2025 Fantasy Football QB Rankings and Tiers

Knowing when to grab your quarterback is critical.

Jay Felicio
Rankings 2025 3 Weeks Ago

I do not like fantasy football rankings.

Rankings are easily the most misapplied resource used by fantasy football managers. Is it helpful to have a list of players organized by an analyst’s order of preference, or even your own list to reference on draft day? Of course! But far too many focus on the insignificant details and miss out on significant player upside.

To elevate your fantasy football skills, you must begin thinking in tiers. Don’t focus on the rigidity of numbered rankings. It’s much more essential to understand the drop-off between Tier 2 and Tier 3 quarterbacks than thinking “I can’t draft the eighth-ranked quarterback over the seventh!

That’s why, for this year’s QB List positional rankings articles, the focus will shift more towards the differences in each tier instead of “Player X is ranked one spot ahead of Player Y”. I’ll still be discussing the majority of players, but talking points will be broken up by tier instead of by player. Think of it more as the “why” than just giving you the “what”.

I’ll be going position by position, starting with quarterback. Let’s take a gander at my 2025 Quarterback rankings, presented first below as a table, and then we’ll go tier-by-tier to break down my favorite (and least favorite) guys in each grouping.

Tier 1: The Undisputed Elite Tier

The alpha and omega, bay-bay. 

 

No surprises here. Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Josh Allen likely occupy the top three spots in most 2025 quarterback rankings you’ll find. Put them in any order you like, and you’ll see little to no pushback from most. Why? They are the few true “Konami Codes” in fantasy football. A trio of quarterbacks with a delectable dual-threat skillset that gives them a simultaneous floor and upside offered by so few.

Among the 18 quarterbacks who threw for over 3,500 yards in 2024, only Jackson, Daniels, and Allen also totaled over 500 yards. There’s not much else to say. They deserve to be the first quarterbacks drafted in nearly every league.

 

Tier 2: The Diet-Elite Tier

Now with 30% more “Elite” flavor!

 

These guys are so close to the real thing. They have the talent. They have gaudy numbers. They each have at least one top-three fantasy finish in their respective careers. The problem is they still have that gross chemical-y after taste of risk that keeps them from having that delicious duo of ceiling and floor.

Joe Burrow has the gaudy passing stats, but his career high rushing total is 259 yards. Jalen Hurts has the rushing numbers and tons of “tush push” tuddy’s, but has yet to eclipse 3,900 passing yards or 25 passing touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes is actually my favorite of this grouping, but he’s seen a downturn in production over the past few seasons. I still think he has that dog in him, but he may not be as prolific a fantasy QB as he is a real-life Commander in Chief(s). 

It’s within the range of outcomes for any to finish as the QB1 in fantasy. There’s just that darn aftertaste you have to worry about.

 

Tier 3: The Gas Station Pizza Tier

Fantasy Points with possible food poisoning!

 

Conceptually, the Tier 3 quarterbacks are very similar to Tier 2. But this group is equivalent to eating gas station pizza. Could it be delicious? Perhaps. Could you get food poisoning? Possibly. But in the end, the result is likely a mix—good pizza, bad heartburn, and probably a rumbly tum-tum.  

All the quarterbacks in this tier have a much narrower path to a QB1 overall finish and significantly more risk. What if Caleb Williams just isn’t that guy? What if the Bears’ offensive line’s glow-up is more of a blow-up? What if Brock Purdy doesn’t get back Brandon Aiyuk or Jauan Jennings? Or both are hampered by injury all year? This tier should be above-average starters, but the doomsday scenarios are more likely to come to fruition in this tier than in the previous two.

Player I’m higher on than most:

Jordan Love – I’d be lying if I said I didn’t flirt with the idea of putting him in Tier 2, but there are enough question marks to warrant his Tier 3 placement. We’ve seen the flashes. One of my favorite Post-Hype Sleepers, Love already has a top-five fantasy finish under his belt. But can he do it again, and can he stay on the field?

Player I’m lower on than most:

Bo Nix – I’m not a Nix hater, I’m just not a Bo-liever. I go into more detail about why in my Fantasy Grenades article, but the gist of it is that his passing metrics were just ok. With the additions of running backs RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins, I expect a much-improved Broncos ground game, eating into Nix’s rushing production.  

 

Tier 4: The Flea Market Tier

A hodgepodge of throwers of the football.

You’ll find a little bit of everything in this tier: question marks with high upside (J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye), productive veterans in the twilight of their prime (Jared Goff, Dak Prescott), and guys who have yet to live up to their uber-hyped potential (Trevor Lawrence). It’s easy to dismiss this group, but a keen eye can see that with a few screws tightened and a fresh stain, that wobbly rocking chair is primed for a breakout season.

This is my favorite group to draft from in 1QB leagues. You can wait until the later rounds and grab two, pairing a high-ceiling play like McCarthy with a safe but low-ceiling play like Prescott. It’s a low-risk way of drafting upside with a “break glass in case of emergency” option that won’t sink your team.

Player I’m higher on than most:

Trevor Lawrence – One of my flag plants for the season, I’m excited to see what new head coach Liam Coen can do with TLaw after reviving the career of Baker Mayfield. The weapons, the offense, and the improvements on the offensive line add up to a potential breakout season for “Sunshine”.

Player I’m lower on than most:

Jared Goff – It’s not just the fact that the Lions lost Ben Johnson as a play caller, it’s the fact that their offensive line underwent a significant overhaul this offseason with the retirement of C Frank Ragnow and the loss of OG Kevin Zeitler in free agency. Goff’s floor is a lot lower than most want to admit.

 

Tier 5: The Junk Drawer Tier

It’s full of stuff. And things.

 

Similar to the previous tier, you’ll find a collection of players with a wide range of potential outcomes in the “Junk Drawer” tier. But unlike the “Flea Market” tier, you pretty much already know what you have in these guys. Michael Penix Jr. and Cam Ward are still unknowns, but it’s almost certain they’ll never be in the running for a top-five finish, let alone QB1 overall.

Players I’m lower on than most:

Sam Darnold – I couldn’t be happier for Darnold, turning a career year into a nice payday from the Seahawks. But considering what his completion percentage looks like under pressure and Seattle’s offensive line woes, he’s a full fade for me.

Matthew Stafford – Age and injury concerns keep me from ranking Stafford any higher than Tier 5, regardless of the addition of Davante Adams. He’s already dealing with back issues, and at the time of writing, there’s no timetable for him to see the field. Stafford hasn’t thrown for over 4,000 yards or 25 touchdowns since 2021, his last season ranked inside the top 12.

 

Tier 6: The IKEA Tier

A warm body at a great value!

 

Cheap? Semi-Functional? A chance that things could fall apart at any time? Say hello to Tier 6, the “IKEA” tier. Mostly unsettled quarterback rooms, you should only consider these guys in Superflex leagues as bottom-of-the-barrel discounts. Upside exists for a few guys (Anthony Richardson Sr., Daniel Jones, Jaxson Dart) if they were to get the majority of starts. But the most likely outcome for all these teams is that multiple quarterbacks start under center this season.

Player I’m higher on than most:

Daniel Jones – A potential post-hype sleeper who costs nearly nothing, if Jones wins the starting job and the Colts’ o-line can give him time, Danny Dimes could come out of hibernation and offer solid QB2 numbers.

 

Jay’s 2025 Quarterback Rankings

 

Photo by William Howard, Mark Goldman | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@TheCarbonFox on Twitter/X)