Football
Drake Maye: Your 2025 Fantasy Football Breakout Quarterback?
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Will Drake Maye’s surge make him the most valuable fantasy breakout Quarterback you’re not targeting?
Strategy around quarterbacks in fantasy football seems to have shifted, or is shifting as we speak. Everyone used to wait on quarterbacks, and now with elite options at the top, we are seeing quarterbacks being prioritized by many in fantasy football drafts. Whether you wait on a quarterback and need a fantasy football breakout candidate at the position, or you want a high-upside QB2 in superflex setups, New England’s Drake Maye is poised for an improved sophomore campaign after finishing as the QB23 overall in 2024. Yes, he’s a trendy fantasy football breakout in 2025, and his fantasy football ADP will continue to rise, but there’s a path for Maye to be a consistent fantasy quarterback this season.
Consistency in Clutch Moments
Maye may have only been 54 percent consistent on the season, but if you remove the three games (Weeks 3, 8, and 18) where he played under one-third of the offensive snaps, he was actually 7-for-10 in clutch games, which gives us a 70 percent clutch rate. That would rival the likes of Jayden Daniels (71%), Joe Burrow (71%), and Jalen Hurts (67%). Only five starting quarterbacks last year were at least 70 percent consistent, so outside of a couple of shortened outings, the rookie out of North Carolina was actually quite strong in the consistency department!
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Elite Rookie Rushing Company
Furthermore, when you look at Maye’s numbers from his rookie season, he may have only thrown for 2,276 yards with a 15:10 TD/INT ratio, but he added 421 yards on the ground with two rushing scores. Per StatMuse, Maye is just the eighth rookie quarterback to record at least 2,200 passing yards and 420+ rushing yards in their first NFL season. Who were the others? Ever heard of Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, and/or Cam Newton? It’s a pretty rare company, to say the least, and we all know just how valuable rushing production is for a QB reaching top-12 status.
Improved Supporting Cast in New England
Last season, the New England Patriots had the second-lowest team pass block grade, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), and the league’s worst run block grade. The team made significant improvements up front, highlighted by fourth overall pick Will Campbell and veterans Morgan Moses, Garrett Bradbury, and Wes Schweitzer. An improved offensive line will be critical for Maye’s success in 2025 because, like most quarterbacks, his numbers took a substantial hit last season when he was under pressure. Take a look below, courtesy of PFF:
| Drake Maye | Comp% | YPA | TD/INT | T.O. Play Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kept Clean | 73.1% | 7.0 | 10:6 | 2.8% |
| Pressured | 50.% | 6.1 | 5:4 | 4.5% |
Additionally, a healthy Stefon Diggs and intriguing rookie Kyle Williams spark some optimism from a New England receiving room that was largely underwhelming last season. The steady presence of Head Coach Mike Vrabel, alongside a proven play caller in Josh McDaniels, sets the scene for a much-improved second season for New England’s franchise quarterback.
End of Season Surge
From Weeks 12-17 last season, Maye had the lowest turnover-worthy throw rate among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts, per PFF, while posting 0.46 fantasy points per dropback and 16.9 fantasy points per game. For reference, for the full season, his 16.9 fantasy points per game from Weeks 12-17 would have put him at QB15 for the season!
Like I mentioned earlier, Maye has already got the “trendy QB” label on him, and his fantasy football ADP is going to continue to rise. However, he’s still a bit too cheap in drafts, and the underlying numbers from last season, paired with an improved situation in 2025, pave the way for a strong second season from the former UNC standout. While Maye figures to flirt with back-end QB1 territory, he should easily be a high-end QB2 in 2025.
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