Major offseason moves including Hollywood Brown to the Chiefs and Stefon Diggs to the Texans should dramatically change the fantasy landscape in 2024.
How far should Stroud jump and Allen drop down with the addition of Diggs? How high could a healthy Matthew Stafford finish with Kupp and Nacua? Can conservative picks on loaded rosters (like Brock Purdy and Jared Goff) end the season as top-5 fantasy quarterbacks?
These are just some of the questions we address with our top 10 fantasy QB rankings.
Mahomes finished as the QB8 last season averaging just 18.4 PPG in most fantasy football formats. With the addition of Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown alongside an upgraded offensive line, Mahomes should be the favorite to finish the year as the QB1, something he’s done twice in his career. With the additional depth as the main source, expect a much better season than 27 TDs and 14 INTs from the Super Bowl MVP.
Finally playing a season from start to end, Lamar Jackson proved doubters wrong last season finishing as the QB4 and leading Baltimore to the AFC Championship game where they fell flat. Jackson gets King Henry as a running partner in the backfield which ultimately could open up some more running room for himself. While Henry will take some goal-line opportunities, look for a more creative, multi-threat Ravens offense that should allow LJ to put together his first 30 TD campaign since 2020.
After a QB11 finish in 2023 with 23 TDs and just 5 interceptions, why can’t CJ Stroud finish as a top 5 QB in fantasy with a receiving core of Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins at his disposal in a weak AFC South? While QB3 is a stretch for many, I don’t see a world where Stroud takes a step back - or even sideways this season. The 2nd-year QB ticking his PPG up from 18.7 to the 20 range would automatically put him inside the top four/five at the position.
With Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown joined by Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts is another player that shouldn’t take a step back in 2024. Jalen has gone QB9/QB3/QB2 since taking the starting job in Philly and although 2023 was a disappointing season for many, Hurts knows how to make a proper comeback. 15 rush TDs is too much to ask for with Barkley now on the team, but look for Jalen’s YPA and deep connections to catapult him into the top QB conversation once again.
A QB5 2023 campaign for Jordan Love came out of nowhere. With a full year of incredible play under his belt with a deep receiving core and the new addition of Josh Jacobs bringing some fresh groundwork, the Packers' offense hasn’t been in a better spot since Rodgers’ MVP years. In the last eight weeks of the season, Love had 20 total TDs to just 1 INT - that’s pretty good.
This would be Allen’s worst fantasy finish since his second year in 2019, but ultimately the Bills are weaker than ever. With the loss of Diggs and Davis, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Curtis Samuel are their top three wideouts and although Dalton Kincaid will pick up some of those lost targets, it feels like the Bills as a whole could be a team that’s left out of the playoff race in a tight AFC. Allen turned the ball over 22 times last season which needs some cleaning up.
After back-to-back top 10 seasons, Jared Goff makes our top 10 list with flying colors. JG threw for 30 TDs last season and that number should keep trending upward in an NFC North division that is getting more and more offensive-minded. Especially if Jameson Williams takes a step in the right direction or Detroit finds another wideout to compete for targets, watch out because this offense is as explosive as they come.
Purdy averaged a quiet 19.2 PPG last season and finished as the QB6 in his first full season as starting Quarterback for San Francisco. With Aiyuk, Deebo, CMC, and Kittle back alongside draftees Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, Purdy is in a position to throw for 30 TDs with his eyes closed once again. For best ball lovers, Purdy is a great selection at a discounted price - he had three games with 4+ passing TDs last season (2nd to Dak).
Surprise, surprise, the Rams veteran just cracks our top 10 list. Finishing 2023 with just 24 passing TDs, I’d expect Sean McVay to take a look at Stafford’s missed red zone opportunities and reconstruct some of the play calling in order for the Super Bowl winning QB to get Puka and Kupp 1v1 opportunities in scoring positions more this season. 16 TDs and 4 INTs in his last seven games of the season, the Rams went 6-1 to end the season with their only loss coming in OT at Baltimore. That momentum should carry into 2024 for McVay’s squad regardless of the playoff loss at Detroit.
It’s mighty quiet in the desert and that’s about to change. Kyler Murray is finally healthy and the upside in this new-look Cardinals offense is limitless. James Conner and Trey Benson will give defenses issues as Murray looks to execute RPOs, while Marvin Harrison Jr. adds an element to this offense that hasn’t been seen since Larry Fitzgerald held the WR1 role. Trey McBride will be huge early in the season so Kyler can get his footing and comfortability back on the field. Remember, he averaged 18.9 PPG last season after coming back from injury.
Redraft fantasy players will tell you the key to winning your league is to lock in a top 10 QB and build around them with high-value players at RB and WR. However, for Best Ball fantasy players, the key is to nail a high-upside QB2 pick. Here are a few names we're targeting in 2024 Best Ball drafts:
Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze as a receiving core? Sign me up. Caleb Williams is coming into his rookie season with the best receiving core a #1 pick has had this century. If Stroud could throw for 23 TDs and finish as the QB11 last season with Robert Woods and Nico Collins as his primary targets, Williams can reach that mark with ease. Mistakes will come, but if Williams doesn’t finish inside the top 13 I would be shocked.
This ranking is mostly predicated on the injury concern, but if we strip that layer away for a moment, Richardson has top-five potential as one of the most physical QBs we’ve seen in recent memory. With four rush TDs in just three games of play last season before the injury, AR could produce historic rushing numbers at the position but the question remains, can he stay out of harm's way on the field?
While we wouldn’t suggest drafting either Fields or fellow Steelers QB Russ Wilson in your redraft, Fields provides interesting best ball value as a QB2/3. Without much to lose, both Pittsburgh throwers are bound to have bounce-back seasons but with only so many selections in fantasy football drafts, it might be easier to stay away from the headache of choosing one. Fields provides rushing potential and should he start later in the season, could easily be a best ball winner.