I know the airwaves are filled to the brim with Vols news and updates following Saturday’s shellacking of Syracuse, and rightfully so.

We’re all excited about the win and it was nice to see Joey Aguilar and the boys have some fun out there in his debut. What a quality day of college football it was as we watched Alabama lose and then enjoyed a UCLA meltdown as the cherry on top of it all.

It’s also fantasy draft season, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t pop in here to remind you that the NFL is two days away. College football all day on Saturdays and NFL Redzone all day on Sundays, what a joyous time!

The way I see it is, why not enjoy a delectable pairing of college football being all the way back in addition to some NFL fantasy content? Who’s to say you can’t have both?!

NFL rosters are locked in and now seems like the perfect time to sit down and analyze the most important position in all of sports: Quarterback.

Disclaimer: I am not a fantasy football expert “per se”, but I damn sure spend a lot of time on it. Research, analysis, data - you name it, I gobble it right up, folks. Does that make me an expert? You be the judge. Besides, what even is a “fantasy expert”? It’s just someone who has the time and means to spend a lot of time on it and talk about it. For all the Fanrun Fantasy Football fanatics out there looking for some pre/post-draft reassurance, this one’s for you!

Conversely, feel free to fade these rankings. If you happen to be on the fence on a certain player and I can act as some sort of a tiebreaker then I’m fine with that. You’re still taking whatever advice I offer up and using it, even if you go against it. Heck, I go through spurts where I do “the Costanza” and take the opposite of what my brain tells me and do that. Whatever works.

As it stands today, I haven’t won a fantasy championship in close to a decade (due to very stiff competition, not my fault) so take that as you will.

Time to get into the tiers. These are in order, so pay close attention and draft accordingly:

GOD-TIER:

1. Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) -
- The good thing about my God Tier is that you can flip a coin and whichever side you land on, you’re gonna be just fine.
  With that said, I do believe Josh Allen takes over as QB1 overall this season in an odd-numbered year after finishing second in 2024. He threw 28 TDs last year, lowest since his first year as a starter, but he added 12 scores on the ground to balance things out at 40 total touchdowns. He’s been QB1 in 3 of the last 5 seasons and as close to a sure thing as you’re gonna find in fantasy football right now.
2. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) -
- As fantasy’s QB1 last year, Lamar Jackson threw for 41 TDs/4 INTs with 4 rushing TDs peppered in. There were many who thought he deserved the MVP over Josh Allen, but voter fatigue said otherwise. Lamar is another one in the absolute prime of his career and a close second to Josh Allen in terms of fantasy production - I expect them both to hover around 400 fantasy points. Since adding Derrick Henry, some of the pressure is off and the offense is less predictable. In other words, Lamar’s been able to remain highly dangerous as a runner but also threw a career-high 474 times last year, a true dual-threat daddy.

A-TIER:

3. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) -
- This is a guy who can truly do it all. He can walk the runway during Paris Fashion week in assless chaps backless blazers and then turn around and throw for almost 5,000 yards. The big question mark has to be his offensive line and cheapskate owners, but if he stays healthy, hungry, and humble then it could be a QB1/WR1 season for Burrow and Chase.

4. Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders) -
- Undeniable electricity, doing what he did as a rookie was incredible, and Terry McLaurin is locked in for the season. Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury were a match made in heaven last year and he hits like Lamar Jackson in a lot of ways. Easy top-5 given his work on the ground which is usually good for anywhere between 5-10 fantasy points by itself.

5. Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) -
- Walk-on to Heisman winner, only one to ever do it. Drafted first overall in 2018. Thrown out and left for dead by the Browns, Panthers, and Rams. Is Baker one of the most disrespected stars of all time?

Baker cont…
- The haters and critics have been silent as of late, though. It’s weird to think he broke out in year 8, but Baker’s Resurgence took shape last season with a QB4 finish thanks to 4500 yards passing and 41 TDs. Looking ahead, Mike Evans is still in Tampa churning out 1,000-yard seasons and Emeka Egbuka sounds like he could be the realness. He’s settled in as a Buccaneer and The Gunslinger will continue to sling, even without Liam Coen.

6. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers) -
- Healthy Jordan Love can go. Last year he missed two games and played hurt so there’s some recency bias indicating that he stinks. NOT THE CASE and this year will be different - look for him to be an easy Top-10 fantasy option. Word on the street is that Love is healthy and he’s got a shiny new WR1 in Matthew Golden to go with a slew of other targets. I believe he’s back in a big way in 2025, and hanging around at an ADP of ~110, he’s a great bargain if you’d like to stack your lineup elsewhere before spending capital on a quarterback.
  I’ll gently remind you that he was QB5 just two years ago.
7. Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) -
- He got his Super Bowl trophy out of the way and welcomes back an excellent offensive unit across the board. Lots of folks have Hurts as high as QB4, but I worry that Saquon takes enough off of Hurts to where he might sit below 400 pass attempts again (368 in 2024). To put it simply, his volume as a passer dropped when they added a premier running back into the mix and that diminishes his value just a smidge. He’ll still score 10-15 rushing touchdowns as the Tush Push is alive and well (until other teams whine and try to ban it again).

B-TIER:

8. Justin Fields (New York Jets) -
- Elite runner, sub-par passer from what we’ve seen. Maybe Garrett Wilson changes the narrative there to some degree, but the Jets may set a new Guinness World Record for the amount of times they run the ball this season. Fields’ legs will be a large part of why he’s this high but he’ll still be comfortably inside the top-10.
9. Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) -
- Slow start to his rookie campaign, but he settled in. If you conveniently ignore his week 13 as I’ve chosen to do, he was QB9 from week 5 through the end of the regular season. It’s all there and I expect good things in his second year.
10. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) -
- There’s no excuse for Dak to fall outside of the Top-10 unless he gets injured again. Boasting one of the top three best receivers on the planet and adding George Pickens (wildcard) should open things up for him to return to the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks.
11. Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) -
- I have no doubt the Chiefs will be very, very good again but Patrick Mahomes just flat-out doesn’t have the weaponry that he used to. Rashee Rice is set to miss 6 games, and Travis Kelce is aging/distracted by Taylor Swift. The Chiefs could be in the Super Bowl again next February, but Patrick Mahomes is a borderline top-10 fantasy option at best nowadays. Gone are the days of 40+ touchdown passes, it’s time we accept the new normal of 25-30.
12. Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) -
- He flashed high-level stuff in 2023 with a QB6 finish then slid back to QB14 last year thanks to two absolute stinkers down the stretch where he put up 6.14 fantasy points combined. He got paid this offseason and he’s a sneaky fantasy stud, but a depleted receiver room worries me to start the year.
13. Jared Goff (Detroit Lions) -
- This is one I’m hesitant about. I feel yucky having him this low. Goff has put together three consecutive top-10 fantasy seasons and QB13 may be a bit on the safe side. He’s been good for right at 4,500 passing yards in this stretch, but another season of 35+ touchdowns is a tall order and I think he takes a baby step back on that front.
14. Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) -
- Maybe the most “just stay healthy” guy of all time, Kyler hasn’t looked the same since he blew out his knee, this much we know. It’s year three with Jonathan Gannon and he’s had plenty of time to get to 100%, so I look for him to spam Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride early and often. No more excuses. He’s still got some skeet in them feet, and if he’s confident enough on his knee to skitter around the field then you’ll be rewarded with the bonus rushing points that we all love in fantasy.
15. CJ Stroud (Houston Texans) -
- Yeah, Tank Dell is on the PUP list.
  Yeah, Joe Mixon may be out all season.
  Yeah, Stefon Diggs is gone.
  Things may look bleak and Stroud wasn’t his best last season. Adding the two rookie receivers was good insurance considering Tank Dell is 2/3 on season-ending injuries so far through his career. Regardless, year 3 for Stroud will be a modest bounceback after a disappointing QB18 last season - get ready for lots of Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Christian Kirk, and Jaylen Noel.
16. Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) -
- Herbert’s last two seasons have been his worst and 5,000+ yards/38 TDs season in 2021 feels like a lifetime ago. I don’t think Herbert is a consistent QB2 like in ‘21, but it also feels odd to have him outside of the top-10 as talented as he is. His recent resume suggests that he may just be a guy in the 12-16ish range, and that’s perfectly fine so long as he gives you ~300 fantasy points. He’s an option that will likely be there in the 10th/11th round that you can sit back and wait on while others spend lavishly.
17. Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears) -
- It’ll be a modest jump in production/leadership, but I don’t see Caleb getting into the top-10 right yet. The Bears did do him some favors by bolstering the interior of their offensive line, and I like Chicago’s receiving weapons, but it’s the first year in a new offense with a new head coach. Assuming he can master the Ben Johnson scheme, he may very well exceed my expectations and that’s worth a later round flier.
18. Drake Maye (New England Patriots) -
- Rinse and repeat for Drake Maye in year 2 with a new coach and the starting job secured. After sitting for 5 weeks last year, he showed flashes and put up three top-10 fantasy performances with little-to-nothing around him. With Vrabel at the helm and some personnel changes, there’s plenty to be excited about with Maye.
19. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) -
- He’s had to withstand an unfortunate revolving door of coaches and coordinators during his time in Jacksonville which has taken its toll on the start of his career. He may not blow the doors off your fantasy league, but he’s a high volume passer with everything to prove this season should he be able to stay on the field long enough to do so.

