2024 tier-based quarterback rankings

Tier 3: Talented quarterbacks with fantasy ?’s

6. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
7. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

All three of these guys I expect to be QB1s for fantasy. However, they all have questions for the 2024 season and may not have the ceiling that quarterbacks in the above tiers have.

Murray can be a fantasy star, as he has been in the past. The past two down seasons have been due to tearing his ACL 11 games into 2022. Right when he came back in Week 10 of 2023, Murray was good for fantasy. His elite rushing ability will bring him to QB1 status.

There are some worries about how scared he may be to run because of his past ACL tear, but I don’t think that’s a huge concern. Nonetheless, even though he’s a solid NFL passer, I don’t expect any elite passing numbers. The drafting of Marvin Harrison Jr. and expected breakout of Trey McBride will help, but Murray doesn’t have the ceiling to jump up to the elite tier. I still see Murray as a great value in drafts and he should finish as a middling QB1.

Stroud and Burrow are sort of the same type of fantasy quarterback. They are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL on high-powered offenses with great receivers. The problem is they are strictly pocket passers. They don’t look to run unless they absolutely have to, and when they scramble they keep their eyes peeled downfield looking for a receiver to get open. For real life, this is great, but it hurts their fantasy ceilings.

They should be good enough passing-wise to get them to the middling QB1 range, but don’t expect them to put up top-five fantasy quarterback seasons and their lack of rushing can lower them to QB2 status.

Tier 4: Great options for patient drafters

9. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
11. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
12. Brock Purdy, San Fransisco 49ers
13. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
14. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
15. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
16. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
17. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

All of these quarterbacks are going anywhere from the eighth round to the 12th round in drafts. There’s a reason for this. They are all going to be solid quarterback options, but most likely won’t be one that will win you your league. I expect most of these guys to finish very similar in total points come the end of the season. If you decide to wait on a quarterback to grab as many skill positions as you can, all of these guys are good prizes for waiting.

Daniels, Love and Prescott are the quarterbacks I would target the most if you wait for a quarterback. Daniels likely won’t have great success passing in his rookie season, but his rushing upside could make him a middling QB1 in his rookie season.

I think Love will only improve on his great first season as the starter for the Packers and is on a great young offense. He already finished as the QB5 in 2023. If he can have another mid-QB1 season, I would be comfortable having him a tier up moving forward.

Prescott is an interesting case. On one hand, I could see him deserving of being in the tier above this tier and finishing as a mid-QB1. He was the QB3 in 2023. However, his play was too inconsistent for me to have him higher than a low-end QB1. With that being said, I think he is a great target if you want to wait on a quarterback.

The rest of this tier — Purdy, Herbert, Goff, Cousins, Williams and Tagovailoa — are extremely close and for that reason, I am comfortable just grouping them up. I think you can be happy with any of these guys as your QB1. If waiting and drafting one of these quarterbacks as your QB1, there are ways to judge who to take over the others. Offensive efficiency, strength of schedule, or even making a stack from a wide receiver or tight end from one of these quarterback’s offenses that you took earlier can help.

For example, I would rather have Purdy or Goff out of this bunch due to how powerful their offense is. I would probably have Cousins a little higher if he wasn’t coming off an Achilles tear at his age, too. I also like the idea of pairing Daniels with one of these quarterbacks at the ninth and tenth or tenth and eleventh rounds.