“Superflex” is one of the fastest-growing formats in the fantasy football world right now, and for good reason. Traditional 1QB fantasy football formats generally have one or more regular flex slots in the league’s starting lineup requirements. A standard flex slot is a lineup slot that fantasy managers can fill with a running back, wide receiver, or tight end. The term Superflex refers to a flex slot in which a manager can start an additional quarterback.
If you’ve only ever played in 1QB fantasy football leagues, the adjustment to a Superflex league can be more complicated than it appears. Superflex is not to be confused with 2QB formats. A Superflex slot still gives you the option to start other players if you don’t have a second quarterback available to start.
Quarterback Value in 1QB vs. Superflex
The largest and most obvious difference between 1QB and Superflex leagues is the value of starting quarterbacks. Quarterbacks are worth at least two to three times more in Superflex than what they’re worth in a 1QB league. The top-scoring fantasy quarterbacks will be the most valuable players in the format, alongside the top position players. They will also likely dominate the early rounds of your drafts, whether it’s a redraft or dynasty format.
Simple supply and demand drive this key difference. There are theoretically only 32 starting NFL quarterbacks, and even fewer desirable starting quarterbacks. In a 12-team Superflex league, there are 24 possible starting quarterback slots. Simple math dictates that not all 12 teams will be able to roster three starting quarterbacks.
But quarterback dominance in the format does not mean that overall strategy is watered down. Yes, drafting the two best quarterbacks available with your first two picks is a viable strategy. But you will still need to have a holistic grasp of the quarterback landscape for it to be viable. As an extreme example, if you draft Patrick Mahomes with the No. 1 overall pick, and the next 22 picks are all quarterbacks as it snakes back to you at the end of the second round, it is still an objectively bad pick to draft the QB24 over a player like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Christian McCaffrey or Travis Kelce. This is where the Superflex format shines. Quarterbacks are very valuable in the format, and that gives you options when it comes to your overall team-building strategy.
Quarterbacks vs. Other Positions
Understanding when and how much to invest in the quarterback position will considerably affect your success in a Superflex league. The number of teams in your league, the starting lineup requirements and scoring settings will all significantly influence the overall optimal strategy. The more enhanced the scoring potential for a position relative to quarterback scoring, the more valuable that position will be. For example, a PPR league that has three starting wide receiver slots and three regular flex slots is favorable to wide receivers. A half-PPR league that has only two starting wide receiver slots and a single regular flex slot will be more favorable to running backs.
League settings should always drive your decision-making when it comes to your draft, trading, and overall roster construction. Your league mates will often not correctly adjust to the league settings immediately. They will often draft and trade either too many quarterbacks or too little. There’s a lot of money to be made by valuing your league settings and playing against the grain. You don’t have to have the two best quarterbacks to win a Superflex league. But having the best values and efficiency at quarterback and the other positions will give you the edge.
This was a quick overview of Superflex leagues. Soon to follow is an article outlining the strategy for these Superflex leagues.
Elijah Southwick
Elijah Southwick is a professional writer, editor and content creator covering sports news and fantasy football. He is a contributing writer for The League Winners and Lead Sports Content Writer at Degen Magazine.