Big Blue View
A first look at the highest scoring position in the game
As they say in Steelers’ Country, Here We Go! Today’s column begins my 2025 Fantasy Football redraft rankings and tiers. Running back, wide receiver, and tight end will follow, and I’ll update them all in August, closer to when season-long redraft season kicks in for real. Hopefully, these initial looks at each of the major positions will help you to start thinking about player values and draft strategies.
Before we get to the rankings and commentary, here are three quick observations about the quarterback position in 2025. Do with them what you will.
1. QB is loaded! I’ve been playing fantasy for 30-plus years and can’t recall this much quality and depth at the position. Look down the rankings and you’ll see what I mean. There are names well past QB12 that are very appealing starters for fantasy. All that depth means you can wait longer on QB, even in Superflex leagues, if you choose to pass on the elite options at the position. It also means that it’s not difficult to grab two good starting quarterbacks in a Superflex format, and it’s extremely easy in a 1-QB league. I always like leaving 1-QB drafts with two good QBs.
2. QB is young! It’s so young, one of the players is actually named Young! 15 of the 32 projected opening-day starters were taken in three fairly recent NFL drafts: 2018 (4), 2020 (5), and 2024 (6). Only four projected opening-day starters are currently 35 or older: Aaron Rodgers (41), Joe Flacco (40), Matt Stafford (37), and Russell Wilson (36), and at least three of those are starters for the last time. In other words, quarterback should be strong and deep (for fantasy, anyway) for a good while.
3. Running quarterbacks zip past the competition! I’ve written a lot in the past about the evolution of the running QB and how it’s changed fantasy. An elite dual-threat QB is almost like having two players in one. With a point awarded for every ten rushing yards and six points granted for every rushing TD, mobile signal-callers can pile up points a lot more easily than pocket passers. A QB who runs for 500 yards and 5 TDs on the season is getting on average 4-5 more fantasy points per game (FPPG) than a quarterback who doesn’t run much (or at all). There are more mobile QBs now than at any time in the past, and you’ll see how runners are favored throughout my rankings.
I’ve organized the quarterbacks into tiers, as I do at every position. You should do the same. I’ve written a lot in the past on why it’s smart to use tiers for your draft board. In a nutshell, everyone wants the best players, and a tiered approach allows fantasy managers to have a great view of (a) ranges of players who can be expected to have similar fantasy production, (b) where the drop-offs are between those ranges,...
