Fantasy football (and regular football, I guess) is starting up soon, and I’ll be here to give you, the reader, my comprehensive rankings for each position. Here’s a little explanation of the above graphic. I was trying to think of some out-of-the-box ideas for this cover, so I thought of the meaning of fantasy. What’s more fantastical than Saquon Barkley, but as a dragon? That’s an unstoppable force, which is the definition of Saquon this year. Anyway, I’ll start by ranking current quarterbacks by their fantasy value.

No disrespect to Watson and Luck (who I blurred out on purpose), but Patrick Mahomes is the clear alpha of the QB landscape. Nobody comes close in real-life or fantasy value as far as quarterbacks go. So it should be no surprise that my #1 fantasy QB for 2019 is…

*All ages are at the time of the writing of this article

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Age: 23 

Bye: Week 12 

Points last season (PPR): 417.0

Is this even debatable? Mahomes was stellar last year, throwing for 50 TDs and 5,097 passing yards. Patty will sit atop this list for years to come. 

 

2. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

Age: 23

Bye: Week 10

Points last season (PPR): 331.9

Watson is young and has the perfect composure for an NFL player. Combine those traits with his athleticism, and he’s the perfect QB. Having DeAndre Hopkins out wide won’t hurt either. He’ll give you at least 4,000 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 500 rushing yards, and 5 rushing TDs. That’ll add up to him being the second best quarterback in fantasy football. 

 

3. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Age: 29

Bye: Week 6

Points last season (PPR): 327.1

Luck finished 5th in scoring for quarterbacks last season in his first year back. Imagine what he can do this season back in his comfort zone with the addition of WR Devin Funchess. The Colts are loaded, and that fact should be reflected in Luck’s fantasy outlook.

 

4. Aaron Rodgers

Age: 35

Bye: Week 11

Points last season (PPR): 312.5

Rodgers had a “down” year last season (along with the rest of the team), even though he finished 6th in scoring. An improved Green Bay defense should give Rodgers more opportunities to shine this season, though, and RB Aaron Jones is scheduled to play a full season. A-Rod may never return to his peak, but he’ll always be prolific. 

 

5. Drew Brees 

Age: 40

Bye: Week 9

Points last season (PPR): 303.8

With Mark Ingram’s departure, I expect the Saints to lean more on the passing game. Sure, Brees is getting older, but 1. He’s Drew Brees, 2. He has Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, and 3. He’s Drew Brees. Despite the decrease in production towards the end of last season, don’t bet against this legend. 

 

6. Matt Ryan

Age: 34 

Bye: Week 9

Points last season (PPR): 354.0

Despite the Falcons injury-plagued, generally unsuccessful season, Matty Ice finished 2nd in scoring. Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley are studs, and Matty knows how to utilize them. Add a healthy Devonta Freeman and a revamped O-Line to the picture and you have the weapons that an elite fantasy QB requires. 

 

7. Tom Brady

Age: 41 

Bye: Week 10

Points last season (PPR): 280.4

Despite his fantasy ranking from last season being twice the number I have him at now, I had a hard time thinking Tom Brady should be any lower than here. The GOAT is the definition of what solidity. If you need a QB that will drop a 15-20 points every single week, then he’s your guy. It could be a season where the Patriots emphasize the run game, but how can you go wrong by drafting Tom Brady?

 

8. Russell Wilson 

Age: 30

Bye: Week 11

Points last season (PPR): 298.4

This 140 million dollar man (he recently signed a record-breaking extension) has developed into more of a pocket passer as the years have gone by. He didn’t score a rushing TD last season, but he threw for 35. I’ve heard worries about Wilson’s production after the departure of Doug Baldwin, but Baldwin was a shell of himself last year anyway due to injury. If DK Metcalf pans out, then Wilson will benefit. That may not happen this year, but, like Brady, how can you go wrong with Russell Wilson?

 

9. Jared Goff 

Age: 24

Bye: Week 9

Points last season (PPR): 310.3

Goff has broken out the past two seasons. In an offense with Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp, how could he not? Expect this Sean McVay product to keep on growing. 

 

10. Baker Mayfield 

Age: 24 

Bye: Week 7

Points last season (PPR): 240.0

Aside from Mahomes, I don’t think any young signal-caller has a brighter future than this kid. He has the guts, grit, and gun (arm, actually) to be a star. Oh, and his weapons? Not too shabby. Cleveland added OBJ to a receiving core that already boasted Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and Antonio Callaway. Buckle up fantasy owners because this should be fun. 

