Now that the 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end, we can look back and see which QBs lead fantasy line ups to championships? Some QBs were pretty close to my pre-season predictions, to my delight, but some were a bit of a surprise. Here are the Top 10 fantasy QBs for the 2024 season.
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Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (430 FPts, 25 FPts/G) – Jackson had yet another stellar season both on the field and in the fantasy world. I had Jackson ranked 4th pre-season, but his passing accuracy improvement boosted him to the top in 2024. His 4,172 passing yards ranked 6th in the NFL, but he also rushed for 915 yards and 4 TDs, breaking the all time rushing yards record for a QB along the way. Perhaps his most impressive stat was his 41 passing TDs, which was tied for 2nd in the NFL and only 2 behind the leader, to only 4 INTs. Jackson led his team to a AFC North division title, is a deserving candidate for league MVP and was fantasy’s QB1 for the 2024 season.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (379 FPts, 22 FPts/G) – Allen, my pre-season #1 ranked fantasy QB, is also a league MVP candidate (but I think Jackson should win the award), was 2nd in fantasy points among QBs, and his rushing TDs (12) were a big reason for that. He passed for significantly less yards than Jackson (3,731), less passing TDs (28) and had less rushing yards (531). He also hit the duds list 3 times. He did however, lead his team to an impressive 13-4 record (they lost the last game of the season with the starters out) to win the AFC East division title and earned the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (373 FPts, 22 FPts/G) – Due to his lack of running, I left Burrow off my pre-season top 10 fantasy QBs list. Boy did he prove me wrong. The Bengals had a really tough start to the season and subsequently ended up just missing the playoffs. Burrow himself did more than enough to win, but the defense let the Bengals down repeatedly. Burrow led the league in passing yards (4,918) and passing TDs (43). Had the Bengals had a better record, perhaps Burrow would get the votes for league MVP, but I don’t think he will. Regardless, he had another very good season for both the Bengals and fantasy owners.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (366 FPts, 21.5 FPts/G) – Mayfield was probably the biggest surprise fantasy QB of the season. He went from the 10th ranked fantasy QB in 2023, all the way to 4th in 2024, even with star WR Chris Godwin going down for the season with an injury in week 7. Mayfield has always had a bit of a gun slinger type personality throwing 10 INTs in 2023, and then increased that to 16 INTs in 2024, but still racked up plenty of fantasy points passing for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs and rushing for 378 yards and 3 TDs.
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Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (356 FPts, 21 FPts/G) – It use to be pretty rare that a rookie QB would start for their prospective team, let alone be a top 5 QB in the league. Daniels may be one of, if not the most NFL ready rookie QB I’ve ever seen. He reminds me of the former sensational rookie QB for Washington in 2012, Robert Griffin III, who had a similar body type and play style, but his career was cut short due to injuries. I’m really hoping that isn’t the same fate for Daniels, who passed for 3,568 yards and 25 TDs and rushed for 891 yards and 6 TDs in 2024. I’m predicting as of now that Daniels will be a top 3 fantasy QB in 2025.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (323 FPts, 19 FPts/G) – One year after Goff led the Rams to a losing effort in the Super Bowl, Los Angeles went to great lengths to trade him. Now he’s the QB for the NFC’s #1 seeded Detroit Lions, who may be the hottest offense in the NFL. Goff passed for the 2nd most yards in the NFL (4,629) and 37 TDs in 2024, and was a perfect 18 of 18 passing in week 4. His only down fall in fantasy is that he does very little running.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos – (316 FPts, 18.5 FPts/G) – Yet another rookie QB on the list. Nix being on the list is slightly misleading because he put up huge numbers in week 18, against Kansas City, who put out a pre-season-type-squad, having already locked up the #1 seed in the AFC. A majority of fantasy leagues had already finished, so his performance that week was kind of useless to most fantasy owners. Nonetheless, he was still impressive as a rookie, passing for 3,775 yards and 29 TDs, and rushed for 430 yards and 4 TDs, leading his team to a surprising playoff appearance.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (315 FPts, 21 FPts/G) – Hurts is the only QB in the top 10 to have missed any games. He missed the final 2 games in fact, in concussion protocol. His FPts/G ranked 5th in the NFL, a mere 1 point per game less than 2nd ranked Josh Allen. Hurts took a big hit early in his week 16 game, where he had only scored a little over 4 points before exiting for the remainder of the game. If you subtracted that game, he’d have the same FPts/G average as Allen. Hurts led the league among QBs in rushing TDs (14), and was 3rd in rushing yards (630). He also passed for 2,903 yards and 18 TDs.
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (308 FPts, 18 FPts/G ) – Prior to his dreadful performances in the last game of the season and the Vikings playoff loss, Darnold was the “Cinderella story” of the NFL this season. He was set to be the back up to rookie QB J.J. McCarthy when he came to Minnesota this past off season but McCarthy was injured prior to the start of the regular season, and was ruled out for the entirety of the season. So Darnold was given the nod at QB1 for the Vikes. He passed for a very respectable 4,319 yards, which was ranked 5th in the NFL, and 35 TDs for the season. From everything I read and hear though, it seems as if the last two games will be what people remember him by, going into the 2025 season.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (297 FPts, 17.5 FPts/G) – Had Murray not scored 28 fantasy points in week 18 in a virtually meaningless game against a depleted 49ers team, he probably finishes outside of the top 10. His athleticism is off the charts, but I just don’t trust him for an entire season in fantasy. He’s very inconsistent, so you can never really count on him to get the points each week your needing from your QB position. Even though he’s the prototype you’re looking for in a fantasy QB, he seems to regress throughout each season.
