The 2019 fantasy football season will be here before you know it. There are rankings to analyze, sleepers to highlight, cheat sheets to create, and drafts to partake in. It only makes sense to start with the cornerstone players in football, the quarterbacks. Just as in the NFL, a fantasy team needs to surround its QB with good secondary pieces, but without a standout passer, things get a whole lot tougher both in real life and the fantasy realm.
The infiltration of young stars into the top tiers of QB rankings began last year, but it’s on in full force for 2019. There’s Patrick Mahomes II coming off his historic season, ready to make more off-hand and no-look passes. Baker Mayfield has new weapons and a new offensive coordinator after a very good rookie campaign. In Atlanta, Matt Ryan’s been reunited with an offensive mind that led to three of his best seasons in his younger days.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200 (coming soon)
Of course Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady are all options to lead your team. Dak Prescott and Derek Carr both have shiny new targets for a full season. And even youngsters like Mitchell Trubisky and Josh Allen add a dynamic rushing element that past generations of QBs lacked.
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In short, these rankings are important. There are a lot of good choices at the quarterback spot. Just make sure you don’t pick the wrong one.
We'll be updating these rankings all preseason, so check back for player movement and additional analysis.
Fantasy Football 2019: Quarterback rankings
Rankings based on standard scoring leagues
| 1. Patrick Mahomes II, Chiefs. It will be hard for Mahomes to repeat his ridiculous 2018 season, but you should avoid getting too cute. He has as much arm talent as anyone in the game, and that allowed him to lead all full-time starters in yards per pass attempt a year ago. Even with Tyreek Hill a question mark, Mahomes has a bit of room to come back to earth and still be the best. |
| 2. Andrew Luck, Colts. The biggest difference for Luck in 2018 was the offensive line. In his prior four seasons of 15-plus starts, he averaged being sacked 35.25 times. Last season, Luck was sacked 18 times in 16 games. Matt Slauson retired, but the rest of the big fellas in front of Luck are back. His quarterbacking ability was never in question; he’s got time to throw now, too. |
| 3. Matt Ryan, Falcons. Only one quarterback in the NFL gets to throw to Julio Jones. Add to that a veteran maturity that’s allowed Ryan to throw just seven interceptions in both 2016 and '18, and you have a good recipe. An up-and-coming outside threat in Calvin Ridley should help keep Ryan young, at least enough to have another efficient, productive season. And by the way, Dirk Koetter joins the Falcons as offensive coordinator, a parternship that led to three good Ryan seasons from 2012-'14. |
| 4. Deshaun Watson, Texans. A good left tackle is a quarterback’s best friend, and a season after being sacked 62 times, Houston added one of those for Watson. Matt Kalil, a former Pro Bowler, will provide an increase in production for the versatile Watson. Watson was sacked on more than 10 percent of his dropbacks last season. Even a few percentage points lower should add yards and touchdowns to his already impressive numbers. |
| 5. Aaron Rodgers, Packers. The Packers were bad last season, but Rodgers was still special. Throwing 25 touchdown passes and just two interceptions is stupid good. But there are questions this season. Mike McCarthy is gone, and whether he was good for Green Bay as a whole is less relevant than the fact that his offense seemed to work for Rodgers. Overall, Rodgers still has the talent for a top-tier season, but he's riskier than usual. |
| 6. Russell Wilson, Seahawks. It’s kind of hard to see how Wilson keeps putting up numbers. The weapons around him aren’t as dynamic as they once were. His WR corps is Tyler Lockett and a bunch of no-names. Running back is a question mark. But each year, Wilson puts up numbers. His rushing provides a floor and his arm seems to make mediocre receivers look better. But beware the lack of weapons. It’s not the cushiest of situations. |
| 7. Baker Mayfield, Browns. No one threw for more yards as a team last season than Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, has shipped up to Cleveland. Mayfield completed nearly 64 percent of his passes in 2018 but threw nearly 150 fewer passes than the Bucs’ quarterback crew. Add those extra throws, and send some of them in newly acquired Odell Beckham’s direction, and Mayfield just might have a Heisman-equivalent season up his sleeve. |
| 8. Jared Goff, Rams. When the Rams and Goff are right, he can win you a week. He had five games of more than 350 passing yards last year, and another three between 300 and 350. He’s gotta be the envy of most QBs with Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods to throw to. His three subpar games in the season’s final four weeks raise a few questions, but none that a still-learning quarterback should have issues answering. |
| 9. Drew Brees, Saints. Old reliable Brees turned 40 in January. If not for Tom Brady’s longevity, Brees might induce more worry. But as is, there’s really nothing to cause concern about Brees. He’s safe. You know what you’re getting. Brees has completed more than 70 percent of passes three straight years. If you miss out on one of the shinier names above him, there’s no shame in drafting such a consistent threat. |
