The Top Ten Dynasty Fantasy Football Quarterbacks

Gone are the days when you could assume that the top ten in dynasty quarterbacks included the likes of Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger. Aaron Rodgers is still around, but he’s slowly making his way out too. Instead, thanks to the past few years draft classes we primarily have some new kids on the block.

This top ten will not be my personal top ten, but rather the top ten according to DLF’s consensus quarterback rankings.  Let’s examine if they’re staying in the neighborhood for a long time.

Patrick Mahomes, KC

There may be some argument here, and honestly, between these first two players, I wouldn’t fight you no matter how you ranked them. However, I agree that Mahomes should still be the first dynasty quarterback off the board. Since he became the primary starter for the Chiefs, Mahomes has put up QB1 seasons in both overall points and points per game. In fact, in 2018 he led the next closest in points-per-game by over four points.

He was not quite the same this season, as he only managed to finish as the QB7. However, he was the QB5 in points-per-game. Back-to-back seasons in the top five quarterbacks on a points-per-game basis before entering his age-25 season has Mahomes solidified as one of the top spots for years to come.

Lamar Jackson, BAL

Jackson set the fantasy world ablaze this season with his speed and ability to put up a ton of fantasy points. He followed the Mahomes career path, putting up a QB1 overall season in his sophomore season and scoring over five points per game more than the next highest-scoring quarterback.

The only thing holding Jackson back from the top spot at the moment is he doesn’t have the track record that Mahomes has. However, if you look at how he performed after the Ravens bye in 2018, he was the QB12 between weeks 11 and 16 of his rookie season. Add in the fact that Jackson is only entering his age-23 season in 2020, and it’s not hard to see why so many are excited about him.  Barring injuries, these two will be battling it out for top-five dynasty quarterback spots for many years.

Deshaun Watson, HOU

In some ways, I feel bad for Watson. If not for Mahomes and Jackson, we would likely be talking about him as the top dynasty quarterback.  He now has back-to-back finishes as the QB4 overall in 2018, and QB3 overall in 2019. Additionally, if you look at his rookie season before he tore his ACL, he was the QB2 in both overall points and points-per-game in 2018 between weeks one and eight.

Still, if Watson is your QB1 on your dynasty teams, you’re likely very happy with that. He’s only about to enter his age-25 season, and has one of the game’s best receivers to throw to for at least the next three seasons. These guys will make up the top three for the foreseeable future, and after them, I believe there is a clear tier break.

Russell Wilson, SEA

If you’ve followed me work for any time at all, you’ll know that Wilson is my favorite quarterback in the entire league. Wilson is one of six quarterbacks to have 29,000 or more passing yards in the first eight seasons of his career. If you add in his rushing totals, he’s third in total offense behind only Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan.

For fantasy purposes, Wilson was the QB1 overall in 2017, QB10 overall in 2018, and QB5 overall in 2019. Just imagine if the Seahawks actually got him an offensive line ever. The only thing holding him back from the same tier as the players above is his age. He’ll be 32 entering the 2020 season. That said, he’s signed with the Seahawks until at least 2023 and we’ve seen plenty of other quarterbacks play well into their late 30s.

Dak Prescott, DAL

How far we’ve come from this article I wrote back in March 2019 detailing how Prescott was being undervalued as the QB12. Over the last four seasons now, Prescott has finished as the QB6, QB11, QB14, and QB4. He’s not quite as reliable as the other guys, but the addition of Amari Cooper and breakout of Michael Gallup has done great things for his fantasy stock.

There are some minor issues that need to be resolved this off-season for Prescott though. He needs a new contract, Cooper needs a new contract, and while it’s not official yet at the time of this writing, the Cowboys likely need a new head coach. Prescott will also be entering his age 27 season, so he’s not quite as young as the first three guys discussed in this article. Still, he should be someone who will provide your dynasty teams yearly QB1 numbers for a while.

Kyler Murray, ARI

If you drafted Murray this year, you’re likely very happy with your decision. Murray decided to spurn baseball for football, and while it didn’t result in many wins for the Arizona Cardinals, it resulted in a great fantasy season. Murray finished as the QB10 on the season and he was only one point separated from finishing as the QB8.

Considering this was Kliff Kingsbury’s first year as coach and Murray will only be 23 next season, the future is very bright.  Don’t be shocked to see some Cardinals offensive players breakout next year with Murray one of the primary factors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top five by the end of the next season.

Aaron Rodgers, GB

Rodgers – along with Wilson – is one of the few holdovers from the old guard. Rodgers would likely still be in my top ten personally, but I’m not sure that I would put him as high as number seven. It’s crazy when we are talking about a man who just passed for over 4,000 yards as a 36-year-old as being in decline, but Rodgers touchdown numbers have dipped greatly since 2016.

This may be the fault of the offense more than Rodgers himself, but entering age 37 next season, it may be time to question how much longer Rodgers can keep this up for. That said, I still believe he has another couple of seasons left. The main reason he may drop out of the top ten isn’t so much his own ability as an influx of young talent at the position.

Josh Allen, BUF

It wasn’t long ago that whenever you talked about Allen, people would make some jokes at his expense.  I guess finishing as the QB6 in overall points and QB11 in points per game can cure anyone of those sorts of thoughts. Additionally, while he didn’t have a great overall finish in 2018, if you look at his numbers after the Bills’ bye he was very impressive. In the five-game sample to end the season between weeks 12 and 16, he was the QB2 in both overall points and points per game.

I mean no disrespect to John Brown, but when you look at the Bills’ receiving corps, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Just imagine how high Allen’s fantasy prospects could go if the Bills draft or sign him more weapons. He should be a mainstay in the top ten as well, and at this point, I would take him over Rodgers personally due to age alone.

Baker Mayfield, CLE

Last year at this time, I’m pretty sure Mayfield was at minimum a top-five quarterback for dynasty purposes. That’s what happens when you break rookie touchdown records.  In 2018, Mayfield was the QB18 in both overall points and on a points-per-game basis. However, from week four on, Mayfield was the QB11 on a total points basis and many were excited at his prospects as the Browns added Odell Beckham to the mix this off-season.

Unfortunately, pretty much everything went wrong for the Browns that could this season resulting in yet another head coaching search. Mayfield also regressed in just about every measurable quarterback metric that you can think of.  That said, it’s hard to tell how much was Mayfield’s fault, and how much was on the playcalling. Mayfield finished 2019 as a middling QB2, but he will only be 25 going into 2020. If he demonstrates some of the upside from his rookie season, he’ll cement his spot in the top ten. If he repeats his sophomore season, I’d expect him to drop out at the very least to the teens.

Carson Wentz, PHI

For greater detail on what I thought about Wentz heading into this season, make sure you check out this article. He managed to return to form this season, finishing as the QB8 overall on the season. He was only QB14 in points-per-game, but in a season where quarterbacks couldn’t seem to stay healthy availability mattered.

Even more impressive is that Wentz put up these numbers with limited receiving options. Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert provided good outlets, but when the season includes targeting Greg Ward 40 times, you know things didn’t go as planned. Wentz will be entering his age-28 season and does have some injury concerns but I believe he’ll be a top ten dynasty option for at least a few more seasons.

There you have it. I’m surprised by how much I agree with the consensus. That said, my personal rankings would likely find a way to get Jared Goff into the top ten despite the down season. He certainly would be in a similar tier with Wentz, Mayfield, and Rodgers at least. If you want to discuss my thoughts on these consensus rankings, you can find me @RekedFantasy on Twitter.