The Rise of Dual Threat QBs in the NFL and Their Impact on Fantasy Football

The MVP race was a nail-biter as it came down to the last week of the regular season, with Bills QB Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson both competing for the award. In Washington, Jayden Daniels emerged with one of the best rookie seasons of all time and led his team to the conference championship. He lost to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who went on to win the superbowl. These quarterbacks dominated the league in 2024. Most importantly, they were all top fantasy quarterbacks. But what do they all have in common that makes them so dominant?

By The Numbers

Every single player mentioned is what we call a dual threat quarterback. They thrive off of their elite mobility and athleticism, which allows them to gain fantasy points through rushing yards and rushing touchdowns on top of their passing totals. It seems like every year, more QBs enter the league with not just a passing ability but also a knack for running the ball. This trend is not new. Statistics show that this shift has been slowly occurring for years now.

I researched the top fantasy quarterbacks of every year over the last decade and how often they ran the ball. The above graph I created shows the average rushing attempts per game for the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks in each of those years. The y-axis shows the number of average rushing attempts, while the x-axis shows the years (progressing from left to right). In simple terms, this graph shows how often successful fantasy quarterbacks ran the ball. In 2015, the league was spearheaded by iconic gunslingers and west coast offenses. Quarterbacks were expected to lead drives through perfectly placed balls and quick releases - scrambling was not encouraged (with the exception of Cam Newton). Pure passers such as Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady were the face of the NFL. As shown in the graph, the top 10 quarterbacks this year only averaged 3.25 rushing attempts per game. 

Fast forward almost 10 years later, that number is now up to 5.49 - a very measurable difference. Today, the best quarterbacks - Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes - are all capable of extending drives with their legs. While they all run a little differently, the bottom line is that mobility is more important for quarterbacks now than ever before. But where, and more importantly how, did this start?

The Rise of Lamar Jackson

If you look at the graph, there’s a very noticeable jump. From 2015 to 2018, the line stayed relatively constant with a range of just 0.25 yards. But in 2019, the average spiked all the way up to 5.13 - almost two full yards higher than the 2018 average of 3.31. What changed?

In simple terms, Lamar Jackson emerged. After not getting consistent playing time in his rookie season, the former Louisville star was given the reins for the Baltimore Ravens the following year and took the league by storm. Almost instantly, his knack for making defenders miss and aggressively running downfield became a phenomenon across the NFL world. Every week, viral clips of Lamar dropping an opposing player to their knees or sprinting dozens of yards for a touchdown seemed to show up on social media. Some fans were even claiming he should switch to running back (a terribly inaccurate narrative, but one that existed nonetheless). Lamar Jackson averaged nearly 12 carries per game and definitely skewed the mean, but his influence and playstyle expanded to the modern era of quarterbacks. In the past few years, younger players such as Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, and more have adapted to the dual-threat status that Lamar made so popular. The Baltimore Ravens utilized Lamar Jackson in a way that transformed the nature of the quarterback position. Let’s dive into how exactly this happened.

In 2019, the Ravens passed the ball on 45.93% of plays. This was the lowest percentage in the league that year, and the lowest margin of any team since the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. This seemed to go against the course of NFL offensive theory - most metrics had pointed to offenses shifting more towards a passing attack than ever before. Even in 2012, the Seahawks passed the ball less because of superstar running back Marshawn Lynch, who ran for over 1500 yards that year and had 315 carries. Baltimore’s starting running back in 2019, Mark Ingram, only had 202 carries. So how did Baltimore create such a potent rushing offense without running their offense through one lead halfback?

The answer was simple: designed quarterback runs. These were plays that were drawn up with the intention of the QB running downfield, often with a fake handoff to throw off defenders. While they were implemented before with players like Cam Newton and Mike Vick, the Ravens took it to a new level with Lamar Jackson. 

Quarterbacks were once thought of as much too critical to a team for them to voluntarily take hits and tackles. QB rushes increase injury chances like crazy, which is why it was common for QBs to throw the ball away or slide rather than aggressively scramble. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens went against this narrative.

The Baltimore offense operated on a series of read-options, where Lamar would hike the ball, quickly observe the defense, and make a split-second decision on what to do. The He could choose to hand the ball off to his running back, or he could tuck it into his arm and take off himself. This allowed the offense to adjust to any formation the defense lined up in.

Jackson benefited heavily from read-options, but that wasn’t the only change the Ravens made. Rather than teaching his quarterback to slide or protect himself from hits, head coach John Harbuagh allowed Jackson the freedom to take off whenever he saw an open lane. Even if the play was designed to pass, if there was open space for Jackson to run and gain positive yardage, he was encouraged to take the opportunity. Jackson was given freedom to attempt to break tackles, utilizing his agility and quickness to gain extra yardage even with a slightly increased chance at injury. 

Lamar Jackson was crowned MVP that year and the Baltimore Ravens won 14 games in the regular season. What happened next was not surprising. When someone succeeds, everyone else starts to copy them. New young quarterbacks such as Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, and more specialized in their unique athletic ability and ran much more than QBS did a decade ago. What it means to be a quarterback has completely changed and much of the credit can go to the Baltimore Ravens and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Fantasy Implications

It’s cool to see how the league has shifted, but what does this mean for fantasy players? Well, a lot. Mobile quarterbacks almost always provide more value than pure passers, and this is due to the basic scoring system. In almost all fantasy leagues, a quarterback receives more points for rushing achievements than passing achievements. The table below shows the differences.

