- Lamar Jackson continues to show he’s an elite weapon: 2024’s QB1 has as excessive a ceiling as any participant at his place coming into Year 8.
- The optimism round Jayden Daniels is effectively deserved: Coming off not simply an encouraging NFL season for the 2024 rookie, however Daniels’ fantasy potential heading into Year 2 is as excessive as any participant at his place.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Breaking fantasy soccer rankings down into tiers helps fantasy managers higher perceive what separates every group and learn how to worth every participant on the place for this coming season.
TIER 1: The QB cheat codes
It’s no secret that an elite speeding quarterback gives vital upside for fantasy functions, as the vast majority of top-five finishers every year supply above-average speeding skill. Heading into 2025, these 4 are the clear high choices in speeding potential, and all have a historical past of top-five fantasy finishes of their careers.
Lamar Jackson simply completed as the general QB1 in 2024 by a big margin, the place even when he didn’t return to his career-high 93.3 passing grade like in 2024, he’d nonetheless possible push for the general QB1 in fantasy. Jackson’s 41 passing touchdowns have been additionally a profession excessive, although he’s proven the flexibility to seek out the top zone via the air earlier than with 36 passing touchdowns in 2019, as he’s additionally include some anticipated optimistic regression in that regard within the seasons in between. Jackson ran the ball seven instances per sport final season – an elite charge – and located the top zone as a runner simply 4 instances regardless of posting the second-most speeding yards (852) for the place on the 12 months, leaving a bit room for enchancment there, even with Derrick Henry within the lineup.
Jayden Daniels instantly established himself as a risk to Jackson’s speeding throne in his rookie season, surpassing Jackson in speeding yards (864), runs per sport (8.1), and scramble charge (12.6%) – all league-leading marks. Not solely did Daniels thrive as a runner, however he earned a top-five mark in PFF passing grade as a rookie, which is of course going to mix for prime expectations heading into Year 2, and if he delivers on these expectations, it will make him worthy of being the QB1 within the rankings.
Both Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts are not any strangers to this top-tier rating, and Allen has completed no decrease than QB2 yearly since 2020, and Hurts has ranked because the QB3, QB2, and QB6 over the previous three years. Allen is arguably essentially the most deserving of being ranked as the general QB1 proper now, although he gives the least quantity of speeding upside of the group now regardless of arising with the second-most speeding fantasy factors final season resulting from his 12 speeding touchdowns, which can regress. With Daniels doubtlessly enhancing in Year 2 whereas displaying extra speeding potential, that ended up pushing Allen and Hurts barely decrease however nonetheless inside this interchangeable high tier.
TIER 2: Variety is the spice of life
Outside of the highest 4 quarterbacks, we get a superb mixture of high-end passers and people with above-average speeding upside. Depending on which type fantasy drafters would possibly really feel higher about as soon as the highest names are off the board, there’s nonetheless sufficient selection to select from for a QB1 in 2025.
This previous season was a down 12 months for Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers as an entire, so an enormous a part of this rating is projecting a bounce-back 12 months for the 49ers‘ franchise quarterback after signing a top-10 contract for the place this offseason. Purdy is only one 12 months faraway from ending as the general QB6 for fantasy after throwing for over 4,000 yards and 31 passing touchdowns. This rating isn’t as optimistic as that for 2025, nevertheless it’s anticipated to be higher than 2024, when his effectivity and accuracy dropped off. Helping Purdy’s case is that he flashed extra speeding upside than he ever has final season, operating about 4 instances per sport with an 8.2% scramble charge and delivering 4.2 speeding fantasy factors per sport, which ranks behind solely the most effective runners on this tier (Kyler Murray and Justin Fields).
Fields additionally will get again into the QB1 dialog, as he has been prior to now because of his high-end speeding skill. While Fields hasn’t fairly been the passing risk that the majority groups would need from their beginning quarterbacks, Fields remains to be locked in because the New York Jets‘ QB1 this season. As lengthy as that’s the case, he’ll be a QB1 choice for fantasy. Even in restricted begins on a extra conservative offense final season, Fields ran the ball 5.3 instances per sport which ranked eighth on the place and due to how effectively he does with these makes an attempt, he ranked fourth amongst all quarterbacks (min. 100 dropbacks) in fantasy factors per dropback (0.62) behind solely Jackson (0.83), Hurts (0.75), and Allen (0.70).
TIER 3: The Best of the Non-Obvious QB1s
The quarterback place is arguably in pretty much as good of a spot because it’s ever been for fantasy and with this tier providing a number of former top-12 choices and a motion at youth who all have that potential as quickly as this season, there are some nice quarterback choices from this tier for anybody which will wish to wait on the place.
