For a variety of reasons — talent influx, changes in rules and play calling —the quarterback position has never been deeper. Tier 1 represents a clear top five in Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow. As you'll see, there's no reason to panic or even need to target those stars, because there's a ton to offer at quarterback after the big names come off fantasy draft boards. Baker Mayfield, who averaged 22.5 fantasy points per game last season and now gets Chris Godwin back and a rookie WR taken in the top 20, is the QB6 according to"expert consensus ranks." Patrick Mahomes (QB7) might bethe GOATand will get Rashee Rice back. Bo Nix (QB8) wasfantasy's QB6 from Week 5 onas a rookie despite playing through a fractured back. Kyler Murray, whoplans on running morein an Arizona offense that owneda +6.7% pass rate over expectationpost-bye last season, is QB9. Jared Goff (QB10) was the QB7 in fantasy points per game from Weeks 1-17 last season and remains ina terrific situation. Justin Herbert (QB11) played through injuries andclearly has upside for morein an offense thatincreased its pass rateover the second half of last season and added Tre Harris in the second round. Justin Fields (QB12) isone of only three QBs in NFL historyto average at least 50 rushing yards per game and has been fantasy's QB7 in points per game over the last three years. That's inarguably a strong group of starters in your standard 12-team, 1 QB league, but check out the incredible depth afterward: Note: All QB ranks below are from"expert consensus ranks" Purdy leads the NFL in YPA (8.9) by a wide margin over the last three seasons, when he also ranksfirst in EPA/dropback. Purdy was the QB9 in fantasy points per game (Weeks 1-17) last year despite going from leading the league in TD% each of the previous two seasons to ranking 19th. Purdy will continue to benefit from Kyle Shanahan's system and gets Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk back. Ricky Pearsall was recovering from a gunshot wound duringa still impressive rookie seasonand isa Year 2 breakout candidate. Moreover, Purdy getsthe league's easiest projected schedulein 2025. Williams has real question marksand a worrisome floor, but he alsooffers rushing upsideand now has Ben Johnson on his side. Williams was fantasy's QB10 Weeks 12-17 as a rookie, and Chicago improved its offensive line during the offseason. The Bears also drafted tight end Colston Loveland in the top 10 and wide receiver Luther Burden III in the early second round to go along with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Williams won the offseason and is being set up not to fail. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The Packers' league-low pass rate last season was heavily influenced by games started by Malik Willis. While Love's TD% dropped last season, his YPA (8.0) dramatically improved even though he was playing injured (anddealing with a bunch of drops). Green Bay spent a first-round pick on a WR for the first time since 2002 and then added another in Round 3. Love is absolutely loaded with weapons with Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks (if only he could catch!) and Tucker Kraft. Love was fantasy's QB6 (ppg) in 2023. Prescott is one season removed from being a top-five fantasy QB while leading the NFL in passing TDs by a wide margin. He plays in a dome and will likely be in a lot of shootouts. Dallas enters 2025 with a shaky defense and running back group but withGeorge Pickens addedalongside CeeDee Lamb. Prescott isn't even ranked as a top 15 QB given the league's depth right now. Stroud was a top-10 fantasy QB during one of the best rookie seasons (8.2 YPA) in NFL history in 2023. Stroud dealt with a ton of injuries to his offensive line and wide receivers during his disappointing sophomore campaign, and the Texansaddressed both issues during the offseason. Houston traded for Christian Kirk and spent second and third round picks on wideouts. Last season's3.5 TD%is sure to regress. Stroud was drafted as the QB5 in Yahoo (and most other) leagues last season, and he should bounce back in a huge way in 2025. Maye was thrown into arguablythe worst supporting cast in the NFLas a rookie, but he produced the fifth-most fantasy points per dropback overthe last three rookie QB classesdespite facing the second most pressure in the league. The Patriotsupgraded their offensive lineand added weapons Stefon Diggs (free agent), TreVeyon Williams (No. 38 overall pick) and Kyle Williams (No. 69). New England also added OC Josh McDaniels, who presumably will use Maye on more designed runs (Jayden Daniels is the only rookie to average more