As shown above, running the ball gains more points per yard and per touchdown than passing the ball. For example, if Patrick Mahomes throws for 200 yards and two touchdowns, that would equate to 16 fantasy points. However, if he rushes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, that’s 32 fantasy points. Even though he may be less productive in real life, the fantasy manager who started Mahomes will be happy.

It’s important to know that when you’re drafting quarterbacks, don’t just select who is the best for their team. Consider rushing upside and how they will score points for you week after week. The way fantasy football is scored benefits mobile players such as Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, and Jayden Daniels, while hurting less run-based players such as Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff. It’s important to consider the rushing upside a quarterback provides when choosing who to lead your fantasy squad. 

Notable Dual Threat QBs to know for Fantasy

Lamar Jackson was the first modern-day dual threat quarterback, but many more followed. 

The most well-known dual-threat quarterback, outside of Lamar Jackson, is Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. Drafted in the same year as Jackson, Allen had a slower start but reached an elite level by 2020, finishing as the QB1 that year. Since then, Allen has never had a fantasy football finish worse than QB2. 

Josh Allen doesn’t run with the quickness or agility of Lamar Jackson, but don’t let that convince you that he isn’t as mobile. At 6’4 and 238 pounds, Allen is known for drawing contact unlike any quarterback we have ever seen. Rather than sprinting past defenders, he overpowers them with force and can break tackles like a running back. He’s even leaped over defenders in attempts to get the first down. He’s a safe pick in fantasy and is almost a lock to secure you 20+ points each week.

Jalen Hurts emerged later but is the only quarterback mentioned to win a super bowl. He’s one of the strongest players in the league and famously squatted 600 pounds in college. After getting drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of 2020, Jalen Hurts became the starter a year later and has consistently been among the best mobile passers. 

In 2022, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles revolutionized the QB sneak, adding an extra dimension to the idea of a dual-threat quarterback. In the past, the QB sneak has been a famous play where quarterbacks hiked the ball and immediately dove right over the offensive line in the hopes of gaining a few inches to one yard. This was meant for situations where the team was inches away from a first down or a touchdown. The Eagles tweaked this play in a fashion where several players ran behind Jalen Hurts and pushed him from behind in order to gain extra yardage. The rest of the league deemed it the “tush push” and it is now infamous for being nearly impossible to stop. Hurt's passing ceiling may limit his fantasy output, but he’s a reliable pick that scores touchdowns and has a guaranteed floor due to his consistent rushing volume.

Jayden Daniels crashed on the scene as a rookie in 2024 but quickly cemented himself as one of the best players in the league. Turning around a Washington team that had struggled for many years, Daniels extended drives by being light on his feet and understanding the field around him with elite pocket presence. He knew when to rush and when to stay in the pocket, a skill that is rare in rookies. With another offseason to practice and develop, the sky’s the limit for Daniels in 2025. He has QB1 potential and should be a top quarterback in fantasy drafts.

Lamar Jackson broke the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in one season, but he nearly had his record beaten by Justin Fields in 2022. 

Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2021, Justin Fields was a product of Ohio State and excelled at extending plays and carrying the ball downfield. In the NFL, he rushed for over 1,100 yards in his second season and broke the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in one game. His mobility was top tier, as he could observe the field and easily detect rushing lanes and extend the play. Unfortunately, he was not as strong of a passer, and had some errors where he would hold on to the ball for too long or scramble unnecessarily. This has led to turnovers or sacks in the past that hurt his production. In 2025, Justin Fields will get a new start with the New York Jets and his unmatched mobility warrants significant fantasy consideration. He’s a sleeper pick with potential to be a top 8 QB. 

The Risk Of Injury

As mentioned, one of the biggest reasons quarterbacks in the past didn’t scrabble was due to the supposed injury risks. Quarterbacks aren’t traditionally built to take tackles and big hits, and are more susceptible to getting hurt as a result of such contact. This is why we see many elite quarterbacks slide to the ground rather than embrace contact. However, with the increasing number of dual-threat QBs, does this narrative still hold true?

To answer this question, a good start is to observe the two most well-known dual threat QBs - Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Impressively, both have been very healthy throughout their careers. Allen has missed just four games over his 7-year career, while Lamar has missed ten over the same span. Despite both players being tackled much more than the average quarterback, they’ve proved durable. This is impressive, but it’s not always the case.

Two other notable dual-threat quarterbacks over the last several years are Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones. Murray has missed 18 games since being drafted 6 years ago, while Jones has missed 21 over that time span. It’s not easy to say why this happens, but it should be noted the majority of Kyler Murray’s missed games were a result of a non-contact ACL tear. 

Injuries are the hardest thing to predict, and there's not much statistical reasoning to infer as to why a player suffers injuries and why another player doesn’t. Tom Brady stayed healthy for most of his career by staying in the pocket and releasing the ball quickly, but long-time Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger missed 38 games in his career despite only averaging about two rushes a game.

At the end of the day, it just depends on the player. Someone like Josh Allen may have a bigger build than the standard quarterback and be more durable with hits, while other players may not be able to handle them as well. As a fantasy manager, don’t focus too much on potential injuries when choosing who to draft. Every year, new players will get hurt, and they can’t be controlled nor predicted. Just focus on who gives the most upside and who can help your team win the most while healthy.