top 25 dynasty qb rankings

top 25 dynasty qb rankings

Here is a comprehensive list of my top 25 quarterbacks as of today in a start-up dynasty draft.
Please feel free to comment and let me know who I am too high or low on!

Tier 1 (Could end as the number 1 overall QB for years to come):
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1. ​Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)

I think you can make the argument that Josh Allen deserves to be here based on his previous production, but projecting his rushing ability to stay consistent moving into the future is a tough sell for me. With Mahomes you're getting the best QB in football that has shown the ability to throw for 5,000 and 50 TDs. He led the league in dropped passes last season with 38, and many of those were turned into interceptions due to Kadarius Toney's feet-for-hands. Kelce won't be around forever, but as long as Pat is healthy, it's difficult to bet on anyone ahead of him.

2. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)

Josh Allen has been a roller coaster of a player, with 35 interceptions over the past two seasons, but for fantasy his 71 passing and 26 rushing TDs more than make up for those turnovers. I expect him to be an ELITE option for years to come, but with questions about his receiving core and potential lack of rushing in future seasons to maintain health, he's behind only one guy. 

3. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

Lamar might be the most electric playmaker at QB and has shown improvement in his passing ability since entering the league. The Ravens will always be a run-first team with him under center and that provides massive returns in fantasy, as he has eclipsed 700 yards rushing in every season, even when missing games. He's a 2x MVP for a reason and I expect that to continue.

4. Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)

This one is all about projecting. He is not the best QB remaining on this list, but he has elite rushing upside, a perfect athleticism score, and if he can stay healthy could easily be the QB1 for years to come. He needs to work on his accuracy, but I view his passing ability as being more polished than most analysts. Not a perfect passer yet, but Josh and Lamar both showed the ability to clean up their mechanics and become legit passers. I expect the same for Richardson and he's got the weapons to help him out until he gets there.

Tier 2 (Great QBs with bright upsides):

5. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)

Cool Joe Burrrrr has shown when healthy he is elite and maybe the 2nd best QB in the NFL. My concerns are two-fold. First, he offers little with his legs, where most fantasy QBs make a living. Secondly, he has had a great receiving core with quality players around him since he entered the league. I think if the Bengals had Tee Higgins signed long-term I might feel better putting him in tier 1, but with a 1B type receiver's pending departure, I have questions about the guys catching the ball from him in future seasons sans Ja'marr Chase.

6. CJ Stroud (Houston Texans)

He blew the league away in his first season, and has a more potent core of playmakers around him now after adding Diggs and Mixon. So why is he ranked 6th?? In 15 games last season, he rushed for a grand total of... wait for it... 177 yards! He gained more fantasy points from his 3 rushing TDs than he did from his total rushing yards. Without offering anything with rushing upside, he will have to maintain his incredible TD-INT ratio (26-5 in 2023) and pass for huge numbers moving forward to justify his ADP. Not saying he can't and I won't be the one to root against it, I just feel like there are other QBs with more upside in fantasy production. Can he average 30 TDs and 4,500 yards passing each season for his career? Probably but I can't say for certain just yet.

7. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)

Perfect blend of a QB with rushing upside and maybe the best tandem of WRs. The addition of Saquon and loss of Jason Kelce makes me worried about those Brotherly Shoves decreasing and him scoring 10 rushing TDs instead of 15 (2023) and 18 (2022). He's been great for the Eagles and I don't expect that to change, but any drop in rushing TDs makes him a risky high draft target. He's a bonafide QB1, but he's closer to 12 than 1 in my opinion.

8. Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)

I know we have not seen him play a snap in the NFL yet, but by all accounts he is a generational talent with the best group of weapons a rookie has ever entered the league with. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are penciled in for the foreseeable future and Keenan Allen still has tread on those cleats. I'm buying for the long run with Caleb, and expect big things in future seasons, even if it doesn't happen overnight.

9. Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)

Great QB, terrible weapons in an offense that expects to be a run-heavy team. I don't have any shares of QJ, but if I did I would have sold those immediately. Ladd McConkey is a good prospect but I have questions, as he was never a highly productive player at Georgia. Not saying Herbert cannot overcome these issues based on his talent alone, but until I see one of his WRs become a true number 1 option, it's tough to project a QB with 923 career rushing yards (4 seasons) to be a high end QB1 without a proven receiving core.

10. Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)

There's only 2 QBs in the league with better rushing upside and that's saying something in a league with tons of mobile QBs. His weapons might not be as star studded as Caleb's in Chicago, but Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Austin Ekeler, Ben Sinnott, and Brian Robinson is a great cast to be surrounded by. Offensive line is the biggest question mark, as Sam Howell was sacked a league-leading 65 times, but his ability to escape pressure and make better decisions down field ease those concerns for me. He's ranked as 10 right now but I could easily see him leapfrog into the top 5 after this season.

11. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)

Have we all forgotten how good Kyler is?? I know he's been hurt and he's still only 5'10" on a good day, but can we talk about his production? In his first 3 healthy seasons, he's thrown for over 3,700 yards, 20+ TDs, and rushed for over 400 yards. In 2020 he averaged 6.2 rushing yards per attempt and scored 11 TDs on the ground. He might take a step back in rushing as he gets older, but the dude is a human joystick scrambling away from pressure and has the arm to take the top off the defense. Marvin Harrison Jr. might not be prime D-Hop today but there's a reason he's such a highly touted prospect. Kyler seems like a steal at his current ADP and I expect him to improve with another year post ACL tear. 

Tier 3 (More questions than answers)

12. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)

Jordan Love was amazing last season in his first full season starting. His offensive core is the youngest in the league and I expect them to get better as time goes on. My only question is can he repeat his 32 TDs and 4,159 passing yards from a year ago. I'm not saying he won't, but in his first year as a starter he had his ups and downs that I hope start becoming more consistent with more playing experience. In 4 point per passing TD leagues, he had 8 games where he scored less than 20 points with a low of 4.49 against the Raiders in week 5. Tough division and closer games could be a challenge for production.

13. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys, for now)

As a QB I have always had my reservations about Dak. When things are great, he is great. When things are bad, he is bad. Last season, he had an incredible season, with over 4,500 passing yards and 36 total TDs, but until Dallas commits to him and CeeDee together long-term, I just worry he's going to end up in a situation where he's not able to produce those high-end numbers. If the Cowboys commit, so will I. Right now neither of us seem ready to.

14. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)

For such a highly touted prospect, and someone I have admittedly been high on since he entered the league, I expect more production from T-Law. I know he was banged up during the season and was missing Kirk for last stretch, but his inability to connect with Ridley has me questioning his ability to feed a number 1 receiver that plays primarily on the outside. I still think he can be a superstar in this league, but a core of Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk, and Brian Thomas Jr has me wondering how high his ceiling is. Maybe it's this year, but if not, when?

15. Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)

The Mr. Irrelevant angle is a great story, but I wonder how much he can elevate the offense without a star-studded supporting cast. CMC is the best running back in the league, but is also approaching his age 30 season and has been on the sidelines more often than us fantasy players would like to remember. Kittle and Deebo are RAC monsters and as physical as most defenders in the league, but this has put them on the sidelines for long stretches as well. Last year without Deebo (including the game he got hurt against the Browns), the Niners went 0-3 and Purdy's average fantasy points dropped from 19.2 with Deebo to 13.26 without. Add in the fact that Purdy is due a big payday, limiting the stars the team can keep due to the salary cap, and the fact that Aiyuk is looking to get PAID and is asking to leave to ensure his new contract, I just have too many questions surrounding the situation to expect him to elevate the offense without All-Pros at every level, regardless of who is calling the plays.

16. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)

You might be wondering why a top 5 draft pick in 2020 that just lead the league in passing yards is so low on my dynasty tier list. It's complicated. His accuracy is undeniable, as he completed 68% of his passes last season, and for all the fans saying his arm strength is marginal at best, he actually led the league in completed passes over 50 yards (7). One concern is health, as he even talked last offseason about his own concerns about his concussions. I think my biggest concern is that while the Miami offense is explosive and translates to great stats, for some reason it does not translate to high-end fantasy production for the QB. Why is that? He finished as QB12, but only ranked inside the top 12 QBs in 5 weeks of the season. He finished 7 weeks outside of the top 20! If he has the same production as last year, and guys like Richardson and Burrow don't get hurt, Tua finishes closer to 20 than 10.

17. Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)

Since he entered the league, Goff has been doubted as a number 1 overall pick level player which is crazy considering he's 1 of only 10 active QBs to have played in a super bowl. Goff has played in high profile offenses with both the Rams and now the Lions. Last season he had a near-career best with 4,575 yards passing and 30 TDs. The offense is stacked with weapons galore but my absolute biggest concern is his week-to-week consistency. Here are some week ranges that stood out to me. In weeks 4-7, Goff finished as QB21, QB4, QB4, and QB 24. Weeks 14-16 he finished QB26, QB1, QB23. He has the ability to be a league-winning QB with the downside of being a mid range QB2. I want to be higher on Goff, but I can't justify it.

