Fantasy Football: Which elite QB would you draft if you had to take one?

Every year going into fantasy football drafts there's the age-old debate of whether or not you should take a quarterback early or wait given the depth at the position. With QB being your highest-scoring roster slot on most weeks, it's become more and more important to target players with rushing upside. These QBs with rushing upside have helped mold the elite tier at the position. So if you're going to try and grab one of the signal-callers from this elite tier, who should you target?

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

Yahoo fantasy football analysts Scott Pianowski and Justin Boone are here to help you narrow down which elite QB to target in your draft, if you had to pick one.

The case for Josh Allen

There’s no wrong answer when debating between Allen and Jackson. Nevertheless, I’ll gladly make the case for the reigning MVP being the top fantasy quarterback to draft in 2025 — starting with the fact he’s been the most successful and consistent fantasy QB over the last five seasons.

It’s true that Jackson outscored Allen last year, but it was the first time Jackson averaged more fantasy points per game than Allen in the past five campaigns. Here are their fantasy points per game finishes since they both became full-time starters.

While Allen has five straight seasons inside the top-four fantasy QBs, Lamar has only accomplished that twice in the last five years and three times ever.

Allen has also been the more durable of the two passers throughout their careers — which is why we use averages in the table above — though both players have stayed relatively healthy the past two years.

On that note, the Ravens have an older supporting cast with Derrick Henry (31), Mark Andrews (30 in September) and DeAndre Hopkins (33). Henry has laughed at the age cliff for a few seasons now, but it’s worth considering the added risk to Jackson’s fantasy outlook if those older players break down.

What the Bills lack in established skill-position talent they make up for with young breakout candidates (Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid) and depth (Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore). Buffalo has gone out of its way to give Allen more options in the passing game behind Khalil Shakir and that might pay off immediately if the veteran slot receiver misses Week 1 with his ankle sprain. Based on offseason reports, Coleman and Kincaid are poised to make a bigger impact in their second and third years, respectively — while Palmer is already showing a strong connection with Allen. — Justin Boone

The case for Lamar Jackson

I think it’s a mistake to go too far back into the records when we compare Allen and Jackson. It’s true that Allen beat Jackson in fantasy scoring every year from 2020 to 2023, but that’s when Allen enjoyed having star receiver Stefon Diggs on the roster. The current Buffalo receiver group is missing a true alpha, and it’s why Jackson over Allen is an easy call for me. Jackson has a lot more help — everyone can see Baltimore’s offense gets the check mark over Buffalo when we compare wide receiver and tight end rooms.

Allen did win the MVP last year, but that was mostly because of voter fatigue — the pollsters didn’t want to give Jackson a third award. By almost every key statistic — and obviously fantasy football is a game about numbers — Jackson was clearly better than Allen last year. Jackson had more passing yards, a better completion percentage, a much better YPA, 13 more touchdown passes, two fewer picks, a QB rating over 18 points higher, 384 more rushing yards and a juicier yards per rush. Allen bridged the gap somewhat with 12 touchdown runs to Jackson’s four, but even with that, Jackson scored about three more fantasy points per week.

Oh yes, if you score every NFL season in history on standard fantasy points, Jackson just had the most productive year of all time. Sure, the 17-game schedule helps, but history is history.

Obviously we need to skate to where the puck is headed, not where it’s been. Everything Jackson did last year is no sure thing to repeat, I get it. But if you gave Allen truth serum and asked him if he wanted to change skill talent with the Baltimore roster, he’d have to say yes. Zay Flowers is the most explosive receiver on these rosters. Mark Andrews is the most dynamic red-zone target. Even Rashod Bateman popped for nine touchdowns and a juicy 10.5 yards per target last year.

Can you talk yourself into Buffalo’s pass catchers? I like Khalil Shakir, but he’s a capped-upside player — and he’s dinged up right now. We’d all love to see Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid improve in their second and third seasons, respectively, but it’s no sure thing. Heck, Kincaid might keep losing snaps to Dawson Knox, an ordinary tight end. Do you know who led Buffalo in touchdown catches last year? Mack Hollins, with five! And Hollins isn’t even in Buffalo anymore. (Newcomer Josh Palmer will help, but he’s unlikely to ever become a star.)

If Allen needs to stay within hailing distance of Jackson, he needs to keep those 27 rushing touchdowns that he’s compiled the last two seasons. Remember, he landed between 6-9 touchdown runs in his first five seasons; useful, but short of what he’s become in the last two years. Allen’s gifts are undeniable and he’s on the same Hall of Fame path that Jackson is. But Jackson’s improvement can’t be ignored, and he simply has more help in his huddle. If you’re going to dial up the first quarterback off the board, use the 410 area code. Action Jackson is your man. — Scott Pianowski