Why Anthony Richardson is a dark horse for QB1 in fantasy football this season

Anthony Richardson's season got cut short last year after only four games because of a concussion in Week 2 and a shoulder joint sprain in Week 5 causing him to miss the rest of the season. This year though, Richardson Jr. is looking new and improved and he is going to lead the Colts offense this year just as he will lead your offense if you decide to draft him.

In just his four games last season, Richardson Jr. made his mark on the rest of the league on just how good he can be when he is healthy. He passed for 577 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception, all with his offensive line being terrible and giving up eleven sacks. With this, Richardson Jr. still had a 59.5% completion percentage, 6.9 yards per attempt and 87.3 passer rating.

But, the reason that Richardson Jr. will be such a threat in fantasy football this year isn't just because of his passing. He is arguably a top three dual threat quarterback in the league, only behind Lamar Jackson and maybe Josh Allen. He rushed for 136 yards and four touchdowns with only 25 carries on the season. He rushed for 5.4 yards per attempt and only had one fumble lost as well.

The trouble with him though is his injury history. We prior mentioned his concussion and shoulder strain last season, but what we didn't mention were his further past injuries. In his 2021 college season at Florida, he suffered from three injuries including: another concussion, a torn meniscus and a hamstring strain. These injuries haven't seemed to affect them that much though since he's entered the league. Either way, Anthony Richardson will be a top-5 fantasy QB this season.