Tier 4 (Highly drafted, waiting for results)

18. Drake Maye (New England Patriots)

I was wrong about Josh Allen being able to fix his mechanics and become a more polished passer. I am NOT going to count out Drake Maye from the same level of growth. At North Carolina he showed his ability to stretch the field with his arm and his legs, but also showed he can make some poor decisions throwing the ball in tight windows. I like his outlook and with a veteran like Jacoby Brissett to learn from, the only thing missing are offensive weapons. I'd love to take him as a developmental QB that rides my practice squad until he's ready to contribute but not expecting much from him in year 1.

19. Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)

When Deshaun won the national championship against Bama, I thought we had a superstar in the making that was going to be running the league. Turns out we did, but it wasn't the QB I thought it was going to be in that draft class. Legal and personal opinions aside, I still believe in his talent and I think the shoulder injury last season impacted him more than we know. With Jerry Jeudy joining a receiving core of Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and David Njoku, he has the weapons to return to peak form. I haven't seen him perform at that level in quite some time, so it's tough to bank on it, but I am holding out hope he gets back on track.

20. JJ McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)

It's tough for me to rank him as a prospect because he was never asked to do much at Michigan. A stout defense and run game provided him little reason to throw the ball all over the field. I'm not saying that he won't be a quality passer but I know I have not seen enough to give him a passing grade just yet. Assuming Jefferson and Hockenson are healthy and Jordan Addison's recent arrest isn't a long-term problem, McConnell has great weapons and a great scheme to get production out of any QB. I'm not holding my breath but I do think it's possible for McCarthy to be productive, just maybe not for his own fantasy production.

21. Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)

I was not high on Levis last season as a rookie, and I immediately felt like I misjudged him in week 8 when he burst onto the scene with 4 TDs and 26 fantasy points in his first game against Atlanta. Then he played 8 of the remaining 10 games and I felt like I was right all along. In 5 of 9 games, he did not throw a TD pass, and he finished the season with 8 total passing TDs. The Titans added Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, and Tony Pollard in free agency and with Brian Callahan running the show now, there's a chance that the offense takes a step forward. Here's to hoping Will Levis can prove me wrong for more than a one week sample size this year.

22. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

I'd like to start by saying that Baker Mayfield is a DAWG. I love the way he plays and his fiery attitude seems to resonate with his teammates. My problem is for fantasy purposes, until last season, he has not been very good. Last season he set career highs in both passing yards (4,044) and passing TDs (28). He finished as QB10 overall, so there's a chance that with Cleveland and Carolina being dysfunctional that he is finally in a stable place to be productive. He's someone I want to root for, so here's hoping that he can continue to prove doubters wrong, but his receiving core is getting older and outside of Rachaad White, they did not have any player under 27 years old that played meaningful snaps for their team. Godwin seems to be on the back end of his career after multiple injuries and Mike Evans is now 30. This year Baker is a buy, but I worry about his long term outlook if he stays in Tampa Bay.
 
Tier 5 (Need a starter but not building for the future)

23. Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)

Coming off an achilles tear, Kirk was going to have his fantasy status. Add in his age (35) and the fact that his new team just drafted an older rookie QB in the first round, I worry about Kirk even more today. If he is healthy and plays like he did in Washington and Minnesota, he will outperform his ADP this season. My question is how long will it take him to get back to fully healthy and how long can he hold off Michael Penix Jr?

24. Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)

The football gods robbed us of the opportunity to see Aaron Rodgers in a new city with a new team that had huge aspirations. After watching Hard Knocks, the entire football world was polarized with anticipation on how well the 4-time MVP would play with the Jets. He's got a talented receiving core with Wilson and Williams, and one of the best running backs in the league in Breece Hall. They upgraded the offensive line in free agency and the first round of the draft to help keep A-Rod standing up this season, and I personally still think Rodgers has juice left to squeeze. I'm looking forward to him producing at a high enough level to warrant rostering and potential start most weeks, but I would not be doing my job correctly if I told you a 40 year old QB coming off a major injury was better than the 24th best dynasty QB.

25. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

Stafford might be one of the most underappreciated QBs of our lifetime. He has been the quarterback for two of the most impressive WR seasons in NFL history (Calvin Johnson's 1,964 yards in 2012 and Cooper Kupp's 1,947 in 2021) and does not get talked about in high enough regard. My problem with him in dynasty is not his ability as a passer, but his ability to stay on the field at this stage of his career. He might be one of the toughest QBs to ever play, but at 36 years old, he has missed time in each of the last two seasons. The Rams and McVay will still be incredible on offense with breakout WR Puka Nacua and now-seemingly-forgotten-about Cooper Kupp, but in dynasty I do have to wonder how much longer he will be playing. Not rooting for retirement because I love watching him play, but he's not someone I am planning on building a dynasty league team around.