- Lamar Jackson
There is not much out there Lamar Jackson hasn’t accomplished in the football world outside of winning a Superbowl. Heisman trophy winner, 2 time NFL MVP, 3 time first team all pro, 4 time Pro Boweler… the list goes on. It’s not too long ago critics said he should switch to wide receiver or that he couldn’t throw the ball effectively. Bet you didn’t know he is tied with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger for the most games with a perfect passer rating (4). Hell, teams didn’t even want to offer him when he requested a trade during contract negotiations. I say all this to mean that Jackson for some reason has many haters. I however am not one of them. When it comes to fantasy football he is an elite option. Not only is he elite at scrambling out of the pocket and picking up yards with his legs, he is a constant goal line threat in an offense tailored to his style of play. Lets not forget he can also spin the ball when needed and has reliable targets to throw to. Jackson finished as the QB1 last year and is poised to do so again in 2025
- Josh Allen
Josh Allen is an absolute dawg. Since Cam Newton retired, Josh Allen has been my favorite QB in the league. Turns out he is pretty good at football too, as he was named the 2024 MVP. He is also one of the best fantasy quarterbacks year after year. His ability to make plays with his legs puts him right up there with Lamar Jackson. In 2024, Allen dealt with a less than stellar receiving core but still managed to put up 3731 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He also added 531 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns. Dual threat ability is one of the hallmarks of a great fantasy QB and Josh Allen fits the bill. An elite fantasy QB option.
- Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels put the league on notice in his first year with the Commanders. The rookie threw for 3568 yards, 26 receptions and 9 interceptions en route to ending the team’s 19 year playoff drought with a win over the Buccaneers. Like the 2 players above, Daniels put in work with his legs rushing for 891 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Commanders have shown a willingness to improve a team that lost to the Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship game. The most notable addition being Deebo Samuel who was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. What I also like is the Commanders adding some o-line depth by signing Foster Sarrell and Nate Herbig in free agency and resigning Trent Scott. They also drafted OT Josh Conerly Jr from Oregon with their first round pick. Assuming Scary Terry and team iron out their differences over his contract, this offense should be one of the best this year.
- Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow continues to establish himself as one the best arm talents in the NFL when healthy. Throwing for nearly 5000 yards and 43 touchdowns last year, the Bengals ranked 2nd in pass attempts and 1st in completions. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he also has arguably the best wide receiver in Jamarr Chase as well as potential WR1 in Tee Higgins. The sheer volume of passing and supporting offensive cast puts Burrow up here with the dual threat QBs.
- Jalen Hurts
The conversation for Jalen Hurts is just about the same as it is for Jayden Daniels. Elite guy on a great team who has a lot of options to throw to and makes a huge difference with his legs. I think the biggest difference here for me is that the Eagles remain stacked top to bottom. Week and week out Hurts may be asked to shoulder less of the burden which could mean reduced fantasy output. Hurts and Saquon siphon each other’s rushing TD potential but both still remain efficient. The tush push is also very alive and well so still expect Hurts to pick those up. Of course I’m nitpicking as he still has the potential to finish as the number 1 overall. Hurts is without a doubt a top 5 fantasy QB for this season.
- Bo Nix
I’m absolutely drinking the Kool-Aid on Bo Nix. The rookie had a stellar season with the Broncos, helping propel them to a playoff appearance. Nix threw for 3775 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In PPR formats, he finished as the QB7. Obviously we like offenses that throw the ball a lot and QBs who can also add value with their legs. Nix benefits from both. The Broncos ranked 6th in pass attempts and Nix showed that he can scramble as he had 430 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on 92 attempts. To make things even better, the Broncos went out and signed Evan Engram in free agency which is an instant upgrade to this offense. You can’t forget about Courtland Sutton who also benefited from the drafting of Nix. While he is not in the same tier as the guys above, with offensive upgrades, stability and a year under his belt, I love the idea of Bo Nix for fantasy.
- Kyler Murray
And that brings us to Kyler Murray as my QB7. A lot of the same things could be said for Murray that I said for Nix. He is a mobile quarterback that is in a pass friendly offense with some good weapons. Tight end Trey McBride is a favorite target and I think many fantasy managers are hoping for wide receiver Marvin Harrison to take a jump in year 2. He attempted 451 passes last year which ranked as the 9th most by a QB and his completion percentage (68.8) ranked 7th most. All that being said, the value he adds with his legs separates him from the guys below but is not quite an elite option as the first 4 or 5 on my list. If I end up leaving drafts with Murray as my QB1, I would not be upset in the slightest.
