Quarterback (QB) Fantasy Football Rankings

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.