Fantasy football: 2019 early quarterback rankings

Tier 4

Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

This tier would be aptly named the “steady tier.” These quarterbacks might not win you a league, but they won’t lose you one either. They will consistently produce in the 15-25 point range on a weekly basis. If you do not grab a quarterback in the Top 3 tiers, the best strategy would be to wait until a double-digit round and take one of these instead. Jimmy Garoppolo is higher here than in most rankings you will see, and that is again due to his upside. With his new wide receivers and running backs and the innovative Kyle Shanahan as coach, Garoppolo could turn into one of the best values in fantasy drafts in 2019.

Tier 5

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Sam Darnold, New York Jets

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars

Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

The first names in this tier made it appear that it should be called the “running quarterback tier.” In reality, many of these quarterbacks do gain value due to the fact that they rush for significant yardage, but they are all in this group due to their limited upside or, in some cases, potential downside. They are limited in upside either due to their own lack of abilities to throw for significant yardage, as seems to be the case for Lamar Jackson, or, as in Sam Darnold’s case, by his surrounding cast on offense. Each could be a steady quarterback taken near the ends of drafts, but they could also lose a week for your team by putting up two points. Cam Newton is included in this tier because of the unknown situation with his shoulder, but otherwise he would be in tier four.

Tier 6

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Dwayne Haskins, Washington Redskins

Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins

Joe Flacco, Denver Broncos

Eli Manning, New York Giants

This would be called “the desperate tier.” Many owners will have to roster these quarterbacks, since in two-quarterback leagues every quarterback is rostered, but it won’t be much fun. The players above should be avoided if at all possible. In the long-term Dwayne Haskins has some upside, and it is possible Josh Rosen does as well, but they should only be options in dynasty leagues. This year should be ugly for the players in this tier, or there is the risk they will be benched for a rookie if they struggle, as is the case for Joe Flacco and Eli Manning.

Kevin Scott is a fantasy veteran and plays in over 30 leagues per year. He has made a profit in 10 years running and can be followed @champofantasy.