2017 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
Jason Bantle follow @jasonwbantle Last Updated: May 14, 2017.
- Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
- Last year I said Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers are 2A and 2B behind Cam Newton. This year I feel like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are 1A and 1B. I'll give the landslide edge to Rodgers at the moment because I believe Rodgers has been a top 3 quarterback more consistently over the years than Brady during the regular season, but you honestly cannot go wrong with either quarterback at this point.
- Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
- Tom Brady will start all 16 games barring the Madden Jinx. This may be Brady's best season since 2007-2008. Brady has more weapons than usual along with a fantastic supporting cast as the Patriots attempt to repeat in 2017-2018 ten years after Brady's career season where the Patriots finished 18-1 after starting 18-0.
- Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers
- The 2015 MVP could have a comeback year in 2017. Newton has a lot of targets to throw to and his duel threat ability makes him a threat in Fantasy Leagues. I won my league with Newton on my team last season.
- Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jameis Winston is primed for a career season in his third year. I love Winston this season as a quarterback option because I believe next season he takes that next step and finally puts himself in the conversation with elite quarterbacks.
- Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders
- Derek Carr became a top 20 quarterback after his rookie season. He looked like a top 15 quarterback on the brink of developing into a top 12 quarterback with his play down the stretch. He played like a top 10 quarterback in 2016 until he got injured. Now in 2017, Carr finally takes that next step and ascends into a top 5 quarterback with Carr entering a contract year with the Oakland Raiders.
- Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
- Drew Brees is still going to be a top 10 quarterback in Fantasy Leagues. He's done some godly things for a quarterback his age, but 2017 may finally be the year where he begins to slightly decline. He's still an elite quarterback, but he may finish the year a top 10 quarterback rather than a top 5 quarterback.
- Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
- Seattle didn't upgrade the protection for Russell Wilson on the offensive line. Wilson may not play like a top 5 quarterback, but his duel threat ability makes him a top 10 quarterback.
- Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts
- Andrew Luck has a ton of weapons back and showed he could stay healthy for the most part in 2016. Luck has top 5 potential, but he threw too many interceptions last season to warrant top 5 consideration. He's still a top 10 quarterback easily though.
- Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
- Matt Ryan made huge strides last year. There is a chance he regresses slightly without Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator. Even without Shanahan he's still a top 10 quarterback.
- Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans
- Marcus Mariota got the offensive tackles in 2016. He finally got his number one receiver in Corey Davis and may be poised for a career season like Winston and I think Mariota has a chance to develop into a top 10 quarterback this season.
- Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Nobody has more weapons at their disposal than Big Ben. There is a very good chance he misses a game or two due to injury. I would not feel confident in investing an early pick in him but early in the season, if he is healthy, he is a great pick and has the potential to be the top QB every week with Brown and Bell.
- Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
- Andy Dalton took huge strides before his injury in 2015. A.J. Green's injury kept him from playing his best down the stretch. Green will be 100 percent this year plus the additions of Tyler Boyd in year 2 plus rookies John Ross and Joe Mixon make Dalton even more lethal than ever in the passng game. I don't trust the offensive line for Cincinnati, but this is easily the best supporting cast of playmakers that Dalton has to work with.
- Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Blake Bortles should be better with Leonard Fournette in the backfield. Throwing on cover 3 defenses was a problem for Bortles last year, but he did well statistically despite getting a lot of touchdowns in garbage time.
- Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins
- Kirk Cousins has an excellent offensive line. Cousins lost some weapons, but he should play like a top 15 quarterback in 2017-2018.
- Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
- Prescott has one of the best offensive lines. Right tackle may be an issue, but Dallas has the weapons for the most part to dominate with Prescott for the next three seasons. Expect Prescott to grow and get better over the next three years after a brilliant rookie season.
- Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
- Stafford showed a lot of leadership in 2016, so I expect Stafford to be solid, but not spectacular in 2017. Stafford has weapons to throw to on this offense and will make his fair share of big plays. I don't think he will be clutch like last year when you consider how tough Detroit's schedule is to open the year. It's a lot like 2015 when Stafford faced the Chargers, Vikings, Broncos, Seahawks, and Cardinals to open the season when Detroit started 0-5.
- Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
- Philip Rivers has Keenan Allen back from an injury. The Chargers also got Mike Williams in the 2017 NFL Draft. Rivers could end up having another big year with all the weapons the Chargers have now. The Chargers are going to be in a lot of shootouts if this team stays healthy in 2017.
- Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
- Eli Manning has more weapons then ever before. The Giants neglected the offensive line while all the pass rushing units in the NFC East got stronger. That and Eli's constant turnovers are the drawbacks to drafting Manning even if he has a career season and puts everything together with Odell Beckham Jr. Brandon Marshall, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard.
- Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins
- The Dolphins saw lots of success with Ryan Tanehill under Adam Gase. Tannehill has the weapons on offense at wide receiver to put together another big season under gase and could be a good late round addition.
- Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills
- Tyrod Taylor has played smart during his time in Buffalo. He's not a guy who wows you in clutch situations though. Maybe Tyrod will put everything together in 2017, but I have my doubts at this point.
- Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
- Smith is a good game manager for Kansas City who can provide solid production in Fantasy Leagues. Patrick Mahomes is a project and I don't see him succeeding in the NFL, so I'm not worried about Smith losing his job at this point.
- Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals
- Carson Palmer has Larry Fitzgerald along with a potent offensive line. Carson Palmer could finally regress this season, or he could end up being one of the biggest steals in all of Fantasy this season.
- Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
- Wentz did well as a rookie. Wentz has a chance to take off, but I expect more of the same from Wentz in his second season with him having to keep the Eagles in games. Someone on this offense is going to get injured and that will make things difficult for Wentz, but he's good when everyone on the offense is completely healthy.
- Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans
- Deshaun Watson may end up starting right away. Watson was my favorite quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft and he enters a great situation in Houston.
- DeShone Kizer, QB, Cleveland Browns
- After Watson, the other rookie I like at quarterback is DeShone Kizer. Trubisky is walking into a bad situation, and I'm not high on Patrick Mahomes at this point. Kizer may not make much of an impact, but you can stash him in dynasty leagues.
Draft Utopia 2017 Fantasy Football Rankings