College football has arrived, but it's just not the same. We need NFL action back now! Until then, I'll be doing my last set of 2024 rankings and tiers. If you want to check out the same concept but for running backs and wide receivers, the link will be below.
Quarterback Tiers
Tier 1 (QB1 Upside)
1. Josh Allen
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Lamar Jackson
This is the shortlist of guys who have proven to be top 5 quarterbacks and have taken turns in the top two. At the most important position in football we don’t want to overthink it too much. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback on the planet, and the other three have tremendous rushing ability which is crucial for quarterbacks looking to be QB1 overall.
Tier 2 (Legit Starters)
5. Kyler Murray
6. CJ Stroud
7. Anthony Richardson
8. Dak Prescott
9. Joe Burrow
Here, we have a mix of pocket passers who should provide solid production all year and a couple of guys with rushing ability in Murray and Richardson. Murray is the more proven of the two, and Richardson is on this list almost purely for upside, but he carries by far the biggest risk. Note that if your league has 6 points for passing touchdowns, some of these pocket passers can move up a couple of spots.
Tier 3 (Discount QB/Upside Play)
10. Jordan Love
11. Brock Purdy
12. Jared Goff
13. Tua Tagovailoa
14. Jayden Daniels
15. Caleb Williams
16. Trevor Lawrence
If you’re inclined to wait on quarterbacks, you should be happy to see some names on the list here that you can get late in the draft and still expect solid production. A personal favorite strategy of mine is to get someone with tremendous upside, such as Richardson or even Jayden Daniels, and add a more consistent guy like Purdy or Goff later in the draft.
Tier 4 (Bye Week Fill-ins)
17. Kirk Cousins
18. Matthew Stafford
19. Aaron Rodgers
20. Justin Herbert
21. Baker Mayfield
22. Geno Smith
I could have named this the old man group with the exception of Herbert and perhaps Mayfield. Most of these guys are in the back half of their careers, and will likely have decent seasons, but aren’t going to be game changers. They’re great to pick up off the waiver wire to fill a bye week, or injury need in a 1QB league or draft late in superflex leagues.
Tier 5 (Emergency Use Only)
22. Will Levis
23. Daniel Jones
24. Justin Fields
25. Deshaun Watson
26. Derek Carr
27. Gardner Minshew
28. Bryce Young
29. Bo Nix
30. Jacoby Brissett
31. Sam Darnold
32. Russell Wilson
If you’re in a 1QB league I’m not touching any of these guys in the draft. The possible exception is Justin Fields if he somehow becomes the starting QB in Pittsburgh because he as rushing upside. Even though he may not be an incredible quarterback in the NFL, he has proven he can be a viable option in fantasy football.
Tight End Tiers
Tier 1 (TE1 Upside)
1. Travis Kelce
2. Sam Laporta
3. Trey McBride
4. Dalton Kincaid
Not long ago, this list was Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and perhaps George Kittle. A new crop of young tight ends has taken over, but Travis Kelce remains. I still have Kelce ranked first because of what he has proven he can do, but I would not be shocked if we saw more caution and load management from Kelce and the Chiefs throughout the season, allowing one of the others to end as TE1 overall. There is more parity at the top, and you can’t go wrong with one of these options.
Tier 2 (The Rest of the Best)
5. Mark Andrews
6. Evan Engram
7. Kyle Pitts
8. George Kittle
9. Jake Ferguson
This list includes a couple of big names, and while I don’t see quite as much upside from people on this list, I expect them all to stay in the top 10, barring injury. Each of them is in line for a significant target share, with Kittle having the most competition. Especially in PPR leagues, guys like Engram and Ferguson should be great in your starting lineup. In any league size, I don’t want to leave the draft without someone from this list or better.
Tier 3 (Only Start in 14+ Team Leagues)
10. David Njoku
11. Brock Bowers
12. Dallas Goedert
13. Pat Freiermuth
In a 12-team league, a few teams will have to pull from this group to be their starter. I wouldn’t let that be you if at all possible. Njoku was great last year, but mostly with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Bowers is unproven, Goedert has a lot of target competition, and Freiermuth, once again, will have to deal with poor quarterback play.
Tier 4 (Bye Week Fill-Ins)
14. Dalton Schultz
15. Tyler Conklin
16. TJ Hockenson
17. Cole Kmet
18. Hunter Henry
Hockenson doesn’t quite fit on this list because he can be a top five option when healthy, but we don’t know when that will be. He’s someone you don’t want to grab as your starter but is a great IR stash for later in the season if you got stuck with someone in tier three as your starter. Schultz and Kmet have a lot of target competition, which is holding them back from being ranked higher. Guys like Conklin and Henry aren’t sexy names in fantasy football, but they should do fine if you need to plug them in for a week.
Tier 5 (Waiver Wire Watch List)
19. Luke Musgrave
20. Cade Otton
21. Noah Fant
22. Ben Sinnott
23. Mike Gesicki
24. Jonnu Smith
25. Chigoziem Okonkwo
This crew likely shouldn’t be drafted in most leagues. Grab one of them if you want a second tight end on your roster, but for the most part, they’ll be on waivers. Keep an eye out for good matchups to stream or if one of them gets hot early in the season. Chances are one of these guys will end up as a good waiver wire addition, but I’m not willing to bet money on who exactly it will be.