- Patrick Mahomes
It feels weird putting Mahomes all the way down here at 8. However, the last couple of years he has declined from a fantasy perspective while still being one of if not the best NFL quarterback. A lot of that has to do with the Chiefs offense as a whole. Travis Kelce continues to age, there’s been more focus on the run game with Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice got injured last year early as well as Hollywood Brown. Even the year they won the Superbowl against the 49ers in the 2023/2024 season, the receiving core was less than stellar. Finishing as the QB12 last year, I do see a positive increase for Mahomes this season. Rashee Rice will be returning as well as Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy could take a jump in year 2. Mahomes still has that dawg in him and is in the prime of his career.
- Jared Goff
What a season for Jared Goff and company last year. It’s hard to wonder what would have stopped a healthy Lions team. An Eagles/Lions NFC Conference Championship game would have been cinema. Goff was a big part of the Lions success as he threw for 4629 yards, 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. With that success, came a lot of the Lions offensive staff being poached by other teams like offensive coordinator Ben Johnson who is now head coach of the Bears. The offensive players themselves didn’t change much which bodes well for Goff. With those aspects in mind, I have him here in my 9 spot but he’s a great option should you miss out on the players above.
- Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield exploded back into fantasy out of nowhere last year finishing as the QB4. Per ESPN, he had never finished higher than QB18 in fantasy points per game. In the real world Baker finished 5th in passing attempts (570), 3rd in completion percentage (71.4%), 3rd in passing yards per game (264.7) and 3rd in passing touchdowns (41). From the Panthers defensive scout team (those were dark days) to having a stellar year with the Bucs, it’s hard not to root for the guy. The weapons around him are excellent as well. Future hall of famer Mike Evans is still putting up 1000 yard seasons, Chris Godwin should be back from injury early in the season and the team drafted wide receiver Emeka Egbuka from Ohio with their first overall pick. Don’t forget about tight end Cade Otton or the goat Bucky Irving. This team is poised for success again in 2025. Mayfield falls to my 10 spot purely because OC Liam Cohen departed for the Jags, some injury concerns with Evans and Godwin. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mayfield finishes a little higher on this list by the end of the season.
Guys I like:
Bryce Young
This might just be the Panthers fan within me that yearns for Bryce to have a breakout year… BUT hold on a moment. After a rough start to the 2024 season where Young was benched after going 0-2, he found some success down the stretch. A tough overtime loss to the Chiefs and a close loss against the Eagles are not usually something to brag about but Young and company took two super bowl teams to their limit and had the Panthers won those games, the discourse around Bryce would be a lot louder. But for the purposes of this article, how are we looking for fantasy relevance? Well for starters, in 2024, Young threw for 2,403 yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 14 games. He even finished as QB20. Last year’s performance certainly leaves a lot of room to grow. However, let me tell you what I like. First and probably the biggest, is the first round investment of Tetairoa McMillan. Paired with Xavier Legette and old man Adam Thielen, this Panthers wide receiver room gets an immediate boost. Don’t forget about Jalen Coker either. Second, the coaching staff seems fully committed to Bryce which is something that seemed lacking early on last year. Lastly, Young is a sneaky little runner. Averaging just about 250 rushing yards a season, he has the ability to scramble and pick up points with his legs which is something top fantasy QBs must do. Blink and you will miss the 6 rushing TDs he had last year. I’m not saying Bryce will be a top 10 guy in 2025 but the upgraded WR room, rushing ability and overall upward trajectory of this Panthers team has Young being a fringe starter should you miss out on the top tier guys
Jordan Love
After a stellar 2023 campaign where Love threw for over 4000 yards and 32 touchdowns, I was pretty high on him heading into last year. I even had him ranked as my QB4 before the season started. By no means do I apologize for that but his actual QB17 finish hurts a bit and I think some things went against him. Most notably was that he missed a couple weeks early on due to an MCL injury in week 1. He also found very little success as a rusher as a result. The Packers were also very effective on the ground after adding Josh Jacobs to their offense which didn’t always require Love to air it out. Similar to Tetairoa McMillian Bryce Young above, I think the addition of a first round WR in Matthew Golden will pay dividends for Love (I know, bold take, a top tier WR will help out). Especially if Golden can break out as the number 1 guy in Green Bay. I think part of the issue as well for Love last year was the odd ball collection of wide receivers without that go to guy. Love should be a bounce back candidate in 2025
J.J. McCarthy
Is it the year of J.J. McCarthy? This offseason, the Vikings had a decision to make regarding their starting quarterback. Sam Darnold had just led the team to a 14-3 record which finished with a tough loss to the Rams in the first round of the playoffs. The Vikings chose not to re-sign Darnold and let him walk in free agency. There were also rumors of Aaron Rodgers being interested in the starting gig which would have finished his eerily similar Brett Favre journey. Instead, the Vikings showed a commitment to the player they drafted out of Michigan with the 10th overall pick. McCarthy is set up for success in an offense featuring Justin Jeffereson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson and Aaron Jones. I feel like almost any quarterback could find some degree of success with those weapons. Sam Darnold for crying out loud just did it. There’s a lot of unknown with McCarthy but he could end up being a great draft steal for fantasy managers.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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