It's fascinating how much the quarterback position has changed in fantasy football over the past 20 years. Dual-threat quarterbacks who can put up points through the air and on the ground are much more common, and the position is deeper than ever. Having the right signal-caller on your squad could be the difference between making the fantasy finals or not.
It's no coincidence that a high percentage of teams that made the fantasy football finals in 2023 ESPN leagues sported dual-threat quarterbacks, led by Josh Allen (33.2%) and Lamar Jackson (28.3%). Rookie C.J. Stroud was on 25.6% of fantasy teams that reached their league's finals last season, offering optimism that perhaps someone from this year's rookie class could be a fantasy star.
When putting together your rankings to prep for your drafts, one of the best strategies is to group players at each position into tiers. It allows you to group players who are projected to have similar fantasy point production together, with the drop-off between tiers representing a more significant projected points difference. With that in mind, we look at the quarterbacks.
Check out more tiered rankings: RB | WR | TE
Tier 1: High-end QB1s
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
4. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Tier 2: Midrange QB1s
5. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
6. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Notes: You can confidently start any of these quarterbacks in your fantasy lineup, though a few come with risks that the Tier 1 signal-callers don not have. Richardson played only two full games in 2023 but scored 20.9 and 29.6 fantasy points in them, respectively, thanks in part to his rushing ability. Stroud became only the fifth rookie quarterback to surpass 4,000 passing yards and now has Diggs as another target in 2024. Can he replicate his 2023 season? Murray and Burrow are seasoned veterans with proven track records, though they both have injury histories. Prescott averaged 20.2 fantasy points per game last season and had seven top-three weeks among quarterbacks, all of them coming in the final 12 games.
Tier 3: Low-end QB1s
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
11. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
12. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
13. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Notes: These quarterbacks are solid if you wait on the position. However, each comes with questions. Love was a top-10 quarterback in six of his final eight games in 2023, though he lacks rushing upside. Purdy offers little rushing value as well, and the 49ers had the league's lowest pass rate in 2023. Daniels stands out for his rushing ability and prolific college career that he capped off with a Heisman Trophy, but he is still a rookie. Rodgers is 40 years old, but he averaged 20.0 fantasy points per game in his final three seasons with the Packers and has a strong supporting cast in New York.
Tier 4: High-end QB2s
14. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
15. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
16. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
17. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Notes: We are now in superflex territory where these players are ideal QB2 options. Rushing quarterbacks such as Williams are valuable in fantasy, but do not overlook veteran quarterbacks like Cousins, who finished as a top-12 quarterback in six of eight games with the Vikings in 2023 prior to his Achilles injury.
Tier 5: Midrange and back end QB2s
18. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
19. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
20. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
21. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
22. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
23. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Notes: These quarterbacks can work as your QB2 in superflex lineups but are better suited as a QB3 on your bench. Stafford stands out in this tier, having two stellar options to throw to in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and he averaged 20.3 fantasy points per game from Weeks 12 through 18 last season. Tagovailoa being in this tier might come as a surprise, knowing he has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as his top receivers. But despite leading the league in passing yards (4,624), he finished the 2023 season as QB21.
Tier 6: Superflex QB3s or deep league depth options
24. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
25. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
26. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
27. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
28. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
29. Russell Wilson, Steelers
30. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Notes: You'll want to take a wait-and-see approach with the quarterbacks in this tier, as they are mainly bye week fill-ins in superflex formats. Young and Levis are intriguing as potential second-year breakouts.
Tier 7: The rest
31. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
32. Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
33. Jacoby Brissett, Patriots
34. Sam Darnold, Vikings
Notes: These quarterbacks are bench stashes in superflex formats because their roles are fluid. Fields is the most intriguing, offering a dual-threat skill set and significant experience as a starter from his time with the Bears. He clearly has the most upside in this tier, but doesn't have a starting job to begin the season.
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