There is a huge difference between building a fantasy football roster and a real football roster. One of the biggest discrepancies comes at the quarterback position. In football, this is the crown jewel. You will not succeed without an elite quarterback. However, in fantasy football, I find it best to wait on a quarterback and let the "elite" ones go by. Frequently you can grab a good QB like Cousins, Jimmy G., or Phillip Rivers in the late rounds of your draft with plenty of top 10 potential. It's a strategy that I discuss a little further in my Mock Draft article.
Tier 1:
- Aaron Rodgers
- Andrew Luck
- Patrick Mahomes
I'm sure I will be crucified for my Mahomes ranking but frankly, I don't care. Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in both football and fantasy football and it isn't debatable. Last season was a down year and he still finished in 7th with 337 fantasy points. Rodgers has finished in the top 7 in 4 of the last 5 fantasy seasons. If I'm taking a QB early, I want that kind of consistency. Luck is a physical specimen and a student of the game. After a few injury ruined seasons, Luck came back last year to throw for 4600 yards and 39 touchdowns. This was with a cast of Hilton, Ebron and Zach Pascal. With the addition of a legitimate second option in Funchess and the return of Cain, Luck can be even better. Mahomes is Mahomes. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat.
Tier 2:
- Cam Newton
- Deshaun Watson
- Baker Mayfield
- Carson Wentz
- Matt Ryan
- Russell Wilson
- Jared Goff
Another surprise here with Cam Newton leading off my second tier. This tier of quarterbacks is filled with up and comers poised to challenge the elite 3, and steady top 10 veterans with consistency. It wasn't that long ago that "Superman" was MVP and finished as the top overall fantasy quarterback. DJ Moore can be his new Steve Smith and I'm all aboard this offense. Wentz is interesting. Out of the 3 seasons, he's been in the league, he's finished outside of the top 20 twice. The third season? 4th. If Wentz is going to get back to his MVP form, it's going to come this year with the help of Jeffrey, Jackson, Agholor, and Ertz.
Tier 3:
- Drew Brees
- Phillip Rivers
- Big Roethlisberger
- Kirk Cousins
- Tom Brady
Tier 3 is your veteran, get what you get's. It is highly unlikely that anyone here finishes top 5, but its also unlikely anyone here finishes outside the top 12. I am extremely comfortable taking anyone here and pairing them with someone from the next tier of up and comers.
Tier 4:
- Jameis Winston
- Josh Allen
- Lamar Jackson
- Kyler Murray
- Dak Prescott
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Sam Darnold
- Dwayne Haskins
- Josh Rosen
- Mitch Trubisky
Like I alluded to in the last section, these are players that I think are on the rise. They're all young guys with a lot of potential to move up rankings. For my strategy, these are the main quarterbacks that I target. Bruce Arians should do wonders for Winston, while Allen and Jackson have their rushing ability to keep their floors high. That's the theme with most of this list and I would be happy with any of these as my starter.
Tier 5:
- Matt Stafford
- Nick Foles
- Marcus Mariota
- Andy Dalton
- Derek Carr
Tier 5 are veterans that have been in unfavorable situations with a chance to rebound back to fantasy relevance this year. Just about all of these guys are available in the bottom of the Barrell of drafts and should be available almost anytime. Personally, I'm a big believer in Matt Stafford and would be happy to take him higher than this. He has always been an average to above-average starter reminding me a bit of Tony Romo. I am more than happy to wait it out and take him as my QB1. I'm not as excited about the rest of this list and would try to avoid ending up with any of them as more than a QB2.
Tier 6:
- Joe Flacco
- Case Keenum
- Daniel Jones
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Eli Manning
This wraps it up. These are the players I don't expect to play a full season with the lone outlier being Flacco. I have a tiny bit of hope that he finds his old form in Denver and returns to being a top 20 fantasy quarterback. Daniel Jones might be worth drafting and holding onto but you never know with the Giants and he probably isn't worth the trouble.
Remember that this is a list of how much I like each player and not where I would draft them. Repeat, I do not advise you to take Aaron Rodgers in the first round. Thank y and have a good night. Remember to follow me on Twitter @HessDFS for more fantasy coverage and my dfs content!