Veteran fantasy football managers picked up on this dichotomy many years ago. In the real-life NFL, the quarterback is everything. In the fantasy world we navigate, the quarterback is never the priority — at least in a standard league.
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Consider the current ADP board for Yahoo leagues. Superstars Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts are all landing outside the top 20. Quarterbacks are the big ticket in the real world, but you can do well at almost any price point for fantasy purposes.
I like to compare fantasy QB shopping to the public transit system in New York City. If you miss a train, it’s not a big deal — another one is coming in a few minutes. That’s essentially my QB ethos. I’ll have preferences and targets, sure — but if one train leaves without me, I’m unstressed, knowing another one is soon to arrive.
Evaluating quarterbacks for fantasy purposes is about much more than pure talent, of course. You have to consider the play-caller and the pass-catchers on the roster. It’s nice to draft a QB who can also run some — the forever cheat code. You might want to consider the schedule, and how many indoor or weather-safe games the player is facing. And your fantasy QB might achieve glory in part because his defense is lousy, forcing a high-scoring affair almost every week. Joe Burrow would probably be great in any context, but the crummy Cincinnati defense forced him to pump up the volume on a weekly basis in 2024.
We love that. And the Bengals will probably have the same setup for 2025. Get your popcorn ready.
Because of the depth of the position, I’ll probably attack it reactively. If one of the vanity QBs slips a round or two, I might pivot to them — but I’m probably going to focus on my RB/WR building in the early rounds. After that, I’m thinking about upside and probably looking to draft two QBs who could easily jump a tier if things break right. It’s common for me to be the last to enter the QB mix, but early to take that second option.
The 2025 Fantasy QB Board (consider the top five to be in their own tier)
1. Lamar Jackson
2. Josh Allen
3. Jayden Daniels
4. Jalen Hurts
5. Joe Burrow
6. Patrick Mahomes
7. Bo Nix
8. Justin Fields
9. Jared Goff
10. Brock Purdy
11. Dak Prescott
12. Baker Mayfield
13. Jordan Love
14. Justin Herbert
15. Caleb Williams
16. Drake Maye
17. Kyler Murray
18. C.J. Stroud
19. Trevor Lawrence
20. J.J. McCarthy
21. Matthew Stafford
22. Bryce Young
23. Michael Penix Jr.
24. Geno Smith
25. Tua Tagovailoa
26. Aaron Rodgers
27. Sam Darnold
28. Cam Ward
29. Russell Wilson
30. Anthony Richardson
31. Daniel Jones
32. Joe Flacco
33. Tyler Shough
34. Jaxson Dart
35. Spencer Rattler
Some 2025 QB Targets
Dak Prescott, Cowboys: I know new OC Brian Schottenheimer never met a running play he didn’t want to dial up, but the 2025 Cowboys might not allow him to play things that way. The Cowboys have uncertainty at the running back position and a ton of holes on defense, with or without Micah Parsons. I could easily see Dallas turn into one of the carnival teams of the year, with Prescott asked to carry the load on a weekly basis. The WR room gets a boost with George Pickens arriving, and Jake Ferguson’s production generally spikes when Prescott is available. Don’t forget Prescott has QB2, QB3, QB6 and QB7 seasons on his resume — and he was a legitimate MVP candidate just two years ago.
Drake Maye, Patriots: It was miraculous that Maye kept his head above water with very little help last year. Now, the entire room has been repainted. Mike Vrabel is obviously a step up at head coach, and don’t sleep on the Josh McDaniels rehiring — McDaniels has failed as a head coach but has an excellent resume as a play-designer. The leaky offensive line has been improved and the skill talent is better around Maye.
And the second-year QB has sneaky athleticism and resourcefulness, with the potential to run for 500 yards or so. New England was a lousy four-win team last year; it looks poised to be a legitimate playoff contender this season (its win total is set at 8.5, a healthy jump from last year). So many arrows are pointing upward here.
Justin Fields, Jets: He can be erratic as a passer and his sack avoidance must improve, but at least Fields is finally on a team that will leave him alone. Tyrod Taylor is a veteran backup, not a threat to the starting job. Fields isn’t throwing to a deep WR room, but he did spend two years in college with Garrett Wilson — that matters. And if Fields can stay healthy for a full season, he’s likely to run for 1,000 yards. Shrewd fantasy managers need to mind the gap between real-life and fantasy values, and Fields is the signature player for that concept this year.
Some 2025 QB Fades
Kyler Murray, Cardinals: His running comes and goes, probably depending on how his body feels at the time. He’s struggled to execute in the red zone, likely tied to Murray’s substandard height at the position. Well, guess what, gamers, Murray isn’t getting any bigger. When I see Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. commanding high draft picks, I suspect it’s tied to the idea that Murray will get better or the Cardinals will have a better sense of how to call plays for this offense. That all feels like wish-casting to me.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: History tells us to be suspicious when somebody has a career year deep into their NFL run. That's the situation with Mayfield, who put things together in his age-29 season. Mayfield even spiked his rushing stats, something nobody saw coming.
But now Mayfield has to do it without offensive wizard Liam Cohen; Mike Evans is in his 30s; and we don't know when Chris Godwin is going to be ready to play. There's a lot of moving parts here. Even with the addition of classy rookie Emeka Egbuka, Mayfield probably gives back a lot of his juicy stats from last season.
Some 2025 QB Sleepers
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: The Lawrence nickname is on Football Reference for everyone to see: “The Prince Who Was Promised.” Is this the year the fairy tale actually happens? Lawrence has dealt with dated coaching for most of his pro career — Doug Pederson didn’t help much and Urban Meyer was a disaster. Now Liam Coen comes to town, fresh off orchestrating Baker Mayfield’s glorious career year. The Jaguars should have impact players downfield, with sophomore hotshot Brian Thomas Jr. now joined by college star Travis Hunter. As disappointing as Lawrence’s career has felt at times, he does have QB7 and QB12 finishes on his resume. Maybe Coen can helm him back into that lofty area.
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons: Although Atlanta was a losing team last year, it wasn’t the offense’s fault — the Falcons were sixth in yards and 13th in points. And the arrow is likely pointed up with Penix taking over for Kirk Cousins, a limited veteran who couldn’t run the entire playbook. Penix is tied to an indoor-heavy schedule, good skill talent and an Atlanta defense likely to be below average. The 2025 Falcons definitely have some carnival potential.
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