Anthony Richardson fantasy football outlook 2024: Why explosive Colts QB is a safe pick this year?

Anthony Richardson was selected as the third quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft and fourth overall and fantasy football enthusiasts saw him as a top pick last year. An injury put paid to his season and he saw Gardner Minshew take over the offense and nearly led them to the playoffs. But even though that ended in disappointment, there were reasons for hope.

First-year coach Shane Steichen did an amazing job with his backup quarterback and nearly had the Colts in the postseason. That shows what he can do with someone as explosive as Anthony Richardson.

Indianapolis fans will be excited to have their quarterback back healthy for 2024 and shouldn't be the only ones. Any fantasy football manager should have a serious look at drafting the Colts quarterback.

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Breaking down Anthony Richardson's fantasy football outlook for 2024

Anthony Richardson suffered the injury that ended his 2024 season when he took off a run and was tackled. Some might look at that and think that his penchant for escaping the pocket could make for a risky pick.

However, his dual-threat ability makes him special. Last year, he didn't have the support of Jonathan Taylor, as the running back only came back on the field when the quarterback was about to suffer the injury. They didn't get to play together.

However, with both available from the start of 2024, it shouldn't be a problem. Much like Lamar Jackson does with the Baltimore Ravens, the running back can be used as a decoy, and the quarterback can take off on either planned runs by design or when the play breaks down.

Therefore, expect high production on both passing and rushing metrics in fantasy football this year from Anthony Richardson. Shane Steichen has also made it clear that he doesn't want to limit how his quarterback plays or change his style.

This could be the year when he comes out of the shadows and establishes himself as one of the best players in the league.

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Where should you draft Anthony Richardson this year?

Given we are so bullish about his prospects, we definitely recommend that you draft Anthony Richardson towards the top this year.

He should score a lot of points on every phase of play, as he can conjure something even when the play breaks down. Due to his injury last season and Shane Steichen still being a new commodity among head coaches, opposition coordinators will take time to figure him out.

To see if you should draft him ahead of other quarterbacks or not, you can compare that using Sportskeeda's very own "Who Should I Draft" tool. You can put in the kind of league that you are playing including the scoring system and the touchdown calculations. It will give you which player might be the best fit for your fantasy football team.

Richardson is coming back fit from an injury, has a star running back behind him, plays with an offensive head coach and oozes ability. Taking him will be a great chance for a fantasy football manager to get ahead against someone who might just choose a safer bet.

The Colts could very well be the surprise team that catches a lot of observers unaware of how good they can be. The reason could come down to having Anthony Richardson. The same could apply to a fantasy football team that wants to surprise its competitors. The Colts quarterback is certainly one to look out for.