Quarterbacks used to be viewed as a dime a dozen in fantasy football. It was routinely one of the deepest positions, and fantasy managers could often find good streamers each week, even in 12-team leagues.
However, the rise of mobile quarterbacks across the NFL has led to an increase in the position’s fantasy value. It is now more important than ever to have either a top dual-threat option or a high-volume passer to give your fantasy team a high floor.
That’s part of the reason the average draft position (ADP) of top quarterbacks has steadily risen in recent seasons.
Still, fantasy teams still have to balance talent with value. So, while certain quarterbacks remain a cut above the rest, some fantasy managers will look to wait on a signal-caller while still getting a starting-caliber player at a relative discount.
Here’s a tiered breakdown of the quarterback position for fantasy football in 2025, starting with the two players expected to be the top fantasy quarterbacks for the upcoming season.
Fantasy football QB tiers for 2025
Tier 1
1. Josh Allen, Bills
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens
Allen and Jackson belong in a tier of their own. The two are not only productive passers; they are also among the most prolific runners at the position. Allen’s 12 rushing touchdown’s ranked second among quarterbacks last season behind only Jalen Hurts (14) while Jackson’s 915 rushing yards bested Jayden Daniels’ 891 in the race for first at the position.
Quarterbacks like Daniels and Hurts have the rushing upside to eventually join this tier, but for now, Allen and Jackson stand alone as the proven signal-callers to target in the early rounds of fantasy football drafts.
Tier 2
3. Joe Burrow, Bengals
4. Jalen Hurts, Eagles
5. Jayden Daniels, Commanders
6. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
If Allen and Jackson represent the cream of the crop, these quarterbacks can also be league-winners. Burrow because of his passing volume – he led the league in pass attempts (652), completions (460), passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) in 2024 – and Hurts and Daniels because of their aforementioned rushing upside.
Mahomes will scare some off after he logged just 28 total touchdowns in 2024, tied for his fewest in a season as a starter. That said, he has still averaged 644.7 passing attempts per 17 games played over the last five years. That should give him the volume needed to be a solid starting fantasy quarterback, especially since he will have a more reasonable ADP in 2025 after he disappointed fantasy managers last season.
Tier 3
7. Dak Prescott, Cowboys
8. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers
9. Kyler Murray, Cardinals
10. Bo Nix, Broncos
11. Brock Purdy, 49ers
12. Justin Fields, Jets
The quarterbacks in this tier all profile as solid fantasy starters. Prescott and Mayfield figure to be in high-volume passing offenses while the other four all possess mobility that should give them higher-than-average rushing floors.
Of course, the quarterbacks in this tier also come with some question marks that will cap their upside. Prescott is coming off a season-ending hamstring injury; Mayfield has yet another new offensive coordinator in 2025; Purdy will start the season without Brandon Aiyuk and will permanently be without Deebo Samuel. The list goes on.
Still, in the case of these QBs, the upside outweighs the potential concerns. As such, they should be drafted as lower-end starters for fantasy managers who prefer to wait on the position.
Tier 4
13. Jared Goff, Lions
14. Jordan Love, Packers
15. Justin Herbert, Chargers
16. Caleb Williams, Bears
17. Drake Maye, Patriots
18. C.J. Stroud, Texans
19. Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
Would it be a surprise if any of these seven quarterbacks emerged as a top-10 fantasy option at the position? Not necessarily. There are just more obstacles for this group to get there.
For Goff, it’s overcoming the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who helped lead the 2016 NFL draft’s No. 1 pick to three of his best-ever seasons. Stroud is in a similar boat as he navigates an offensive coordinator change, while Herbert is part of a Chargers offense that would prefer to be run-heavy under Greg Roman and sported the league’s 10th-highest run play percentage last season.
Williams and Maye may have the best chance among this group to vastly exceed expectations. Each second-year signal-caller was placed into a new, more quarterback-friendly offense during the offseason that should naturally allow them to take a step forward.
But overall, these quarterbacks figure to be on the QB1 fringes throughout the season, though they could emerge as high-quality streamers.
Tier 5
20. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
21. Matthew Stafford, Rams
22. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
23. Geno Smith, Raiders
Most of these quarterbacks are high-floor veterans you wouldn’t have a problem starting in a pinch. Stafford, Rodgers and Smith can all be viable streams in favorable matchups; the same can be said of Lawrence, who has posted 22 multi-touchdown games across his 60 career starts.
Tier 6
24. Anthony Richardson, Colts
25. J.J. McCarthy, Vikings
26. Bryce Young, Panthers
27. Cam Ward, Titans
If you’re looking for young dart throws, this group could be worthwhile. Richardson has great rushing upside, averaging 42.3 rushing yards per game in 15 starts with 10 rushing scores across his first two seasons. Meanwhile, McCarthy is playing in a Kevin O’Connell offense that turned Sam Darnold into a Pro Bowler last season.
Like Richardson, Young and Ward have decent mobility and could post a handful of weeks as top-10 fantasy quarterbacks. That said, this tier carries more risk than the other higher-end sleepers and may be better simply to monitor on the waiver wire outside of SuperFlex leagues.
Tier 7
28. Sam Darnold, Seahawks
29. Michael Penix Jr., Falcons
30. Russell Wilson, Giants
31. Joe Flacco, Browns
32. Tyler Shough, Saints
Let’s be honest: You probably aren’t going to end up with many, if any, passers in this tier unless you are in a very deep league. Many of them have a tenuous grip on starting jobs and a history of turnovers.
Perhaps some could put together surprising success. Darnold may stand the best chance of doing that if he can quicken his release behind a leakier offensive line than the one he played with in 2024. But more likely, these signal-callers will be the bottom of the fantasy barrel.
