Tier-Based QB Rankings for Redraft Fantasy Football Leagues

Frankie Taddeo -

Constructing a winning fantasy football roster requires securing a reliable quarterback to anchor your squad. Even so, many managers opt to pass on using the premium draft capital needed to acquire “elite” QB options, and that’s because solid values can often be found in the middle or late rounds. 

In this article, we'll take a deeper look at the position rankings currently found on Sleeper and separate the top 20 QBs into three tiers: Elite, Potential League-Winners and Late-Round Options. 

Let’s dive in! 

Tier 1: Elite

  • Josh Allen, Bills (ADP 22.5 / QB1) 
  • Jalen Hurts, Eagles (ADP 33.4 / QB2) 
  • Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (ADP 34.5 / QB3) 
  • Lamar Jackson, Ravens (ADP 38.8 / QB4) 

Landing any of the players in the top tier will result in weekly reliability and supreme overall point production. Very little separates those in this group, but Allen owns the coveted top ADP perch due to his ability to dominate both via the air and ground. 

Allen ranks inside the top 10 in all major QB projections at Sleeper: seventh in passing yards (4,035), fifth in rushing yards (550), second in rushing touchdowns (9) and 10th in passing touchdowns (27). The big issue is whether he can live up to his ADP despite the lack of a true WR1 on Buffalo’s roster. 

Landing Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl MVP, will typically result in a squad that will compete for a fantasy championship. The additions of WRs Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown (whose recent shoulder injury is something to monitor as the season nears) should help him rebound from a subpar statistical regular season – by his lofty standards – in 2023. 

Sleeper projects Mahomes to eclipse 4,000 yards passing (4,401) for the seventh consecutive season along with a league-leading 33 touchdown passes. It often goes overlooked that despite not owning the rushing prowess of Allen, Hurts or Jackson, Mahomes has quietly been effective on the ground, rushing for 1,436 yards and eight touchdowns over the last four seasons. 

Tier 2: Potential League-Winners  

  • C.J. Stroud, Texans (ADP 42.7 / QB5) 
  • Anthony Richardson, Colts (ADP 58.9 / QB6) 
  • Joe Burrow, Bengals (ADP 64.5 / QB7) 
  • Dak Prescott, Cowboys (ADP 74.5 / QB8) 
  • Kyler Murray, Cardinals (ADP 83.9 / QB9) 
  • Jordan Love, Packers (ADP 86 / QB10) 
  • Brock Purdy, 49ers (ADP 98.2 / QB11) 

Possessing arguably the NFL’s best WR trio of Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell catapults last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud, to the top of Tier 2. Despite having very similar projections to Mahomes, the second-year talent comes off the board several rounds later. Sleeper projects Stroud to be tied with Mahomes on TD passes while predicting only a 34-yard difference in passing yards (4,367) between the two. 

Despite a limited NFL sample size, Richardson is coming off the board well ahead of many proven NFL QBs. He may have suffered a season-ending shoulder injury just four games into his rookie campaign last year, but he has vowed not to shy away from using his legs. Sleeper is a believer A-Rich will not change the way he plays the game, projecting the second-most rushing rushing touchdowns (9) among all QBs (tied with Hurts). He is easily the biggest boom-or-bust selection at the quarterback position in 2024. 

Sitting at QB10, Love earns “best value” status in Tier 2. Along with the addition of Josh Jacobs in the backfield, Green Bay possesses an emerging wideout corps of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks. In his second full season since taking over for Aaron Rodgers, the former Utah State standout ranks among sneaky picks to earn league MVP honors due to the hope that he will surpass last season’s impressive production of 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. 

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Tier 3: Late-Round Options 

  • Caleb Williams, Bears (ADP 102.8 / QB12) 
  • Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins (ADP 107.7 / QB13) 
  • Jared Goff, Lions (ADP 112 / QB14) 
  • Jayden Daniels, Commanders (ADP 115.6 / QB15) 
  • Justin Herbert, Chargers (ADP 120.9 / QB16) 
  • Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (ADP 127.9 / QB17) 
  • Kirk Cousins, Falcons (ADP 134.6 / QB18) 
  • Matthew Stafford, Rams (ADP 137.8 / QB19) 
  • Aaron Rodgers, Jets (ADP 141.1 / QB20) 

Among this tier, fantasy managers should be more than content to roll out Goff, Tagovailoa or Lawrence as a starting option. 

Goff, who finished second in passing yards (4,575) and fourth in touchdowns (30) last season, continues to get overlooked by managers despite piloting a high-powered Lions’ offense that ranked fifth in points scored (461). He checks in with Sleeper’s fourth-highest passing yard projection (4,207) while tied for sixth in passing touchdowns (29). If you wait on the position, don’t be afraid to tab Goff as your QB1 thanks to having two elite weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. 

Despite the alluring upside potential of Williams and Daniels, the two rookies project as backup stashes as opposed to early starting options in redraft leagues. If you invest in one, aim to pair them with veteran options such as Cousins, Stafford or Rodgers in the late rounds. 

Bonus: The Deep Sleeper 

A player outside Sleeper’s top 20 who projects as a low-risk/high-reward late-round stash option is QB24 Will Levis (ADP 201). The second-year signal-caller, who often goes undrafted in 12-team leagues, could very well exceed expectations in 2024. The Titans added veteran wideouts Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to form a reputable aerial attack with DeAndre Hopkins while also signing RB Tony Pollard to help Levis take the next step in his NFL progression. 

Thanks to the plethora of veteran and rookie talent across the league at the position, fantasy managers will be afforded the opportunity to land solid QBs throughout all points of drafts this summer. That means you can afford to wait on the position and deploy your premium draft capital elsewhere, should you so choose – and should your league’s scoring settings deem that a worthwhile tactic.

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