Quarterback (QB) Fantasy Football Rankings

Lineups.com Fantasy Football Rankings are here for your enjoyment and to help you win your league. The quarterback position is one of the most interesting to watch this season as there are several true difference-makers at the position. Dual-threat quarterbacks have redefined what to look for in fantasy scoring at the position, with Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen being great rushing threats in addition to strong passers. Patrick Mahomes remains one of the top options and the top-drafted quarterback. Veterans Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson should not be overlooked, either. The 2021 draft class brought us several exciting quarterback prospects, including Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields, all of whom should factor into the fantasy football landscape this season. Waiting on the quarterback position is generally the best strategy to follow, as many late-round options will provide solid value. However, if you have a quarterback you love in the early rounds, I don’t blame you for pulling the trigger. You can find all of our Fantasy Football Rankings for the 2021 season updated in real-time as news breaks.

POS RANK RANK PLAYER ADP AUCTION 2022 FPTS 2023 FPTS TEAM DEPTH BYE PASS YDS RUSH YDS PASS TD RUSH TD
1 35 Kyler Murray K. Murray 41.4 $11 391 435 Arizona Cardinals ARI Cardinals Arizona Cardinals 1 12 4430 897 30 8
2 38 Patrick Mahomes P. Mahomes 22.1 $27 380 423 Kansas City Chiefs KC Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs 1 12 5228 319 41 3
3 46 Josh Allen J. Allen 35.2 $17 405 420 Buffalo Bills BUF Bills Buffalo Bills 1 7 4921 531 32 7
4 54 Lamar Jackson L. Jackson 44 $9 342 417 Baltimore Ravens BAL Ravens Baltimore Ravens 1 8 3618 1126 28 8
5 62 Tom Brady T. Brady 86.4 $4 350 411 Tampa Bay Buccaneers TB Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 9 5316 88 43 3
6 72 Dak Prescott D. Prescott 54 $8 139 386 Dallas Cowboys DAL Cowboys Dallas Cowboys 1 7 5220 234 34 3
7 79 Justin Herbert J. Herbert 59.2 $6 343 371 Los Angeles Chargers LAC Chargers Los Angeles Chargers 1 7 4949 273 32 3
8 84 Aaron Rodgers A. Rodgers 76.1 $6 387 367 Green Bay Packers GB Packers Green Bay Packers 1 13 4636 176 38 2
9 95 Jalen Hurts J. Hurts 87.2 $2 112 360 Philadelphia Eagles PHI Eagles Philadelphia Eagles 1 14 3837 866 21 6
10 105 Russell Wilson R. Wilson 63.1 $6 373 378 Seattle Seahawks SEA Seahawks Seattle Seahawks 1 9 4551 500 32 3
11 117 Taysom Hill T. Hill 215.9 $0 151 329 New Orleans Saints NO Saints New Orleans Saints 1 6 4765 221 26 2
12 130 Ryan Tannehill R. Tannehill 103.9 $5 350 358 Tennessee Titans TEN Titans Tennessee Titans 1 13 4155 316 34 4
13 149 Matthew Stafford M. Stafford 95.6 $4 271 355 Los Angeles Rams LAR Rams Los Angeles Rams 1 11 5269 62 33 1
14 154 Kirk Cousins K. Cousins 141.3 $1 319 317 Minnesota Vikings MIN Vikings Minnesota Vikings 1 7 4593 97 31 0
15 161 Ben Roethlisberger B. Roethlisberger 207.2 $1 277 326 Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers 1 7 4499 36 34 1
16 172 Joe Burrow J. Burrow 103.4 $2 179 323 Cincinnati Bengals CIN Bengals Cincinnati Bengals 1 10 4627 238 24 3
17 175 Matt Ryan M. Ryan 127.1 $1 293 336 Atlanta Falcons ATL Falcons Atlanta Falcons 1 6 4819 149 29 2
18 182 Derek Carr D. Carr 188.9 $0 281 317 Las Vegas Raiders LV Raiders Las Vegas Raiders 1 8 4794 156 26 1
19 187 Cam Newton C. Newton 230.1 $0 269 302 New England Patriots NE Patriots New England Patriots 1 14 4395 180 24 2
20 199 Ryan Fitzpatrick R. Fitzpatrick 170.2 $0 161 323 Washington Commanders WAS Commanders Washington Commanders 1 9 4741 194 27 1
21 212 Tua Tagovailoa T. Tagovailoa 164 $1 140 317 Miami Dolphins MIA Dolphins Miami Dolphins 1 14 4420 267 24 3
22 222 Justin Fields J. Fields 135.1 $0 319 Chicago Bears CHI Bears Chicago Bears 1 10 4416 302 25 2
23 237 Trevor Lawrence T. Lawrence 111.2 $1 325 Jacksonville Jaguars JAX Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars 1 7 4368 284 26 3
24 244 Baker Mayfield B. Mayfield 131.4 $1 256 310 Cleveland Browns CLE Browns Cleveland Browns 1 13 4017 211 29 2
25 259 Jimmy Garoppolo J. Garoppolo 271.1 $0 69 305 San Francisco 49ers SF 49ers San Francisco 49ers 1 6 4209 162 27 2
26 273 Sam Darnold S. Darnold 210.2 $0 318 Carolina Panthers CAR Panthers Carolina Panthers 1 13 4597 223 25 2
27 283 Zach Wilson Z. Wilson 183.1 $0 145 311 New York Jets NYJ Jets New York Jets 1 6 4312 342 23 2
28 293 Drew Lock D. Lock 283.4 $0 196 307 Denver Broncos DEN Broncos Denver Broncos 1 11 4407 203 23 3
29 300 Daniel Jones D. Jones 180.6 $0 190 308 New York Giants NYG Giants New York Giants 1 10 4207 355 23 2
30 0 Tyrod Taylor T. Taylor 0 $0 9 284 Houston Texans HOU Texans Houston Texans 1 10 3735 409 19 3
31 0 Jared Goff J. Goff 231.6 $0 253 292 Detroit Lions DET Lions Detroit Lions 1 9 4162 194 25 1
32 0 Carson Wentz C. Wentz 173.4 $0 213 312 Indianapolis Colts IND Colts Indianapolis Colts 1 14 4059 254 28 2
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QB Fantasy Weekly Rankings

