When preparing for fantasy football drafts, it’s a good idea to think about your rankings in tiers in order to map out both strategy and value. With training camp and the NFL preseason in full swing, it’s time to unveil our 2025 positional tiers.
You can see our TE Tiers here, but this time we’re talking QBs.
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2025 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks (QB) Tiers
Quarterbacks Tier 1
| Josh Allen - BUF |
| Lamar Jackson - BAL |
| Jayden Daniels - WAS |
| Jalen Hurts - PHI |
The simplest way to explain just how good the elite quarterbacks of 2025 are is this: In order, the four quarterbacks in this tier rank first, fourth, third, and 13th in fantasy points per game among all quarterbacks in NFL history. Jalen Hurts is the lone quarterback outside the top five, and he skyrockets to first if you take out the 11 games he appeared in but did not start as a rookie. Late-round quarterback spent years as the best strategy in fantasy, but the new crop of rushing phenoms has changed the meta. Elite quarterbacks still run you a pretty penny, but the cost is no longer prohibitive given the payoff.
Quarterbacks Tier 2
| Joe Burrow - CIN |
| Patrick Mahomes - KC |
| Justin Fields - NYJ |
| Dak Prescott - DAL |
| Baker Mayfield - TB |
| Kyler Murray - ARI |
Any of the Tier 2 quarterbacks could compete with the first group of quarterbacks, but their odds of doing so aren’t high. Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield managed this feat last year. Both quarterbacks scored over 20 points per game while besting Hurts and Jayden Daniels. On the other hand, Hurts has gone over 20 PPG in all four of his years as a starter. Joe Burrow and Mayfield have done so a combined three times. Without elite rushing production, crossing the 20-point threshold on an annual basis is nearly impossible. On the other end of the spectrum, Justin Fields is a safe bet for otherworldly rushing output. His 1,143 yards in 2022 are the second-most for a quarterback in NFL history. He averages over 50 yards per game in his career. His passing production, however, is nonexistent compared to the rest of this tier.
Quarterbacks Tier 3
| Bo Nix - DEN |
| Brock Purdy - SF |
| Jared Goff - DET |
| Drake Maye - NE |
| Jordan Love - GB |
| Caleb Williams - CHI |
All of these players have proven their talent repeatedly. Every time Jared Goff’s efficiency is supposed to regress, he only gets better. Purdy acquitted himself of the scheme-merchant charges last year by playing much of the season without his best weapons. He also played out of structure better than ever. This notably showed up in his rushing stats, where he posted a 66/323/5 line on the ground. If you want a home run swing, look no further than the second-year quarterbacks. Drake Maye averaged more yards per carry (7.8) than any quarterback since Michael Vick. He was also locked in as a passer with a 2.8 percent completion rate over expected. Bo Nix was more successful on the whole, particularly after the first month of the season. From Week 5 onward, Nix averaged 240 passing yards and 2.2 touchdowns per game, good for 23.3 weekly fantasy points. Caleb Williams was the most disappointing of the bunch, but he also got the biggest upgrade in offensive environment this offseason.
Quarterbacks Tier 4
| Tua Tagovailoa - MIA |
| Trevor Lawrence - JAX |
| Justin Herbert - LAC |
| CJ Stroud - HOU |
| Michael Penix Jr - ATL |
| JJ McCarthy - MIN |
This is the last tier of passers with league-winning upside. The oldest quarterbacks of the cohort were drafted in 2020 and the youngest are entering their second year. Justin Herbert threw for over 5,000 yards in his second NFL season and Tua Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards two years ago. You can squint and see a return to form for both, but their situations have changed drastically since those peaks. For the younger players, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix enter the year as complete unknowns. McCarthy missed all of 2024 with a knee injury and Penix was parked behind Kirk Cousins for all but three games as a rookie. The reward if any of these players pay off, is great, but the floor is in the basement.
Quarterbacks Tier 5
| Matthew Stafford - LAT |
| Geno Smith - LV |
| Cameron Ward - TEN |
| Bryce Young - CAR |
Everyone in this tier has job security. Can we say anything beyond that? We cannot. Recent history is not on Cam Ward’s side as the No. 1 overall pick. The top quarterback off the board hasn’t averaged more than 15 points per game since Baker Mayfield in 2018. Bryce Young is one of those top picks who struggled and things weren’t looking any better for him to start the 2024 season. He did, however, turn things around after a stint on the bench, averaging 20.6 fantasy points per game after returning to the lineup. Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford are the opposite bets: stable pocket-passers with QB2 floors and QB2 ceilings.
Quarterbacks Tier 6
| Daniel Jones - IND |
| Aaron Rodgers - PIT |
| Sam Darnold - SEA |
| Spencer Rattler - NO |
| Russell Wilson - NYG |
| Anthony Richardson - IND |
Rodgers aside, you can’t count on any of these players to start 17 games. Daniel Jones won the Colts’ starting job over Anthony Richardson, though it’s hard to imagine him holding the gig for long. Russell Wilson is all but guaranteed to be benched for Jaxson Dart at some point this year. Even Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks in the offseason, could be pulled for rookie Jalen Milroe if things aren’t going well down the stretch. Only look to this group in Superflex or Best Ball leagues.