C-TIER:

20. Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers) -
- I’m not sure the Panthers are there yet, but I am fully prepared to eat my words on Bryce Young. A lot of people are getting ahead of themselves with Bryce Young and Tet McMillan, but I think it’s another year of struggles for the offense as a whole. Losing the grizzled verteran Adam Thielen hurts Bryce Young as he was the most reliable, sure-handed target he had, and now it’s on the shoulders of younger guys like McMillan and Jalen Coker to take a big step forward.
21. Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders) -
- 500 passes, 3,800ish yards, 20 touchdowns. Not enough to move the needle, although I do love Brock Bowers and I’m excited to watch Dont’e Thornton ball out.
22. Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans) -
- As a lifelong diehard Titans fan this one hurts, but it’s a respectable landing spot in the first year of a full rebuild. Again, I’d love to be wrong about this one.
23. JJ McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings) -
- The Vikings are putting all their eggs in his basket and I’ve never seen anything to particularly blow me away going back to his days at Michigan. It’s a risk to move on from Darnold, and perhaps the Vikings know more about it than I, but he’s gonna have to prove it from a fantasy standpoint before he cracks MY top-20.
24. Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons) -
- Another one that I’m not quite sold on.
25. Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks) -
- Career-high in passes and a QB9 finish has him primed to backslide and land back where he belongs. Next best before last year was QB25 as a rookie, I just don’t buy last year’s success as a Sam Darnold thing and attribute it more to Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson.

GERIATRIC TIER:

26. Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) -
- Roughly a week ago there a rumor going around that he was dead, so yeah. His age and general state of physical health is a concern.
27. Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers) -
- For the sake of transparency, I fully expect Rodgers to throw 500 passes for 3,500-4,000 yards but that’s wholly dependent on if his ancient 41-year old bones can withstand a full season. He’s realistically around QB15 for me but more specifically belongs in the Geriatric Tier.
28. Joe Flacco (Cleveland Browns) -
- The Browns quarterback situation is a hilarious mess and Flacco is just out there honking it down the field until he’s replaced. Maybe a Top-20 fantasy guy if the rookies flame out, most certainly a geriatric.
29. Russell Wilson (New York Giants) -
- Another temporary placeholder until the Dart era begins. He’s looked washed more often than not recently, so I expect a 4 to 5 week run as starter before he’s benched.

D-TIER:

30. Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) -
- The Tyreek situation is a mess and Mike McDaniel seems in over his head a bit this offseason. There was serious discourse last year about whether or not Tua should medically retire from getting too many concussions. One or two more in a single season and he may not have much of a choice other than to get into coaching somewhere.
31. Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) -
- Which version of Daniel Jones do the Colts get? In his only season as a full-timer he was QB9 and scored 7 rushing TDs. Not bad!
  The problem is: He’s 28 now and the leash can’t be very long. I fully expect the Colts to get antsy if he has a bad game or two and start leaning back into the Anthony Richardson Experiment.

NEXT MAN UP TIER:

Jaxson Dart (New York Giants) -
- The heir apparent. It won’t be long before Daboll hands him the keys instead of going down with Russell Wilson.
Jalen Milroe (Seattle Seahawks) -
- According to reports, the Seahawks have already installed some specialty sets for Milroe. Too talented not to put on the field at least a little bit as a rookie.
Dillon Gabriel (Cleveland Browns) -
- Shedeur barely held onto a roster spot and Gabriel is the true QB2 behind a 40-year old.
Hendon Hooker (Carolina Panthers) -
- I like Bryce Young a little more this year, but he’s small. If you ask me, Hendon was never given a fair shake in Detroit so landing in Charlotte is a perfect spot for him to build his skillset. He is, as most of you know, also a VFL, so he’s got that going for him.
Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints) -
- The Saints drafted him 40th overall and he’s 26, so one might assume the Saints view him as a solution sooner rather than later. Spencer Rattler won the starting job but feels like a placeholder until Shough is ready.

That’s all for now. The draft lays the groundwork for your entire season, don’t whiff on quarterback right out of the gate. I hope this helps you all as we gird up our loins for Thursday night’s clash between the Cowboys and the Eagles.

Fantasy Football Fun With Tiers Presented by FanRun: QUARTERBACKS