Fantasy Football 2019 Tier Quarterback Rankings

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks: Top QB1’s

This group of quarterbacks are the back-end of my top 11. There’s a separation between them and my top four but it’s not much.

Jared Goff, LAR

Goff has three great wide receivers to throw to in Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Gerald Everett is a sleeper tight end and Todd Gurley is still one of the best when healthy. Goff had his first 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown season last year.

With Gurley moving into more of a timeshare role, Goff will likely be passing the ball more. It’ll be hard to know which pass catcher will have the big game so why not draft the guy throwing it and reap all of the rewards?

Goff is a low-end QB1 in 12-team leagues.

Carson Wentz, PHI

Can Wentz stay healthy? That’s the question fantasy football owners need to ask themselves when looking to draft him. He’s got all of the weapons to make him great but needs to stay on the field.

Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, DeSean Jackson, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Darren Sproles and a few others will all be receiving passes from Wentz. Looking at the guys ranked ahead of him, Wentz could finish in the top 10. He has the potential to throw for 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Russell Wilson, SEA

From 2012 to 2017, Wilson saw an increase in pass attempts. Last year as a down year as the offense changed. We may see the same regression this year. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are his top wide receivers. I don’t like their tight end options to be consistent and the running backs can’t stay healthy.

Wilson may have to go back to using his legs like he did in 2014 and 2015. He is in my top 10 because of the upside but with everyone else improving around him, he may be outside of that come Week 17.

Cam Newton, CAR

Newton is dealing with a shoulder injury but could be ready by Week 1. He hasn’t posted a 4,000-yard passing season since his rookie year. Newton had 24 touchdowns last season, the most since 2015.

He’s got a few pass catchers that can help his numbers, DJ Moore, Jarius Wright, Chris Hogan, Torrey Smith and Greg Olsen. Christian McCaffrey also plays a big part in the passing game, catching 107 passes last year.

Newton will need to protect the ball a bit more under center if he wants to be a top-fiver quarterback. If he’s healthy, fantasy owners can rely on him this season.

Drew Brees, NO

Brees failed to throw for 4,000 yards in a season for the first time since 2005. He still threw for 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions, showing that he’s still one of the smartest decision makers in the game.

Having a pass-catching trio of Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook helps a bit. He also has Ted Ginn, Josh Hill, Keith Kirkwood and Tre’Quan Smith as a supporting cast.

Having a running duo of Kamara and Latavius Murray may limit Brees’ pass attempts but he is still a reliable fantasy quarterback. I’m just not sure if a buy the eight-round ADP.

Baker Mayfield, CLE

Everyone is on the Browns bandwagon this season. The offense improved and the defense got even better. In his rookie season, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also rushed 39 times for 131 yards.

With Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Nick Chugg and Duke Johnson, Mayfield will have a lot of playmakers to help him out. The downside is that the defense may limit opposing scoring, forcing the Browns to run the ball to control the clock.

Mayfield has the second-highest ceiling of the sophomore quarterbacks, but his floor is a bit lower too.

Matt Ryan, ATL

If we’re talking consistency, Ryan needs to be a part of the conversation. Since joining the league in 2008, he’s missed just two games and that was in his second season. Last year, Ryan threw an insane 608 passes. That will obviously not happen again so temper expectations.

Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley are a dangerous wide receiver trio. Add in Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman and the Falcons have one of the best overall offenses.

Ryan’s 35-8 TD-INT differential last year was the second-best of his career. Ryan can still post big-game numbers. He had six games with at least three touchdowns last year and six total in the prior three seasons.