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32. Drake Maye/Jacoby Brissett - New England Patriots
It remains unclear whether it will be the 2024 third overall pick or the seasoned journeyman who will start for the Patriots come Week 1. Reports of Maye’s struggles in early offseason practices only help to add to the confusion. Either way, New England’s group of offensive weapons is about as lackluster as it gets. Their entire offense outside of maybe Rhamondre Stevenson should be viewed as unplayable in fantasy, especially whoever ends up being their starting signal caller.
31. Gardner Minshew/Aidan O’Connell - Las Vegas Raiders
It’s never a good sign when you head into the summertime uncertain about who your starting QB will be when the season starts, particularly when one of the options is not a highly touted rookie who you have high hopes for in the future. This perfectly describes the Raiders quarterback situation. Their two options are only slightly more attractive the New England’s, primarily because the winner of the job here will have Davante Adams to throw to. Still, do your absolute best to avoid.
30. Bo Nix - Denver Broncos
There’s always an outside chance of an under-the-radar rookie becoming a fantasy breakout relatively quickly. With that being said, Denver’s situation looks less than ideal for Bo Nix to do so. Outside of Courtland Sutton (who’s been featured in some recent trade rumors), I challenge any casual NFL fan to name a single Broncos skill player. Sean Payton is really going to have to work his magic here. Nix looks certain to be a fantasy no-no.
29. Derek Carr - New Orleans Saints
Some may find this placement to be surprisingly low. However, Derek Carr in 2024 appears to have his lowest fantasy ceiling in a decade. While guys like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave should remain viable fantasy producers, everything else about the Saints looks very stale. Carr also showed signs of decline in 2023, managing to eclipse 20 fantasy points in only two games all season. At best he looks to be a VERY low end backup in normal format leagues.
28. Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
Somehow, someway, this Panthers receiving corps actually looks halfway decent right now. The additions of Diontae Johnson and rookie Xavier Legette, joined together with Adam Thielen, have certainly added some value to Bryce Young’s fantasy stock in 2024. As bad as Carolina was last year, I still don’t think Young is justifiably draftable.
27. Daniel Jones - New York Giants
Running ability is a major factor in this placement since it would be quite reasonable to place Jones several slots lower if he wasn’t a threat on the ground. Outside of rookie Malik Nabers, the Giants weapons are mostly awful, or otherwise unknown. Jones’ career stats also indicate that he’s far from being a consistently playable fantasy option. You can do much better.
26. Will Levis - Tennessee Titans
Levis showed slightly more upside than Young did during their respective rookie campaigns. He also gets the benefit of a revamped receiver group which sees Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd join DeAndre Hopkins to form a rather formidable bunch. However, there are still many questions surrounding Levis’ ability, both in actuality and in fantasy. He should go undrafted in leagues with 12 teams or less, but might be worth a shot if he plays well in the first few weeks.
25. Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks
Much like Derek Carr, Geno Smith showed regression last season from play in previous years. Smith averaged 15.7 fantasy points per game in 2023, only hitting 20 or more points on three separate occasions. While he’ll most likely remain a decent option as a backup, I expect several of the league’s young/unknown QBs to surpass him during the season. At best, Smith is an occasional matchup-based starter if your field of options is really paltry.
24. JJ McCarthy/Sam Darnold - Minnesota Vikings
I’ve already praised Minnesota’s offensive group multiple times, so it should come as no surprise that the winner of their quarterback competition falls a bit higher than expected. Whenever a team will have four players drafted in the first 50-75 picks in virtually all fantasy drafts, it might be a good idea to take a look at the quarterback as well. I assume the starter will ultimately end up being McCarthy, which will certainly come with some growing pains. However, I see almost no chance that he won’t be able to produce to some extent considering how stacked this roster is.
23. Baker Mayfield - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield has come to be the poster child for average fantasy quarterbacks. Mayfield’s fantasy numbers remained pretty consistent throughout 2023, with very few high or low outliers. Because of this, Mayfield’s ceiling should be viewed as fairly low; however, he is reliable enough to be a strong plug and play option in times of need. He’ll also most likely be available as a free agent in 10-team leagues.
22. Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns
Absolutely nothing from Watson’s Cleveland tenure so far has indicated that he can be the reliable fantasy starter that he was in Houston. Aside from his recent injury history, Watson was noticeably out-produced by 39-year-old Joe Flacco last season after the latter took over at QB for Cleveland following Watson’s season-ending injury. Flacco averaged 21.8 fantasy points per game, good enough to rank 3rd among all QBs and considerably higher than Watson’s 15.1. All of this places a cloud of caution and skepticism surrounding Watson’s future fantasy potential.
