With the advent of Superflex leagues, the strategic importance of quarterbacks in dynasty fantasy football has skyrocketed. Their longevity and consistency make them a safe and smart investment. Acquiring an elite quarterback is a strategy that can ensure your long-term success. And having a set of dynasty quarterback rankings is a good place to start. But negotiating requires a bit more nuance.
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In this article, we'll examine the league's relevant quarterbacks. This isn't meant to serve as a flat list of dynasty quarterback rankings. Instead, players will be placed into buckets with others who have similar profiles. Quarterbacks will be ranked inside those buckets. Team needs require different types of players. You may need a plug-and-play veteran to get you through the early part of the season while your fresh rookie waits his turn to play. If your roster is contending, those productive veterans are much more valuable. If you're in the midst of a rebuild, turn your sights to the younger players and be willing to absorb more risk, hoping to hit on the potential upside.
The Josh Allen Tier
Few players are in a tier of their own regarding positional dynasty rankings. Josh Allen, however, has earned that title. If you look at any list of dynasty quarterback rankings, you'll likely find Allen atop it. He's been fantasy's QB1 for three of the last four years, with a lone QB2 season behind only Patrick Mahomes II in 2022. The addition of Stefon Diggs in 2020 helped Allen break out. And going into 2024, he'll be without his safety-valve receiver for the first time since. But Diggs became an offensive afterthought in the second half of 2023, and Allen didn't miss a beat. A young group of talented pass-catchers and his high-end rushing output will keep his fantasy production up. Going into his age-28 season and under contract with Buffalo through 2028, Josh Allen is the safest bet you can make in your dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Proficient Passers
Josh Allen is the safest asset in dynasty fantasy football, but this next bucket is close behind. They might not be the QB2-QB5 in a list of dynasty quarterback rankings, but they are very safe assets to acquire. Every quarterback in this tier will finish the 2024 season 29 or younger, still young by quarterback standards. These quarterbacks have the added benefit of some scrambling abilities, but most of their production will come through the air. They've all compiled seasons with at least 270 passing yards per game, putting a 4,500-yard season well within their range of outcomes.
Patrick Mahomes II is the clear leader of this group. Besides Allen, he's the only quarterback to turn in a QB1 finish since 2020. He can lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns on any given season and also provides about 350 rushing yards per season. While admittedly the riskiest in this group, C.J. Stroud probably has the highest ceiling. He just had the best season we've ever seen from a rookie quarterback. A creative coaching staff and loaded roster sets up a sky-high potential. If he can build off what we saw in 2023, his age could quickly push him ahead of Mahomes. Much has been made about the addition of Jim Harbaugh and how it could negatively impact Justin Herbert. But at the end of the day,' Herbert's 17,223 yards through Year 4 are the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Even with a new group of offensive skill players, Herbert should maintain prolific passing numbers. Joe Burrow is second-oldest on this list, behind only Mahomes. He's locked into a contract through 2029. Extensions for Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would quell concerns about his supporting cast, but he's done enough through his career to entrench himself as a safe and elite dynasty asset.
These quarterbacks should be priority targets regardless of roster construction, likely to provide years of QB1 production ahead of them. They won't be cheap, but you'll rarely regret trading for a player like this.
Elite Rushers
These are your fantasy football cheat codes. Rushing for 1,000 yards in fantasy provides as many points as passing for 2,500, and all of these quarterbacks have that in their range of outcomes. Adding meager passing production atop that rushing floor could provide better fantasy output than everyone in the "Proficient Passer" bucket. Of course, the risk here is career longevity and injury likelihood. As quarterbacks age, their rushing drops.
Lamar Jackson, for instance, has seen his per-game rushing output dip every year since 2019. He's supplemented that by taking strides as a passer, but that won't be the case for every quarterback. Jalen Hurts is a bit of an anomaly, as his rushing production comes more from touchdowns than it does from yardage. However, a supporting cast of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, both under contract through 2028, has helped him provide the most passing volume of the bunch. He's maintained a 17-game pace of over 4,000 passing yards over the last two seasons while averaging 25.2 fantasy points per game, most among all quarterbacks. Struggles with the Eagles' offense over the second half of the season cause some concern, but a bounce-back in 2024 could quickly push Hurts into the same tier as Josh Allen. A small rookie-year sample and season-ending injury may have dynasty managers concerned about Anthony Richardson. But from our small taste in 2023, there's no reason not to view him as an elite dynasty asset. He averaged 23.1 points per game, second behind only Josh Allen. His abilities as a rusher and big arm and tailor-made for elite fantasy success. And going into his age-22 season this year, there's reason to believe he can sustain that for a long time. Kyler Murray has been so dominant that dynasty managers are getting bored. Like Hurts, he's an underrated passer. And his rushing abilities unlock a ludicrous ceiling. Even coming off an ACL injury, he averaged 18.9 points per game last year. And with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. this year, expect to see that grow. Jayden Daniels' early addition to this list may cause some to raise eyebrows. But 1,134 rushing yards last year in college should translate to his NFL game. He's got a strong supporting cast and no competition for a Week 1 job. Assuming he starts a full season, he should quickly pave his path to elite fantasy production.
Like the tier ahead, these elite assets will work with any construction. The long-term floors are a bit shakier, but the short-term production is almost guaranteed. In a list of dynasty quarterback rankings, all deserve to be ranked inside the top 12.
Could Make The Jump
This is where we start looking at some more volatile assets. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing! These quarterbacks all have some question marks that have suppressed their value, but they can easily find themselves shooting up the rankings early in the season. Their values will be polarizing depending on where you look at dynasty quarterback rankings. Some rankers are willing to anoint some of these quarterbacks as elite assets, while others want to see more prolonged production. These players won't come cheap, but they can still improve their value.
Caleb Williams was drafted first overall this season and falls into a dream scenario with a pass-catching corps of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. A toolsy skillset as a rusher could set him up as the next Josh Allen type of fantasy compiler. However, the Bears' history of quarterback development has caused some trepidation. And until we see it, he deserves to be ranked below proven veterans. Trevor Lawrence is a perfect example of untapped potential. His ceiling was just as high as Williams' when drafted. And although we've seen flashes throughout his career, he's never logged a season better than fantasy's per-game QB12. He's shown improvements, is still young, and has strong weapons around him. A 2024 breakout is possible but far from guaranteed. Jordan Love took the league by storm in 2023 after patiently waiting four years for his opportunity as a starter. On a per-game basis, he was fantasy's QB5. But his production was streaky. Some may already say he deserved his spot in the "Proficient Passer" bucket. But he'll need more sustained success because he can officially make that leap. Brock Purdy has spent two straight years battling narratives and continues to prevail. Is he a system quarterback? Is he a difference-maker? Can he do it again this year? We don't have the answers to any of those questions yet. But he's provided QB1 production for a year and a half now and remains in the same lucrative position he's been in. Another year of production should start to quiet the concerns. However, a slow start to the season could cause his value to tailspin.
None of these quarterbacks will come cheap, and they will all require a bit of personal conviction. If they hit, you'll feel like a genius. And if they don't, you could spend years trying to mend your roster. It's hard to determine who will or won't pan out. But these players all have enough upside to be high in dynasty quarterback rankings.
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