We’re seeing a changing of the guard at the quarterback position as Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, and Alex Smith have all retired while Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Aaron Rodgers are nearing the end of their respective careers. We’re in good hands, though, as the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson headline an exciting new generation of quarterback talent. Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Matt Ryan, and Kirk Cousins continue to be solid fantasy options in the middle of their careers. We’re also getting a high-upside new rookie class that includes Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields. There are tons of great options at the quarterback position for fantasy football in the 2021 season.

QB Fantasy Draft Strategy

You will find various strategies out there as far as drafting a quarterback goes. One thing that is important right off the bat is to understand how your league size and scoring format works. Sometimes quarterback scoring can be weighted differently. The standard is usually four fantasy points per passing touchdown and one fantasy point per 25 passing yards. If it is six fantasy points per passing touchdown, and yards are weighted differently, then you can have an advantage drafting a quarterback earlier. It's also important to remember that rushing quarterbacks aren't as valuable in a six-point passing touchdown league. League size can determine if you need to wait longer or not. A shallow 8-10 team league will not emphasize the quarterback position compared to anything that is 14 or more. We will look at what is usually standard, though.

Patrick Mahomes was the first quarterback off the board per ADP last season, and Lamar Jackson followed close behind. Dak Prescott was the third quarterback taken in drafts. These three proved yet again that quarterback is a very fluid position, and it’s not easy to predict who will be the top option each year with so much talent. Josh Allen, the top quarterback last season, and Aaron Rodgers, the third-best quarterback, were taken in the 8th round. Kyler Murray, the second-highest-scoring QB, was drafted in the fifth round. Allen may seem like an outlier, but we’ve seen guys like Lamar Jackson, Jameis Winston, Patrick Mahomes, and Matt Ryan go from late-round picks to top-three finishes at QB in recent years.

There are pros and cons to every strategy at the quarterback position. Drafting the guy, you believe in early on will give you some week-to-week comfort as you can have a set-it-and-forget-it option at QB. However, if you spend an early pick on a quarterback, you must understand the opportunity cost as you are sacrificing the ability to take another running back or wide receiver to fill out your roster. You only start one quarterback every week, so that this opportunity cost can be huge. Of course, it’s a different calculation in super-flex or 2-QB leagues.

There is a solid middle tier this year that gives you the best of both worlds in terms of being confident in your quarterback every week while not taking on a huge opportunity cost. That tier is filled with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Ryan Tannehill. Additionally, guys like Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, and Trevor Lawrence are high-upside options drafted in the middle rounds.

Of course, many late-round quarterbacks can provide strong value as well. My favorite late-round quarterback options include Kirk Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taysom Hill, and Derek Carr. Still, you can easily drop and add these guys throughout the season to maximize value as you stream the position.

