Especially with the rise of Superflex leagues in dynasty football, quarterbacks dominate the landscape. They score more points than any other position. They have the best longevity. Injury risk is minimal. Typically, you'll see quarterbacks going off the board quickly in startup drafts. And even league-average quarterbacks will pull a future first-round pick in trades. They are the safest and most valuable assets you can acquire in dynasty. And for this top tier, they're probably near untouchable in trades unless you're giving up a package of young quarterbacks and future first-round picks.
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As always, this article isn't meant to serve as a flat list of rankings. Players are grouped with others of similar ages and scoring profiles and ranked accordingly. Not every dynasty manager should target the same players, and this article serves to help you compartmentalize these quarterbacks. This first tier is typically the group you'll see going off the board in drafts before people are even looking at other positions. Regardless of your build, you should target these guys.
Elite Fantasy QB1s
Since taking over as starters, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts have done nothing but churn out top-12 fantasy seasons. Jayden Daniels, in his first NFL season, logged a top-five fantasy finish. All of these quarterbacks possess a unique blend of rushing and passing abilities that makes their season-long projections tight.
Allen, coming off his first MVP, has averaged 4,254 passing yards and 600 rushing yards over the last five seasons. He's been a top-two fantasy finisher in each of those years, including three years atop the rankings. Jackson, while known for his rushing prowess, has quietly increased his per-game passing yardage in three consecutive seasons. Allen's durability is the only thing that makes him more desirable, as Jackson has missed 12 games over the last five seasons. Hurts certainly benefits from the system he's in and his supporting cast, but the production is impossible to ignore. His 52 rushing touchdowns since 2021 lead the NFL (yes, the entire NFL). Daniels leading this list might be a surprise to some. But his rookie-season production and consistency paint a clear picture of his future upside. He scored double digits in all but two games and 20-plus points in 65% of his outings.
Being two years younger than anyone else on this list and with potentially untapped upside, Daniels has the brightest long-term outlook. Allen will be 29 this year, Jackson will be 28, and Hurts will be 26. While that's entirely too early to panic, rushing production typically slips as quarterbacks age. Jackson has offset his dip in rushing with a boost in passing. Allen has taken better care of the ball as he's aged, making his regression in rushing easier to stomach without the interceptions. Good quarterbacks find ways to age gracefully. However, it is the rushing that makes these players so valuable in fantasy. Daniels will likely maintain or improve his rushing over the next few seasons, while the others may see a decline.
Prolific Passers
This is a tier I'm mostly ok skipping in dynasty startups. I'll trade back for guys with more upside. These are great NFL players. And if the touchdown variance is in their favor, they can have a high-end fantasy finish. But the lack of rushing upside lowers both their floor and ceiling. Of course, different leagues have different settings. And in six-point passing touchdown leagues, these quarterbacks will get a bump in rankings. But in four-point passing touchdown leagues, these players can have dangerous weekly floors.
Joe Burrow, playing with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, is the safest of the bunch. A poor defense sets up for frequent shootouts. But what happens if he loses those receivers or the defense improves? Well, we can look at Patrick Mahomes II as an example. Early in his career, with prime Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, he had a record-breaking season in 2018 and finished as the overall QB1 in fantasy. And he did it again in 2022. But aside from those seasons, he was the per-game QB8, QB3, QB5, QB12, and QB13. While none of those seasons were terrible, there is some downside. Justin Herbert's career has been similar, finishing as high as QB2 and as low as QB16.
Simply put, these are volatile quarterbacks. If they stumble into a season where they have 40-plus passing touchdowns, you can bank on an elite finish. But if they don't, the passing volume alone won't prop up their production the way the rushing will for the guys in Tier 1. Where I can, I'll trade back from this bucket and target the guys in the next one…
Young and Mobile Enough
These players might not have the elite rushing upside of the guys atop the list of dynasty quarterback rankings. But they rush enough that it pads their floor and elevates their ceiling. Slightly-above-average passing output should be enough for top-12 finishes. As a bonus, all of these quarterbacks are young enough to grow their value quickly.
Caleb Williams may not have lived up to his lofty expectations as a rookie. But he looked good enough, ran the ball well, and walks into 2025 with a much-improved situation. Drake Maye surprised a lot of people with his 32.4 rushing yards per game as a rookie. Much like Williams, the team has focused on building around him this offseason with hopes of continued development. Brock Purdy, fresh off a mega-extension, now has the security needed to move him up the rankings. Bo Nix progressed immensely as a passer throughout his rookie season and has rushing upside that could launch his value up the boards in Year 2. Cam Ward is often overlooked in dynasty for some reason. However, the job security a number one overall pick receives, coupled with his athleticism, makes him a great target in startups, rookie drafts, and trades. And J.J. McCarthy will hope to regain his mobility after last year's knee injury. But faith in Kevin O'Connell's system and the supporting cast in Minnesota makes it easy to put a chip on McCarthy.
All of these quarterbacks are young, athletic, have strong profiles, and won't cost you as much as the tier above. Especially in Superflex, these players won't come cheap. But the upside of landing a long-term high-end QB1 makes them all worthwhile targets.
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