Quarterbacks I predicted to do well in 2024, but did NOT
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers – I had Purdy ranked #3 prior to the season. I kind of thought that might be high but I took a chance on him anyway.
The 49ers had the Super Bowl loss hangover going in 2024. They also were decimated with injuries on the offense. RB Christian McCaffrey missed the first 8 games, didn’t look good for 4 games, and then was out for the season. WR Brandon Aiyuk had a tough start and then suffered an injury in week 7 putting him out for the remainder of the season. WR Deebo Samuel looked like he lost a step and was rarely a contributor. All of the above were factors into Purdy’s somewhat disappointing season.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans – Stroud had the sophomore slump in 2024. I had him rounding out the top 5 in my pre-season predictions.
The Texans won their division by process of elimination (the Colts, Titans and Jaguars were all bad and not going to win the division), but Stroud just never looked comfortable. Houston will need to shore up the offensive line before I put Stroud in my pre-season top 10 predictions again.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs – I kept Mahomes in my top 10 prior to the season, really just because he’s Patrick Mahomes, ranking him 6th.
I had a feeling he would slide a bit in fantasy, but didn’t realize it would be to this degree. The Chiefs are relying more heavily on defense these days instead of just outscoring everyone. Until the Chiefs reload with some weapons, I’ll be keeping Mahomes off of top 10 prediction lists.
That’s a wrap on the top fantasy QBs of the 2024 season. I appreciate you stopping by! Let me know which QBs you like for the 2025 season in the comments below! I’ll be putting out my first top 10 prediction list some time soon after Super Bowl, so be sure to look for it!
Great breakdown of the top fantasy QBs for 2024! Lamar Jackson’s incredible season, both in passing and rushing, was definitely a highlight. It’s also impressive how Jayden Daniels made such an impact as a rookie, showing potential for a top-tier fantasy QB in the future. I agree with your take on Patrick Mahomes, as it seems like the Chiefs are shifting their focus. Can’t wait to see your predictions for the 2025 season! -Maksim V 🙂
Hello Maksim!
Thank you for taking a moment to leave a note! I truly appreciate it! I agree, Jackson was pretty incredible in 2024 and Jayden Daniels was very impressive as a rookie QB! Maybe more college quarterbacks will follow in Daniels’ footsteps and stay an extra year in college instead of rushing off to the pros.
I will be putting out predictions for the 2025 season for all positions soon, and will be updating those predictions all off-season, so be sure to look for those!
It’s fascinating to see how Lamar Jackson’s improvements in passing accuracy have led him to the top of the fantasy rankings this season, especially when considering the massive value of his rushing ability. His dual-threat nature makes him a fantasy goldmine, and it’s no surprise he’s being talked about as an MVP candidate. It’s also interesting to see Baker Mayfield’s jump from 10th to 4th — his strong performance despite Chris Godwin’s injury really stands out. I’m curious, though, if you think Lamar can keep up his passing improvement next year, or if his fantasy production might start to plateau with teams adjusting to his evolving game?
Hey Charles!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note! I appreciate you taking the time to give me your thoughts!
Great question regarding Lamar Jackson! I do believe he’ll plateau in fantasy production, but his plateau is up at the top. Teams have been trying to figure out how to defend him for years, but he’s just too good. As the cliche goes, you can only hope to contain him. My prediction, at this point, for the 2025 season is that Jackson will be in the top 3, if not the very top, for fantasy quarterbacks, as long as he can stay healthy.
The 2024 NFL season showcased several quarterbacks who dominated both on the field and in fantasy leagues, as highlighted in Mike’s comprehensive analysis. Lamar Jackson’s rise to the top was no surprise, given his unmatched dual-threat ability. His incredible stats, including 4,172 passing yards and 915 rushing yards, solidify his claim as the fantasy QB1 and a legitimate MVP contender. Josh Allen and Joe Burrow also impressed, with Allen’s rushing touchdowns and Burrow’s league-leading 43 passing touchdowns offering value in different ways.
Baker Mayfield’s resurgence was a pleasant surprise, proving that he can thrive even in challenging circumstances, while rookie Jayden Daniels showed immense promise, blending mobility with precision. Jared Goff and Bo Nix further added to the diversity of this year’s top QBs, with Goff leading a potent Lions offense and Nix demonstrating impressive poise as a rookie.
Notably, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray displayed their dynamic skill sets but were hindered by injuries or inconsistencies. Meanwhile, veterans like Sam Darnold enjoyed unexpected success, though concerns about sustainability remain.
This season proved that fantasy football is as unpredictable as ever, rewarding those who took risks on underappreciated or rookie talents.
andrejs,
Thank you so much for leaving such outstanding and comprehensive remarks regarding the 2024 top fantasy quarterbacks!
I love hearing feedback and opinions from someone like yourself who obviously has a strong understanding in the fantasy football world. Fantasy football is most definitely as unpredictable as ever, and you nailed it when you stated that fantasy owners who were willing to take a risk on rookies or underappreciated talents were rewarded!
Even with the unpredictability, half the fun of fantasy football is making future predictions. I will start putting out my predictions for the 2025 season soon, so be sure to look for those!