scramble YPG than Maye over the past four seasons, butthe Patriots used Maye on fewerdesignedruns per game than Jared Goff). Maye led all quarterbacks in scramble yards (349) and averaged the fourth-most QB rushing yardsduring his 10 full games last season, leading the NFL inyards per carry. Maye will be better in Year 2, andhis situation has also dramatically improved. A QB with his rushing upside shouldn't be available this late. Lawrence might not be the prince we were promised, but he was a top 15 fantasy QB over Weeks 1-9 before suffering a shoulder injury last season. He now gets to throw toa legitimate alphain Brian Thomas Jr. andanother possible onein Travis Hunter. Baker Mayfield just hada monster fantasy seasonunder new Jacksonville head coach Liam Cohen, and Lawrence can run some. Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards in 2023 and hopefully gets a healthier version of Tyreek Hill in 2025. Stafford remains capable of putting up big stats when the Rams are healthy, and Los Angeles replaced a fading Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams during the offseason. Subscribe toYahoo Fantasy ForecastonApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTubeorwherever you listen. Sam Darnold was left for dead by the league, yet he was fantasy's QB9 (ppg) in this system last season. McCarthy had plenty of time to fully recover from his knee injury and to learn a playbook that called for the third highestdropback over expectation ratelast season. The Vikings have finished top six in both passing yards and TDs during all three seasons under Kevin O'Connell. Justin Jefferson and O'Connell are both kingmakers, and McCarthy is taking the throne. Young may not have gotten another chance in Carolina if not for an Andy Dalton car accident, but the former No. 1 overall pickresurrected his careeraftertaking over again in Week 8. He rankedNo. 1 in Big Time Throw ratefrom that point forward whilehis receivers finished last in separation%. Carolina drafted Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall, while Jalen Coker, Xavier Leggette and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders are all capable of breaking out in Year 2. Young rushed for five TDs over the final six games, and he posted a 7:0 TD:INT ratio over the last three. He drasticallyoutplayed Stroud over the final 10 gameslast season and now getsan upgraded roster around him. Young is the QB23! Penix didn't light it up with fantasy points after replacing Kirk Cousins last season, but he showed a ton of promise. His 87.6 Pro Football Focus passing grade led all six rookie QBs with 100+ dropbacks last season and wasthe best mark from a rookie since Robert Griffin IIIin 2021. Penix led the league inHighlight Throw percentagewhile sufferingeasily the highest drop ratein the NFL. At minimum, Penix's high aDOT (second highest in the league last year) andlow sack/scramble ratesare great news for Drake London's fantasy value. Indoor Geno! Smith has averaged 2.0 passing touchdownsover his last 13 starts indoors, where his YPA has jumped a full yard throughout his career. Brock Bowers is already a superstar, while veteran Jakobi Meyers and rookie Jack Bech are underrated. Ashton Jeanty can be a big help, too. Smith is just two seasons removed from leading the NFC in passing touchdowns, and he's now indoors. Richardson was a bust last season, and his accuracy issues could lead to Daniel Jones taking his job. However, Richardson also rankedfifthinfantasy points per dropbackdespite ahistorically bad completion%(withmany, many drops to blame) and facing one of the league's toughest schedules for opposing quarterbacks. Richardson hasa scary injury historyand no floor, but he'll also be free in most fantasy drafts now. Richardson is just three days older than Cam Ward andworked on VR training during the offseason. Top-five fantasy QBupside remains, yet Richardson isn't even ranked as a top 25 QB. Any of Sam Darnold, Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Daniel Jones or another wild card could also easily surprise this season. Superflex leagues continue to make more and more sense with the depth of the current quarterback landscape. Otherwise, wait! It's also a position in which we can play matchups, so load up (when possible) with a few options after being the last to address QB. The dirty secret about fantasy football is one player can influence winning league championships far more than in other sports. Those players are almost always running backs or wide receivers, so taking more early chances on those positions while patiently waiting on QB gives the best odds to win leagues in 2025.
