that good of a debut and not have a terrific career, as long as they stay healthy. Daniels has already displayed elite accuracy, to go along with the requisite mobility and escapability that has become a cornerstone of modern success at the position.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
MIKE NAZAREK
The maturity and toughness of Patriots QB Drake Maye shined through on Sunday night in Buffalo, and he showed even though not throwing for a score in the game, he can still lead his team to big wins on the road in tough places to play. He's also in a system that suits his strengths. Best of all, in most games, he will also produce QB1 numbers for fantasy.
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 30 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its website, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won $40K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
SAM HENDRICKS
Caleb Williams gets my vote. He seems to be getting a connection with Rome Odunze that could be a great stack for years to come. Da Bears are up and coming and have invested in their OL. Ben Johnson as HC will bring stability, discipline and an open playbook that promises high scoring. I do not like Jayden Daniels' risk-taking with his running style. He is an injury waiting to happen as evidenced by his recent missed time.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
IAN ALLAN
I worry a little about Jayden Daniels getting hurt. He's got that thin build, and he's also a runner, putting himself in harm's way. But he's played at an awfully high level. He's way ahead of those other guys right now. I like the accuracy and the decision making. He would be my No. 1 guy, and I think Drake would be second.
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
SCOTT SACHS
In a very crowded field, I give Bo Nix a slight edge for longer-term success. The biggest factor is having Sean Payton, a proven turnaround specialist and a builder of winning cultures, as his head coach and mentor. Denver upgraded their offensive line and their pass rush, plus their young receivers are maturing and succeeding, especially Courtland Sutton. The offense was sluggish at first in 2024, but Bo continued to improve throughout the season and the team improved as well. This season, Bo and the 3-2 Broncos, under Payton's steady hand, seem poised to repeat that scenario in a suddenly wide-open AFC West. As Denver continues to add talent, and the Nix & Payton tandem remain in place, the future is bright for Denver and their franchise QB this season and beyond.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
TOM KESSENICH
Of that group I believe most strongly in Jayden Daniels in terms of his skill set but I believe the Commanders must find a younger No. 1 wide receiver to team with him for the future. I love Terry McLaurin but the reality is he's 30 years old and currently injured. Therefore, I feel like the QB best positioned for the future is Michael Penix since he has Drake London to work with. But of that group I'm less confident in Penix than all the other QBs on that list. But the Penix-London connection could be so strong it may power Penix to such great heights it may supersede all the other QBs and propel the Falcons to become a team that makes them a true threat in the NFC for the next several seasons.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
If the league took a mulligan with the 2024 Draft, I'd expect Jayden Daniels to get selected immediately with Drake Maye the clear No. 2 pick. At least Caleb Williams has shown flashes this year -- Ben Johnson surely helps, and Rome Odunze seems to be breaking out. Williams and Bo Nix would be a seam call at 3/4, while Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy are the unknowns, they've played so little. QB whisperer Kevin O'Connell can probably get McCarthy humming soon enough.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
ANDY RICHARDSON
It is hard to argue against the talent and dual-threat appeal of Jayden Daniels. But there are negatives. He's a little more of an injury risk, and frankly his head coach strikes me as more reckless with player health than some others. (The game Daniels and Austin Ekeler got hurt in, they were out there with a three-score deficit in the final minutes, with Daniels limping around being chased by Micah Parsons.) Washington's skill players around him are largely older guys (McLaurin, Samuel, Ertz). Contrast that with Bo Nix, who also runs a little, is paired with a quarterback- and offense-friendly coach, and has some young and talented receivers around him. If I had Nix in a dynasty league and someone offered me Daniels, I would hesitate some on making the swap. I believe Drake Maye is in the discussion, too. Caleb Williams definitely has the potential to be up there, but he also seems to have a lower floor than those players; a little riskier, both franchise and mental makeup-wise, I guess.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.