Jared Goff is coming off three straight seasons with over 4,400 passing yards and two straight seasons with at the least 30 passing touchdowns. When contemplating the Detroit Lions are one of many extra run-heavy offenses within the league, that’s a powerful accomplishment for Goff, which is why he’s been a top-12 quarterback in every of those previous three seasons and deserves to be in that consideration as soon as once more in 2025. Without Ben Johnson operating the offense this season, the expectation for Goff drops a bit, which can hopefully switch to Caleb Williams, although we’re not fairly there but. Even if Williams’ rating is optimistic after a disappointing rookie season, he’s set as much as thrive in 2025.
Drake Maye comes with a pleasant worth right here on this tier, as he’s typically going a bit after QB14 in drafts and is likely one of the higher bets to ship a top-12 fantasy season moving into that vary. Maye gives stable speeding upside primarily based on what we noticed from him in faculty and his rookie 12 months, the place he averaged 4.5 runs per sport final 12 months with a ten.7% scramble charge, which ranked behind solely Jayden Daniels amongst quarterbacks with at the least 100 dropbacks. Maye’s offensive scenario must also solely get higher in Year 2 with a brand new teaching workers and improved receiving corps, together with pure improvement. There’s loads of room for Maye to have a a lot better season than his QB21 end final 12 months.
J.J. McCarthy is likely one of the extra intriguing fantasy choices heading into this season, as he’s primarily a rookie within the NFL after lacking everything of the 2024 season. However, he steps into a major spot for passing potential in Kevin O’Connell’s offense that provides Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson as the first receiving threats. This identical offense allowed Sam Darnold to ship 20.0 fantasy factors per sport final season, ending as the general QB7 on the 12 months when it appeared like he was destined to be an NFL backup for the remainder of his profession heading into 2024. Considering the funding in McCarthy within the 2024 NFL Draft and letting Darnold stroll in free company after his profession 12 months, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has a number of confidence backing him as a powerful beginning choice for 2025.
TIER 4: Superflex starters
This tier gives the beginning NFL quarterbacks who don’t have any questions surrounding their beginning skill heading into 2024, which retains them as viable depth choices for fantasy and certain starters in most superflex codecs.
Penix was a shock as a top-10 decide within the 2024 NFL Draft after the group signed Kirk Cousins to an enormous contract that very same offseason, however after taking up for the faltering Cousins late in 2024, Penix put collectively a small stretch of very encouraging play. After taking up because the starter in Week 16, Penix seemed greater than able to operating an NFL offense, incomes an 84.0 passing grade via the ultimate three video games, a top-10 mark within the league over that span. As a fantasy asset, Penix has room to enhance, rating because the QB17 over that last stretch, though he did ship a QB6 end in Week 18 because of high-end passing play, which is the catalyst of his potential breakout, whereas taking part in behind a top-tier offensive line with high-end weapons on offense.
Darnold, in the meantime, joins his fifth new group since coming into the league, although he’s coming off his finest season, incomes a top-10 total PFF grade (82.7) and passing grade (80.3) within the common season. This additionally resulted in a top-10 fantasy end in 2024, although new challenges are prone to emerge on a wholly new offense in 2025. Darnold’s last two video games (Week 18 and wild-card spherical) weren’t wherever near the extent of efficiency that he had displayed all season, so on high of becoming a member of a brand new offense, there’s concern that he’ll regress this season. However, his 2024 season as an entire was encouraging sufficient, alongside along with his new contract, which can hold him because the season-long starter and on this superflex beginning territory as effectively.
TIER 5: Starters with query marks
This last tier represents the ultimate group of anticipated NFL starters who’ve a shot to be fantasy-relevant come Week 1, although there are sufficient questions on their fantasy potential or with their grasp on these beginning jobs that they aren’t superb choices in most codecs.
Anthony Richardson’s fantasy upside is plain resulting from his elite speeding prowess; nevertheless, he’s handled quite a few accidents, poor play, getting benched, is damage once more, and Daniel Jones might very effectively begin the season for the Indianapolis Colts. With Richardson already coping with harm and Jones the possible favourite to begin the season, it’s tough to have Richardson forward of Jones within the ranks, although he’s nonetheless a effective goal to take a shot on within the last spherical for these nonetheless in love with the upside potential.
TIER 6: “So you’re saying there’s an opportunity…”
The last tier of quarterbacks is ordered by fantasy potential in the event that they have been to in some way take over a beginning position in some unspecified time in the future this season.
Joe Milton’s one sport in 2024, the place he delivered 21.2 fantasy factors on the again of a speeding landing to associate with 241 passing yards and a passing landing, was encouraging sufficient to let him high this record. It’s a small pattern, however outdoors of the highest 200 in ADP, that issues little or no in the case of that form of output being inside his vary of outcomes, particularly on a greater offense than he was final season.