| 10. Philip Rivers, Chargers. By the time you have the chance to choose Rivers in your draft, it won’t make much sense to take him. You could’ve taken more proven production before him. After him, there should still be upside available. But if you’ve taken high-risk upside at other positions, maybe he’s the safe QB1 you want after others have fought over the top dogs. After all, Rivers has thrown 26-plus touchdowns in 11 straight seasons. There are worse guys to build around. |
| 11. Carson Wentz, Eagles. One of the storylines to keep an eye on preseason is whether Wentz is going to run the ball as much as he did two seasons ago. Coming off a knee injury, he carried less and averaged two fewer yards per tote in 2018. Wentz’s standard fantasy points per game (FPPG) fell from 21.7 to 17.5 due in large part to the loss of running upside. Without the carries, Wentz is a lot more average than the level his past rushing would’ve suggested. |
| 12. Kirk Cousins, Vikings. You pretty much know what you’re getting with Cousins. He has two good receivers to throw to and racked up a career-high 70.1-completion percentage in 2018 because of them. But he’s not always consistent. The highs are high and the lows are low with Cousins, but he's generally much more good than bad. |
| 13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers. Roethlisberger is a heckuva mystery for a long-time starter. Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 5,129 yards in 2018 behind a career-high number of pass attempts. Maybe the lack of Le'Veon Bell is the key to Roethlisberger’s numbers, allowing him to sling it even more. But at some point the bumps, bruises and years just have to catch up with him, and not having Antonio Brown certainly won't help. |
| 14. Dak Prescott, Cowboys. The addition of Amari Cooper was a real boon to Prescott’s season. In the six games prior to Cooper’s arrival, Prescott reached 20 standard fantasy points in a week once. In four of his nine weeks that followed with Cooper active, Prescott reached that mark. It’s hard to predict much better of a rate than that; after all, Ezekiel Elliot will still dominate touches. But because of Cooper, Prescott has a week-to-week upside he previously lacked. |
| 15. Derek Carr, Raiders. Carr had a better-than-you-remember 2018, putting up a career-best completion percentage despite a lousy receiving group and putrid offensive line that let him be sacked 51 times. Enter Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams and that first issue is gone. The Raiders paid tackle Trent Brown the most money an offensive lineman has ever received to shore up the second problem. So, if Carr’s growth sticks, he could be looking at a career-best season across the board. |
| 16. Mitchell Trubisky, Bears. Trubisky’s first-to-second season growth made sense. He only started one season at North Carolina, giving him a relatively steep growth rate. At some point, though, it might level off. It already started to in 2018’s second half, when Trubisky didn’t sniff 300 yards from week 10 on despite four-such games in the first nine weeks. He’s another one of those rushing-adds-consistency quarterbacks, but maybe that’s all he is. |
| 17. Cam Newton, Panthers. If you were gonna pick an injury you wouldn’t want your QB to have, it’s a bum right shoulder. Sure, Newton will continue to add value with his ability to punch in red-zone rushing touchdowns., but if he can’t throw down the field or consistently, the red-zone chances may dissipate. Newton was always one of the better floor-plus-upside QB picks. Because of the shoulder, Newton’s floor is now a lot lower, but if he's healthy, this ranking will look embarrassingly low by the end of the year. |
| 18. Tom Brady, Patriots. There’s no precedent for this guy. Sometimes it seems like he’s too old and can’t throw the ball down the field. Then he goes and wins a sixth ring. Humans haven’t been able to solve aging yet, so don’t expect Brady to be a total exception. But odds are he’ll have a solid season, just as he’s been doing seemingly forever, but with no Gronk and major question marks at WR behind Julian Edelman, it's tough to expect a big season. |
| 19. Josh Allen, Bills. Allen is in the Trubisky camp, in one sense. He runs a lot, and the learning curve from the Mountain West to the NFL was rightfully steep. But now Allen gets to take a second-year leap, from a point further along than Trubisky was. Accuracy will always be the biggest question, as he struggled to complete more than half his passes even in college. But he’s got a cannon and can run. Those are traits worth taking a chance on if he lasts past the names above him. |
| 20. Matthew Stafford, Lions. It’s been reported that Stafford played 2018 with a broken back. Fine, football players are tougher than all of us. But Stafford hasn’t been the same guy he was with Calvin Johnson. He’s fine as a QB2 and maybe he ups your team’s macho-rating, but with no Golden Tate or offensive coodinator Jim Bob Cooter, he still has a lower ceiling than he used to. |
| 21. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers. Tampa threw a lot last year, and that shouldn’t change with Bruce Arians running the show now. But the former No. 1 overall pick Winston hasn’t shown the consistency the Bucs would’ve wanted. He’ll have a few big weeks, but no one will be able to predict when they’re coming, and he’ll throw a few too many back-breaking picks to make him worth too much investment. |