 

11. Ben Roethlisberger 

Age: 37 

Bye: Week 7 

Points last season (PPR): 341.0

Big Ben led the league in passing yards and finished 3rd in fantasy scoring last season. So then why should he be 11th in these rankings? Two letters. AB. Antonio Brown accounted for nearly 1,300 of those passing yards last season. Sure, JuJu Smith-Schuster had over 1,400 yards, but that was with Brown drawing the defense’s attention. Will Smith-Schuster be able to handle the spotlight? That remains to be seen, but even if he can, that’s just one viable target. Ben is a legend, but this won’t be his greatest fantasy season. 

 

12. Dak Prescott 

Age: 25

Bye: Week 8

Points last season (PPR): 285.7

Dak is a great leader and has led the Cowboys to three successful seasons so far. However, he’s not a premiere fantasy prospect. You can probably expect a baseline of 3,500 passing yards, 23 passing TDs, 300 rushing yards, and 6 rushing TDs. The passing numbers could rise with a full season of Amari Cooper, though, so Prescott is a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in my book. 

 

13. Philip Rivers 

Age: 37

Bye: Week 12

Points last season (PPR): 284.9

Here we have another QB who’s years left in the league are numbered. Rivers, Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger, and even Rodgers and Ryan are aging, but like the rest of these vets, Rivers still has a lot of gas in the tank. TE Hunter Henry will be slotted back into a passing attack that already boasts Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. He’ll be a solid backup QB on any fantasy roster.

 

14. Kirk Cousins 

Age: 30

Bye: Week 12

Points last season (PPR): 282.1

Last year, I was very high on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings in general. He has two top-tier receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, but not much else. Kyle Rudolph, Dalvin Cook, and their O-Line disappointed last season. If Minnesota rebounds and jumps to the status they’re supposed to be at, then Cousins could be a top 10 QB. If not, stash him on the bench for the season. 

 

15. Cam Newton 

Age: 30

Bye: Week 7

Points last season (PPR): 282.6

Newton has peaked as the top QB in fantasy, but don’t expect those days to return. All sorts of rumors of shoulder issues swirled about the Internet this NFL offseason. Pair that with a depleted receiving core and you have a team that will ride Christian McCaffrey the whole season. That’s wouldn’t be a good thing for Cam’s fantasy stock, so we should see a dismal year from Newton fantasy-wise. 

 

16. Carson Wentz 

Age: 26

Bye: Week 10

Points last season (PPR): 192.4

Less than two years ago, Carson Wentz was on top of the world as an MVP candidate for the 2017 season. Then, he tore his ACL. Last season, he started just 11 games and was sidelined for Nick Foles in the playoffs. This year, it’s hard to expect what we’ll see. Foles is gone, but can Wentz return to his former stature? That remains to be seen, but for now keep him on your bench and watch him closely. 

 

17. Matthew Stafford 

Age: 31

Bye: Week 5

Points last season (PPR): 212.1

Since the departure of Megatron, Stafford just hasn’t been the same. Now, Golden Tate is gone, too. This leaves Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay as the top targets in Detroit, but they’re not the same as the previous two talents. The Lions will most likely dub Kerryon Johnson as their workhorse RB this year, leading to a decrease in Stafford’s production. He’ll be a good bye week starter, but Stafford should scarcely start in most leagues. 

 

18. Mitchell Trubisky 

Age: 24

Bye: 

Points last season (PPR):

This former #2 overall pick enters his second year in Matt Nagy’s system. He was solid last year, but he can definitely grow even more. If Allen Robinson can stay on the field, then that would be a huge boost for Trubisky. This kid has the talent, weapons, and now experience in the system to thrive this season. He has big sleeper potential, so he’s someone else to stash on the bench. 

 

19. Derek Carr 

Age: 28

Bye: Week 6

Points last season (PPR): 215.8

Carr has had ups and downs through his 5-year career, and this year should be an up. The Raiders added Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams, two of the best receivers Carr has ever had. Carr may never be a top-flight fantasy QB, but he’s at least a good bye week starter for this season and beyond. 

 

20. Lamar Jackson

Age: 22

Bye: Week 8

Points last season (PPR): 157.8

Jackson was QB13 in the seven game span that he started. This was in no part because of his passing ability. You can usually expect about 150 passing yards and a passing TD from him in each game, or 10 fantasy points. That’s pretty garbage, but what he does on the ground bolsters his fantasy performance. He can explode for 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on any given night, which would boost his total to 26 points when added to his likely passing totals. He should be on your late-round radar. 

So, there’s the fantasy landscape for quarterbacks this season. However, the RBs and WRs come first in every draft. Those will come next on this blog, and they’re the most important. Stay tuned.

-Sam