Fantasy football leagues come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In recent years, Superflex fantasy football has become increasingly popular. For those new to the game or for anyone who has only played in the more traditional fantasy football formats, here is a basic primer on Superflex leagues and how they differ from what you’re accustomed to.
What are Superflex/2QB fantasy football leagues?
All of you should be familiar with the Flex position in fantasy football. A Superflex is just like a regular Flex, except you can also start a quarterback.
A Superflex fantasy football league is essentially a two-quarterback league. The reason leagues usually aren’t purely 2QB leagues is that there just aren’t enough quarterbacks.
In a 12-team league, at least four teams will only be able to roster two quarterbacks. During bye weeks, they won’t be able to start two quarterbacks. That’s where the Superflex position comes in. By allowing managers to start any offensive player, you will still be able to field a full lineup even if you don’t have two quarterbacks to start.
With that said, strict 2QB leagues do exist. They just don’t have more than 10 teams because, with 10 teams, every team can theoretically roster three quarterbacks.
Should you always start a QB at the Superflex position in fantasy football?
Your goal should be to start a quarterback in your Superflex position every week. Most teams will be able to do this. If you aren’t starting a quarterback at Superflex, it’s usually a result of injuries or bye weeks.
A common lineup construction in Superflex leagues will look like this: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, Flex, Superflex. Even if you have a stacked team, odds are the last player entering your starting lineup is no better than a WR4 or an RB3.
The typical threshold for WR4 performance is around 11 PPR fantasy points per game. An RB3 is around 10 ppg. Last season, the worst quarterback to start at least eight games still averaged 11.4 ppg. Simply put, quarterbacks score the most fantasy points. Even the worst quarterbacks are better than legitimate starting-caliber fantasy WR4s and RB3s.
The situations where you will have a viable option at quarterback, but choose to start a position player, are few and far between. 95% of the time, it should be a quarterback.
What are some key differences between Superflex/2QB leagues and 1QB fantasy football leagues?
Superflex/2QB scoring formats are the same as traditional leagues. They can be PPR, half-PPR, non-PPR, PPFD (point per first down), TE premium (1.5 PPR for TEs), or any other scoring system you can think of. However, the volume of scoring is higher, on average, due to there being two of the highest-scoring positions in fantasy lineups.
Where you really see a radical shift from 1QB leagues is in Superflex/2QB fantasy football drafts.
How does drafting strategy change in Superflex/2QB leagues?
You know that whole late-round quarterback strategy so many of us love to implement in our leagues? Yeah, you can’t do that in Superflex leagues. There are no late-round quarterbacks. At least none you’d be able to win with as your QB1.
There are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s basic supply and demand. Due to the limited supply, demand is extremely high. As a result, quarterbacks fly off the board early in Superflex fantasy football drafts. Any quarterback that averages around 20 ppg or more will be gone by the end of the second round. That means as many as 8-10 quarterbacks may go in the first 24 picks.
With so many quarterbacks going early, running backs and wide receivers typically get pushed down the board. Players you’re used to seeing gone by the end of the second round are still there in the third or fourth rounds. And it’s a rippling effect throughout the draft.
For me, that’s the biggest adjustment fantasy managers need to make. It feels wrong to pass on an elite RB1 or WR1 for a mid QB1 you would typically draft in the middle single-digit rounds of a 1QB league. In Superflex fantasy football leagues, it’s necessary. If you don’t come out of the first three rounds with at least one quarterback, you’re gonna have a bad time.
While even the weakest starting quarterbacks in the NFL are fantasy-viable, if your quarterbacks both average sub-15 ppg, it doesn’t matter how good your other positions are, you can’t win. So, if you’re not taking two quarterbacks relatively early, you better hit on your QB2 or QB3.
The gap between the haves and have nots at quarterback in Superflex/2QB leagues is massive. There will be teams with two quarterbacks averaging a combined 40+ ppg. Your advantage at wide receiver and running back won’t be able to make up the difference if your quarterbacks are combining for under 30 ppg.
With that said, there are still variations in how you can approach the quarterback position. You can take two within the first three rounds, take one early and a couple late, or even roll the dice in a bunch of QB2s (not recommended).
Closing thoughts on Superflex/2QB leagues
Know that every single starting quarterback as well as several backups will be drafted. You will not be able to stream like you can in 1QB leagues.
Whereas quarterbacks are largely replaceable in 1QB leagues, they are extremely valuable commodities in Superflex/2QB leagues. Everything revolves around the quarterback position.
While it may seem scary at first, Superflex/2QB fantasy football leagues are just another way to have fun in this great game we play. Whether you’ve only played 1QB redraft leagues your entire career or dabbled in all sorts of formats, there’s never a bad time to give Superflex leagues a shot.