Drake Maye was one of three first-round quarterbacks not to start right away last season. Once he took over, the New England Patriots didn’t necessarily start winning games, but the offense looked far more competent. Now entering year two, is Maye ready to take his game to the next level, making him an ideal late-round target for fantasy football managers?
Drake Maye Fantasy Outlook
Half of the historic six quarterbacks selected in the first 12 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft did not start in Week 1. The Patriots opted to go with Jacoby Brissett until the team’s performance forced their hand. That happened in Week 6, when Maye made his first start.
Immediately, Maye displayed QB1 upside. His 21.5 fantasy points from his first full game were his best effort of the season. Most notably, Maye showcased his rushing upside, running for 38 yards in that contest.
Maye was understandably overshadowed by Jayden Daniels’s greatest rookie season in NFL history, Caleb Williams’s top pick and appearance on “Hard Knocks,” and Bo Nix’s leading the Broncos to the playoffs. Of the top three picks, Maye was the only one who did not start immediately.
This has created a value proposition for Maye heading into 2025 fantasy drafts, at least for now. There are a lot of quarterbacks with 20 fantasy points per game upside. As a result, Maye’s ADP is well outside the top 12 quarterbacks. But he can give us a QB1 season.
MORE: Free Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Maye’s 14.4 PPG average is fake. It includes the 2.1 points he scored when he made his NFL debut in Week 3 for only a handful of plays, and his zero points in Week 18 when he played just three snaps. If we remove those two games, Maye posted 16.8 PPG, which is much more respectable.
This year, the Patriots added reliable veteran WR Stefon Diggs, rookie third-rounder Kyle Williams, and a receiving back in TreVeyon Henderson. Maye is also another year older and has an experienced, competent head coach. Plus, Josh McDaniels is back. Say what you want about McDaniels as a head coach (nothing positive, that’s for sure), but he’s proven to be a very effective offensive coordinator.
It goes without saying that what makes Maye so appealing is his rushing, which has gone from a cheat code in fantasy to almost a necessity. But I’m not sure fantasy managers truly appreciated how mobile Maye is.
Every positive dropback vs. pressure for Drake Maye in 2024 👇
(As measured by EPA – Expected points added) https://t.co/VXhGuvfPKu pic.twitter.com/eDDg9EJy9W
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 28, 2025
Last season, Maye averaged 32.4 rushing yards per game. That’s an extra 3.2 PPG on the ground before accounting for touchdowns. The thing is, that very well may be Maye’s rushing floor.
The Patriots made it well known that, in a lost season, they would not put their franchise QB at risk in his first season for nothing. Almost all of Maye’s rushing production came from scrambles as the Patriots refused to design any runs for him to protect him.
QB Scrambles vs. Designed Rush Attempts in 2024
Daniels (42.8) is the only rookie to average more Scramble YPG than Drake Maye (31.3) over the past four seasons.
But the Patriots used Maye on fewer designed runs per game than Jared Goff. pic.twitter.com/fbXz022YlS
— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) May 10, 2025
That will change this year. Expect plenty of read options and straight-up designed QB rushes. If Maye could get to 30 rushing yards per game without intentional runs, imagine what he can do with 2-3 designed QB rushes per game?
I have Maye ranked as my QB12. That is well above consensus, but it might not be so bold by the end of August. Either way, Maye is part of my “elite QB or late-round QB” strategy. Maye is one of the most appealing later-round options if I do not take one early. With his rushing ability raising his floor, Maye could be a surprise top-five fantasy quarterback if things break right this season.
Dan Fornek’s Drake Maye Fantasy Projection
Drake Maye didn’t get an opportunity to start until Week 6 in 2024. The rookie quickly flashed the tools that made him the third overall pick in the NFL Draft. Maye completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 games. He also added 54 carries for 421 yards and two rushing touchdowns. More impressively, he produced those stats behind a terrible offensive line and with minimal pass-catching talent.
On the surface, Maye’s fantasy production (QB25, 13.6 PPG) left a lot to be desired. However, his overall statistics are skewed by two games with 16 or fewer snaps played. If you remove those contests, the rookie would have averaged 15.9 PPG (QB17). He had four top-10 quarterback finishes.
The Patriots worked all offseason to create an offensive environment to help Maye develop. They hired Mike Vrabel as head coach with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
MORE:Â Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer
They upgraded the offensive line through free agency (center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Morgan Moses) and the draft (left tackle Will Campbell and center Jared Wilson). They also upgraded his pass catchers with a mix of veterans (Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins) and youth (third-round pick Kyle Williams).
New England’s offense will be a work in progress in 2025. However, if they can gel quickly, Maye has all the physical tools to be a dark horse top 10 quarterback for fantasy in 2025.
