Get your draft strategy ready and take a look at the top NFL quarterbacks in fantasy football.
1. Aaron Rodgers — He’s a steady force for an offense that regularly ranks in the top part of the NFL. He should be the first player selected outside of the top running backs. He’ll get fantasy football owners a consistent product on a weekly basis.
2. Andrew Luck — He’s basically the entire Colts offense. He should have some help from running back Frank Gore, but that should bolster his stats instead of hinder them, allowing Indianapolis move the chains better without Luck having to force the ball so much. Interceptions have been an issue in the past, but experience should help correct that.
3. Russell Wilson — Wilson can provide numbers through the air and on the ground. Although probably the least polished passer on the top tier of this list, the Seattle Seahawks return the majority of their offense, including tight end Jimmy Graham, who could steal some touches from running back Marshawn Lynch in the red zone. That should bode well for Wilson’s draft stock.
4. Ben Roethlisberger — The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has so many weapons at his disposal that he should have a high-quality season, similar to last year. Roethlisberger tied for first in passing yards, and ranked seventh in touchdowns. His interception total also was near the bottom for starters with only nine picks in 608 attempts. His amount of pass attempts was fourth-highest in the NFL.
5. Cam Newton — Newton is the top option for the second tier of fantasy football quarterbacks. Newton is like Wilson, in that he can offer rushing yards and passing yards. His touchdown to interception ratio could use some work, which was 18 to 12 last year, but his ability to score touchdowns on the ground can make up for the lack of TDs through the air.
6. Matt Ryan — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for plenty of yards last season, but misfired on being a top level quarterback in touchdowns, with 28 touchdowns, the 10th-most by any quarterback in the NFL. He had too many games where he threw for only one or less touchdowns (eight out of 16 games), so that should improve this year. It will and Ryan should provide several multi-touchdown games this season.
7. Drew Brees — This may be lower than many experts have Brees, but without a steady playmaker and tight end Jimmy Graham, Brees could be in for a down year. At times, he looked very mortal last year, as the running game never really got going. Brees did lead in yards passing, but his interception rate ranked third, and if the Saints can’t produce a solid running game, Brees’ stats could fall even further.
8. Eli Manning — The New York Giants signal caller will have Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. as targets. Although this is higher than most would predict for Manning, he should have a big season, just as long as he continues his trend of reducing interceptions.
9. Tom Brady — New England quarterback Tom Brady is going to be angry. And when Brady is angry, he’s usually really good. He may miss the season’s first four games, but he can be picked up later in drafts, and could be a main contributor toward the season’s end.
10. Tony Romo — The offensive line is still intact, so Romo should be in good hands to stay off his back. However, I’m not sold on the running back position, and without that stability, Romo may become more inconsistent.
11. Peyton Manning — Pedestrian numbers in the later portion of the season last year should have fantasy football owners worried about picking up Manning. He’s still Manning, so he should at least start out hot. But the months of November and December haven’t been kind to him in recent years, and that’s when fantasy football owners need to be at the top of their game.
12. Teddy Bridgewater — Don’t worry about a sophomore slump. Minnesota added Mike Wallace on the outside and Adrian Peterson returns. That should help Bridgewater have a much more productive season.
13. Ryan Tannehill — As long as Tannehill starts throwing downfield, his draft stock could be higher. There’s plenty of talent on the Dolphins this year, so if Tannehill can’t produce, then he may have a short leash. He can also give fantasy football owners double value with his scrambling ability.
14. Sam Bradford — Add an asterisk next to Bradford. He could easily be a top-10 fantasy football quarterback this season…as long as he stays healthy. That’s the big if with him, so pick him up with a quality starter/back-up in mind.
15. Matthew Stafford — The Detroit Lions definitely throw the ball. Stafford ranked fifth in attempts last season. The only problem, the Lions didn’t score all that well last year and he ranked 14th in touchdowns. He should do better this year and he isn’t a bad pick on the right week.
16. Phillip Rivers — He can produce in the passing game, but he must cut down on the turnovers. After a quality year in 2013, when he threw only 11 interceptions, he came back last year with 18 picks, while throwing for a still respectable 31 touchdowns. If those interception numbers continue to stay that high, his production will likely go down.
17. Joe Flacco — He’s not a terrible option at this juncture. Last season, he had 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ranked 12th in passing yards with almost 4,000 yards. He’s not generally going to be too flashy, but he is a steady play on a weekly basis.
18. Carson Palmer — At this point, you’re likely stretching for a quarterback and Palmer actually could provide some hope. During six games last season, he three 11 touchdowns, compared to only three interceptions. There are still some weapons on the Cardinals’ roster, so you could do worse, as long as he stays healthy.
19. Colin Kaepernick — Depending on the match-up, Kaepernick could be a high-level player. He also could be in the negative for points. The West is brutal with their defenses, and Kaepernick will play six games against those defenses, to go along with a 49ers team that should be far less skilled than in previous years.
20. Jay Cutler — Matt Forte can still catch out of the backfield and a new culture for Chicago could be a good thing. Cutler can put up some major fantasy points at times. He also can lay some eggs. If he can just limit his interceptions, he should be a better player than several ahead of him on this list.
21. Nick Foles — He did have a decent run with the Philadelphia Eagles for a few games, but that was likely because of head coach Chip Kelly. But the St. Louis Rams should be better this year and if he can just get to the ball to his playmakers in space, he could be a pleasant surprise.
22. Derek Carr — There’s still too few experienced playmakers for the Raiders, but this team has some young talent. Carr will have some games where he has big numbers. But he won’t be consistent enough this year to be a fantasy football starter.
23. Andy Dalton — This team is all about running and defense. He could be a valuable back-up since his worst games are usually left for the playoffs.
24. Jameis Winston — He has quality wide receivers in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. That gives Winston a leg up on many of the quarterbacks in this bottom tier.
25. Buffalo quarterbacks — There’s not much to like about the Buffalo Bills quarterback situation, but they do have some skill position players who can catch and run with the ball.
26. Alex Smith — He doesn’t throw touchdown passes to wide receivers. He throws a few to the tight end and running back positions, but anyone who can’t throw a TD to a wide receiver should probably be left on the waiver wire.
27. Blake Bortles — There is a glimmer of hope here with some added weapons. He’s still likely too inconsistent, but there is a bit of unknown of what he can do with a few playmakers.
28. Robert Griffin III — Be careful in picking RGIII based on him possibly not even being the starting quarterback.
29. Houston Texans quarterbacks — There’s not much to like at this position. No starter has been named and there’s not a ton of upside with either option.
30. Marcus Mariota — Possibly Mariota can provide some points through the air and on the ground. However, Tennessee just doesn’t have much talent, making this transition difficult, especially for a running quarterback.
31. Josh McCown — The Cleveland Browns are hoping McCown returns to his form two years ago for the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for him, there’s not many options for him to find on the Browns’ roster.
32. Ryan Fitzpatrick — The New York Jets are a mess and now Ryan Fitzpatrick must start at least for the first few games. Don’t expect much out of this offense this season.