21. Russell Wilson - Pittsburgh Steelers
Wilson was an under-the-radar fantasy producer last season, ranking in the top half in both total points and points per game among QBs. There seems to be an above average likelihood that Wilson is able to at least replicate his production from last season with better weapons and greater overall stability in Pittsburgh. If all goes well, he should remain rostered at a decent rate as a (for the most part) trustable backup. But do keep in mind that he’ll turn 36 later this year and his days of being a fantasy stud are very much behind him. SIDE NOTE: if Justin Fields happens to win the starting job, he’ll rank comfortably within the top 15.
20. Aaron Rodgers - New York Jets
I struggled the hardest when figuring out where to place the 4-time MVP. We haven’t really seen him play meaningful game time in a year and a half, and he was on a different team then. Yes, I’m fully aware that there is plenty of potential for him to be a fantasy breakout with a Jets team that has a pretty well-rounded group of guys. Let’s not forget, however, that Rodgers is now in his 40s and suffered an achilles tear less than nine months ago. I’ll simply say that I’ll believe it when I see it.
19. Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins
Tua failed to hit 20 fantasy points in every game from Week 9 onward last season, a fact which seems quite shocking seeing how Miami finished the season ranked number 2 in points scored and number 1 in total yards. On the other hand, that trend did seemingly coincide with the Dolphins downhill slide in the second half of the season. In recent years, Miami has been a fast starting team that starts to fizzle out once the weather gets cold. For this reason, Tagovailoa is likely only playable in certain games, particularly those that occur earlier in the year and in the comfort of south Florida.
18. Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams
After a slow start to 2023, Stafford’s fantasy numbers really picked up after the Rams’ Week 10 bye week, including a 5-week stretch from Week 12 to Week 16 where he averaged 22 points per game. A lack of weekly consistency will limit Stafford to being only a matchup-based starter in 2024. Although, having the superstar receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to throw to will obviously work in his favor.
17. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars
I must sound like a broken record at this point, but consistency is again what holds Trevor Lawrence back from being a top fantasy QB. Much like Stafford, Lawrence had a burst of consecutive dominant performances in 2023 that outshined the rest of his year. Between Weeks 11 and 14, Lawrence tallied point totals of 32.2, 25.6, 25.1, and 20.4. If only he remained close to those numbers throughout the year instead of having the sprinkled in weeks only scoring in single digits, alongside the half a dozen weeks he hovered around the 15 point mark.
16. Kirk Cousins - Atlanta Falcons
Cousins was off to a fantastic start last season before tearing his achilles in Week 8. His numbers were still good enough to place him seventh in average fantasy points per game among quarterbacks. Now in Atlanta, his weapons are not quite as good as they were in Minnesota (although still quite good), but swapping arguably the best division in football for arguably the worst should count for something.
15. Jayden Daniels - Washington Commanders
I generally shy away from drafting rookie quarterbacks in fantasy, however the upside of Jayden Daniels and the guy ranked two spots ahead of him will be too good to ignore in the right situation. Unless your league is more than a dozen teams deep, Daniels should not be serving as a consistent every week starter. Although, keep in mind that Daniels will turn 24 before the end of the year, having played five seasons in college, meaning that it should be easier for him to assimilate into the NFL. Washington’s roster is also considerably better than it was last year.
14. Jared Goff - Detroit Lions
Jared Goff might seriously be the most overlooked star quarterback in the entire league. He has been a consistent producer (and winner) for almost a decade now, dating all the way back to his tenure with the Rams. Now heading into his fourth season in Detroit, Goff once again has a loaded assortment of weapons which should propel his fantasy value towards the higher end of the QB scale.
13. Caleb Williams - Chicago Bears
As easily the best rookie quarterback prospect since Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck, some fantasy owners will be eager to pick Williams higher than the range where he’s projected to go. Maybe they’ll be proven right by the time the season gets underway. Aside from Williams’ seemingly limitless potential, he has the luxury of inheriting a team that was actually decent last year, a distinction that is almost unheard of for a number 1 overall pick. Williams has the talent and so does the team around him. Make of that what you will.
12. Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers
There aren’t many quarterbacks in the league who are more talented or skilled at playing the position than Justin Herbert. He managed to continue to produce at a very high level in 2023 even though the Chargers were injury riddled and flat-out talent poor in certain areas. L.A.’s largely unproven bunch of receivers may weigh Herbert down a bit, if only slightly, but he’s still easily good enough to be your reliable starter in the significant majority of weeks.