| 22. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers. Ranking Jimmy G this low could look silly by the end of the season. But someone has to slide. A torn ACL isn’t an easy injury to recover from. And even in his 5-0 stretch to end 2017, Garoppolo threw just seven touchdowns to five picks. He’s still never really gotten a full chance to be the man, so in a lot of ways, he’s just one big question mark. But he’s a question mark who can throw, and he had 16 standard FPPG before getting injured last year. |
| 23. Marcus Mariota, Titans. The Titans simply don’t throw enough for Mariota to ever be more than what he is. Maybe that’s an indictment of how they view Mariota’s talent. Regardless, he’s one of those guys that’s more valuable in real life than he is in fantasy. His 23 passes per game won’t move many needles. |
| 24. Kyler Murray, Cardinals. Murray is regarded more highly than Josh Rosen, but the situation in Arizona gave Rosen no shot. There’s not a ton different personnel-wise, but Murray does have passing aficionado Kliff Kingsbury as his head coach and significantly more running ability. The Baker Mayfield prototype showed nicely as a rookie last year; maybe Murray can follow in those footsteps. |
| 25. Lamar Jackson, Ravens. Jackson will never be a high-level NFL passer, but his rushing makes him a reasonable option. As a starter, Jackson never scored fewer than 15.9 standard fantasy points. Double-digit carries every game could backfire in the long run, but as a fantasy backup who you might need to play in a pinch, they’ll give him an opportunity to produce. |
| 26. Sam Darnold, Jets. Darnold fits a lot of the same bill as Jameis Winston. Too many interceptions, tantalizing talent, and not enough results. Until he proves he’s more than that, there’s no reason to think he’d be anything more than a low-end backup. He has more chance than most to rise the list, just based on pedigree, but don’t expect it. |
| 27. Andy Dalton, Bengals. The “Red Rifle” keeps on firing, but never that strong and age is catching up now. He’ll probably throw between 18 and 25 TDs, as has been his norm for years now. There’s nothing enticing about that, though. Dalton shouldn’t be drafted in standard leagues, and nothing will really change that. |
| 28. Eli Manning, Giants. With Manning’s best weapon in Odell Beckham Jr. out of town, there’s even less reason to want the two-time Super Bowl champion. Maybe someone out there believes Golden Tate will be a big help. Somebody might draft Eli for his name; don’t let that be you. |
| 29. Nick Foles, Jaguars. Foles completed 72 percent of his passes last year, seemingly out of the blue. But Jacksonville is much less of a positive situation, and Foles isn’t that good. His only hope might be a returned-to-health Marqise Lee’s resurgence. Most likely, Foles will be fine on the waiver wire. |
| 30. Joe Flacco, Broncos. If Flacco was ever elite, it was a long time ago. He’s since been run out of Baltimore by a quarterback who isn’t all that good at passing. That should tell you everything you need to know. |
| 31. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins. Award bonus points here if your league has a Wonderlic category. Also award bonus points for beard. But don’t roster Fitzpatrick otherwise, despite his four 400-yard passing games in 2018. |
| 32. Case Keenum, Redskins. No one’s really sure who will get the bulk of the Washington quarterback starts in 2019. Keenum’s the most accomplished NFL QB of the trio competing for the job. He’s thrown for more than 3,500 yards each of the past two seasons, but his spot under center is by no means secure. |
| 33. Dwayne Haskins, Redskins. Haskins was one of the country’s best passers in his time at Ohio State, and he’s exactly the type of big-bodied thrower that teams appreciate under center, especially when you factor in that he limited interceptions and incompletions in college. In a shaky situation, it’s tough to know whether those numbers will translate. But even a dropoff could see him complete 60 percent of his passes and protect the ball enough to make plays. |
| 34. Josh Rosen, Dolphins. Who’s more to blame in the Rosen debacle in Arizona? Was it his line, the coaches, the receivers, or Rosen himself? A fresh start is surely much appreciated by Rosen. The Dolphins also added Chad O’Shea as offensive coordinator after he spent a decade on the New England offensive staff. There’s a chance Rosen was overdrafted. There’s also a chance this is the spot he’ll figure it out once he gets the opportunity to play. |
| 35. Daniel Jones, Giants. Jones has a lot of traits in common with Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky, players with inconsistent arms that make plays with their legs. He’ll always be the guy who was selected shockingly high -- and he won’t have a Week 1 job -- but he has talent and could put up some ugly-good fantasy stats. |
| 36. Drew Lock, Broncos. If Lock couldn’t handle solid SEC defenses, who’s to say he can handle the professional variety? Teams liked his measurables, but that’s what they say about anyone who doesn’t have the numbers to back up a high selection. |
| 37. Brett Hundley, Cardinals. If Hundley gets starts this season, it’s only to keep the Arizona QB seat warm for Kyler Murray. But he brings ability to the table that makes him a passable emergency quarterback in fantasy. It all starts with his rushing ability, which resulted in 36 carries for 270 yards in 2017. There are worse methods to accruing fantasy points out of a superflex or from a bye-week fill-in in two-QB leagues. |
| 38. Colt McCoy, Redskins. If you’re in a super deep league and need McCoy to produce for you, good luck. He’s even past the days when his legs showed promise, and he probably won't get many starts for the Redskins. At best, he’s only keeping the seat warm in Washington. |