One thing to remember when drafting quarterbacks is the discrepancy between fantasy points earned from passing vs. rushing. In standard QB scoring, each passing yard earns a quarterback 0.04 points. Meanwhile, each rushing yard earns a QB 0.1 points. That means that a quarterback will earn 10 points for 250 passing yards or 100 rushing yards. Therefore, quarterbacks who will reliably run the ball are much more valuable in fantasy football. Lamar Jackson has proven this to be the case.

Quarterback (QB) Fantasy Football Rankings Frequently Asked Questions

Who Are The Best Fantasy Quarterbacks?

There are a number of quarterbacks available at the top of drafts who will be real difference-makers this season, and it’s hard to sift through them to figure out who the top scorer at the position will be. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson are the top four quarterbacks off the board in terms of ADP, and it’s likely one of these four ends up the top scorer at QB. Allen was the top scorer last season and Murray was second. Aaron Rodgers, the third-leading scorer last season, should be in for another great year as well.

Who Is The Number One Fantasy Quarterback?

YMost rankings have Patrick Mahomes as the #1 quarterback this season, and he lands there in ADP. I certainly don’t have a problem with taking Mahomes as the first quarterback off the board as he’s been a top-five QB in per-game scoring in each of the past three seasons. However, I have Kyler Murray ranked as my number one quarterback this season. The Cardinals added A.J. Green and Rondale Moore to the pass-catching corps which will help Murray’s passing upside and he has the rare elite ability both through the air and on the ground.

Do I Need Two Quarterbacks On My Roster?

This question is very dependent on roster size and league size. With a bigger roster, you can justify rostering two quarterbacks as you won’t be sacrificing holding high-level running backs or wide receivers. Additionally, in a larger league, it can be difficult to find better quarterbacks on the waiver wire, so it makes sense to hold onto two startable options. Of course, if you’re in a 2-QB or Superflex league you will want to keep two quarterbacks on your roster.

What is Streaming Quarterbacks?

For any of the onesie positions - QB, TE, K, and DEF - streaming is a very viable strategy. With a handful of options available at any given time on the waiver wire, it can be smart to swap out your quarterback based on the matchup they face in any given week. The best way to kickstart a streaming quarterback build is to identify a quarterback with good matchups to start the season, draft them late, and not worry about the rest. Streaming quarterbacks is a great way to mitigate the fact that you only need one QB in a standard league and there are many quarterbacks who can be viable starters throughout the year.

What Should I Look For In Drafting A Fantasy Quarterback?

There are a few notes to make before heading into your fantasy drafts. The strategies above will help you prepare for what direction you want to go, but also have a backup plan if the names you want get drafted. You might have come across some debates about volume vs. efficiency. At other positions, volume ranks a bit higher. While we still want some volume at quarterback, efficiency generally is something we weigh higher.

Being able to put up numbers on the ground is also noteworthy because it takes away from pass attempts. It was a bit of a mixed bag when correlating passing volume with fantasy production. Matt Ryan ranked first in passing attempts last year but finished as just the QB12. Ben Roethlisberger ranked third in passing attempts but finished as the QB14. Ryan Tannehill, meanwhile, had just the 18th-most passing attempts but finished as the QB7. Efficiency metrics such as completion percentage and touchdown rate are better indicators for fantasy success.

Do Other Positions Have A Drastic Effect On Quarterback Production?

It may be easy to assume that bad teams must have bad quarterback production for fantasy football, but that’s not always true. For example, Deshaun Watson was on the Texans, one of the worst teams in the league, but finished as the QB5 in fantasy last season. Justin Herbert finished as the QB9 despite the Chargers having a 7-9 record and missing the playoffs. Being on a bad team can put a quarterback in obvious passing situations late in games and give them the opportunity to collect plenty of fantasy points in garbage time when defenses are playing more a preventative style.

Wide receivers have a huge impact on quarterback production, as well. The arrival of Stefon Diggs in Buffalo last season was a huge factor in Josh Allen’s massive third-year leap. Kyler Murray finished as the QB2 after Arizona added DeAndre Hopkins. Run through the list of the top quarterbacks in fantasy scoring and you’ll find some of the top names at the wide receiver position as well. Aaron Rodgers has Davante Adams, Patrick Mahomes has Tyreek Hill, Ryan Tannehill has A.J. Brown, etc. Offensive line can also be very beneficial for quarterbacks, particularly for rushing quarterbacks.