It is common among fantasy football managers to wait until the fourth or fifth round before drafting a quarterback or tight end. This approach allows you to stack up on running backs and wide receivers—positions where you typically need multiple starters. But what if you flipped the script and went after a quarterback and tight end early? Would that hurt your team—or could it actually give you an edge?
Throughout this article, I’ll be giving five reasons why targeting a quarterback and tight end early in your fantasy football draft might be the smartest strategy you can use heading into the season.
1. Safety/Reliability
Drafting a quarterback and tight end early in your fantasy football draft can provide a strong sense of safety and reliability—two of the most underrated components of building a winning roster. Quarterbacks and tight ends at the top of their position rankings typically offer high floors and consistent weekly production.
Unlike running backs, who may face time shares or injury-prone workloads, or wide receivers who can disappear based on game plan or coverage, elite quarterbacks and tight ends rarely bust. For example, a top quarterback like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson is virtually locked in for 18+ points per game, regardless of matchup. Similarly, a dominant tight end like Brock Bowers or Trey McBride, is often the most targeted player in his offense.
Locking in elite options at quarterback and tight end early removes the guesswork from your weekly lineup decisions. You’ll spend less time worrying about matchups, waiver wire pickups, or streaming strategies. Having consistent producers in those spots frees you up to focus on other parts of your roster, like finding breakout flex options or monitoring injury news.
That kind of stability can be a major asset throughout the fantasy season, especially during bye weeks or rough injury stretches.
2. More Depth at Middle Rounds
Some fantasy managers worry that going early on a quarterback or tight end means missing out on high-end running backs or wide receivers, but this fear is often overstated, especially when you consider the depth and breakout potential available in the middle rounds.
Wide receivers are deeper than ever, and many National Football League backfields shift quickly due to injuries or performance changes, allowing savvy drafters to grab value in rounds five through ten. Players like David Montgomery, Calvin Ridley, or Josh Downs prove that winning teams are often built in the middle of the draft. You can fill out your roster with upside players who’ll outperform their ADP position while knowing you’ve already locked down the toughest positions to stream.
By targeting depth later, you also diversify your risk. Instead of relying on a first- or second-round running back to carry your team, you can build a roster with several players who have paths to increased touches or breakout performances. This approach allows you to stay competitive even if one of your top picks underperforms or gets injured, because you’ve built a team with more high-upside contributors than most.
3. Still Get Access to Early
Top Skill Position Players
One common misconception is that by drafting a quarterback and tight end early, you completely sacrifice the opportunity to get elite running backs or wide receivers. But with smart draft planning and positional awareness, that’s not necessarily true.
If you're drafting near the beginning or end of the round (snake format), you can often grab a top-tier wide receiver or running back in round one and then pivot to quarterback or tight end in rounds two and three. Even if you start with Patrick Mahomes and Mark Andrews, for example, there's still a path to land a player like Saquon Barkley or Amon-Ra St. Brown in the first round, giving you both positional dominance and explosive playmaking.
It all comes down to understanding where the value tiers drop off. If you know your draft board and mock effectively, you’ll be able to identify when it’s safe to grab an elite quarterback or tight end and still circle back to scoop up a player with wide receiver one or running back one upside. Having this level of draft discipline can allow you to stay flexible while still executing your early-round plan.
4. Weekly Positional Advantage
This is arguably the biggest advantage of the strategy: securing players who dominate their position week after week. The difference between the TE3 and TE12—or QB2 and QB10—can be as much as ten points per week. Over the course of a season, that’s a major edge.
Instead of hoping for touchdowns from a tight end like Jake Ferguson or trying to stream quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa, you’re locking in consistent, high-level output that gives you breathing room if your running backs or wide receivers have an off week. Fantasy football is often won by those who win the small positional battles, and dominating at quarterback and tight end can give you a leg up in nearly every matchup.
When you start every week already winning the tight end or quarterback position, it puts less pressure on your flex spots to deliver a miracle. It also means your opponent has to "play catch-up" elsewhere in their lineup. This week-to-week advantage is subtle but powerful—and it can be the difference between making the playoffs or falling short by one game.
5. Possible Trade Capital
Another benefit of drafting a top quarterback or tight end early is the value it can give you on the trade market as the season progresses. If you hit on one or two mid-round skill players who overperform expectations, you can afford to move your early quarterback or tight end for a more pressing need—like upgrading at running back or solidifying your flex spot.
Starters at these positions are limited, so other teams who missed out may be willing to pay up for your surplus. This gives you strategic leverage that teams who waited on quarterback or tight end simply won’t have.
Elite players at shallow positions are always in demand, especially once bye weeks and injuries start to hit hard. By having one of the few game-changing tight ends or a dual-threat quarterback, you gain bargaining power. You’re not just managing a fantasy team—you’re controlling the supply and demand within your league. That leverage can be turned into a mid-season upgrade that makes all the difference come playoff time.