11. Brock Purdy - San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy simply has too many weapons around him to not be a fantasy darling. The biggest thing that hurts his fantasy value is the fact that playing on the same team as Christian McCaffrey will ultimately end up taking away a sizable chunk of his red zone opportunities to score touchdowns. The Niners also tend play a handful of their game time in cruise control since they frequently have the lead. These factors will do just enough to prevent Purdy from entering the top 10.
10. Jordan Love - Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love’s 2023 fantasy production was surprisingly consistent, never really seeing a multi-week lackluster dip. He finished the year ranked fifth in total fantasy points among QBs, ahead of Patrick Mahomes, CJ Stroud, and other notable names. In spite of only having one full season as a starter under his belt, I feel confident enough in what I’ve seen to declare him a top-10 fantasy quarterback for the 2024 campaign.
9. Kyler Murray - Arizona Cardinals
FUN FACT: Kyler Murray averaged more fantasy points per game in 2023 than the likes of Patrick Mahomes, CJ Stroud, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and a slew of others. And he now has Marvin Harrison Jr. to throw to. Overall, this year’s Cardinals team is the best roster they’ve had since 2021, which was also the last time that Murray’s season wasn’t disrupted by injury.
8. Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys
It’s hard to say whether or not the Cowboys’ “interesting” running back situation will have a positive or negative impact on their signal caller’s fantasy value. On one hand, Dak could be throwing the ball 40 to 50 times per game with Dallas’ lack of a running game. On the other hand, the absence of a reliable running game might severely hinder their offense and provide Dak with less red zone touchdown opportunities. For right now, let’s not forget that he scored the third most fantasy points of any QB in the league last year…and he still has CeeDee Lamb.
7. Anthony Richardson - Indianapolis Colts
There’s a halfway decent chance that I have Richardson ranked too low. In the three full games that he played in 2023, his fantasy tallies were 21.9, 17.7, and 29.6. If he can keep those numbers up for a full season, then we’re looking at a bonafide league winner. Richardson’s well-rounded skill set which is highlighted by his ability to be a game breaker on the ground, provides him with fantasy potential that is only offered by the likes of a few other guys. The injury risk is the only thing holding him back from being placed higher up.
6. CJ Stroud - Houston Texans
Stroud will be this year’s sexy pick for fantasy players to overzealously reach for over the more established names. Don’t get me wrong, he’s fully cemented himself as a fantasy QB1 and the fact that the team around him got better is always a plus. However, I’d wait to see more before drafting him ahead of the likes of the established elite.
5. Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals
There are certainly some questions surrounding Joe Burrow in 2024. How much of his poor play in 2023 was injury related? Will he be able to rekindle his form in 2024 in spite of losing several offensive weapons? Do any of these questions have any serious implications on his fantasy value? I will confidently say that this is the highest spot I could comfortably place Burrow in this list. However, it’s worth noting that I still did not hesitate to place him this high up.
4. Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens
The reigning MVP just falls short of the top-three. Jackson’s consistency from week-to-week is enough of a concern to prevent him from being any higher. The first half of Jackson’s 2023 was rather bumpy, featuring weekly point totals of only 7.6, 10.9, 12, and 15 twice. The addition of Derrick Henry might also take away a small portion of his carries. The list of Jackson’s negatives subsequently ends there.
3. Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs
The league’s best QB places third in 2024’s fantasy ranking. This ranking might even seem to be a bit high seeing how Mahomes finished 8th last season in total fantasy points and 12th in fantasy points per game, both among QBs. However, Mahomes remains about as consistent as it gets in terms of weekly output. It appears logical for his fantasy numbers to improve in 2024 with a revamped receiving corps in KC.
2. Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts’ was 2023 fantasy season was consistently something to behold, reaching 20 or more fantasy points in 13 different weeks, an impressive feat to say the least. Let’s also take a moment to rejoice at the fact that the “tush push” remains a legal play, at least for the upcoming season. While Hurts’ fantasy highs are not quite as spectacular as the number one guy on this list, he remains the next best thing as far as fantasy quarterbacks are concerned.
1. Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills
An easy choice at number one. Between his dynamic ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs, Allen offers the most fantasy upside out of any quarterback in the league. He was the highest scoring player in fantasy last season and there’s absolutely no reason to think he’ll be slowing down. Even with the Bills’ questionable receiver room, Allen’s top of the line output seems unlikely to waver. He should be the consensus first quarterback off the board in most leagues.
