Welcome to the post-NFL Draft, pre-training camps 2022 fantasy football positional rankings. Below we examine my quarterback rankings with categorical explanations as needed.
The Elite: QB1-QB7
All seven of these signal callers have a reasonable chance at finishing as the overall QB1 come season’s end.
Kyler Murray’s unique status, running a high-octane aerial attack while frequently toting the rock regardless of field position, earns him the No. 1 spot.
Josh Allen and Justin Herbert in 2021–top 8 in overall QB rushing attempts and top 5 in both QB red zone carries and QB carries inside the 5-yard line. Both men are cannon-armed and are led by brilliant coaches.
A.J. Brown is a massive receiving-weapon upgrade for Jalen Hurts.
This is the best pass catching corps Russell Wilson has ever played with and he is no longer constrained by Pete Carroll’s antiquated offensive philosophies.
The loss of Marquise Brown will hurt Lamar Jackson’s passing production but he has more than one way to demolish box scores.
Patrick Mahomes is now playing with the most complete wide receiver room of his career.
Paths to Fantasy Dominance: QB8-QB14
Fantasy’s second-tier passers may struggle to routinely break slates as frequently as The Elite but this group should not be ignored.
Should Deshaun Watson be allowed to play a full 17-games, he will join Tier 1.
Now fully recovered from his devastating 2020 knee injury, Joe Burrow will soon show us whether he plans to utilize the dynamic scrambling abilities we saw in his final collegiate season.
Tom Brady will remain a highly efficient passer.
Dak Prescott needs Dallas to increase the passing volume for him to find his true ceiling.
Trey Lance has the lowest floor of Tier 2 as he could still lose his job to Jimmy Garoppolo. If Lance gets the gig though, think Josh Allen/Justin Herbert 3.0.
Matthew Stafford carries a very high floor but lacks any real rushing upside.
We now find out if Daniel Jones is the real deal. New NYG head coach Brian Daboll took Josh Allen from scattershot scrambler to dynamic dominance overnight. Jones is built in the Allen/Herbert/Lance mold so the potential is there.
High-Floor Passers: QB15-QB21
All six quarterbacks in Tier 3 bring stable floors with multi-passing touchdown upside. One or more of these men could finish comfortably inside Tier 2.
The firing of former HC Mike Zimmer and the hiring of former LA Rams’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell brings a new hope to Minnesota. Kirk Cousins chances of achieving a ceiling-season have significantly increased.
Jared Goff has more receiving weapons than he literally knows what to do with.
Mac Jones is looking like a young Kirk Cousins.
Tua Tagovailoa could be carried by Miami’s new-look run-after-catch offense.
Questionable Floors With Likely Limited Ceilings: QB22-QB30
Marcus Mariota, Justin Fields, and Mitchell Trubisky offer intrigue with dynamic rushing capabilities but all three have trapdoor floors.
Zach Wilson could work his way to fantasy relevance as a point guard-esque distributor.
The Pittsburgh passers, Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, bear far different ranges of outcomes. Trubisky has flashed true dual threat dynamism with a comical inability to throw to the left side of the field. Pickett is likely to start the season holding a clipboard and could work his way onto the field mid-way through 2022. Pickett profiles as a limited passer (with a phenomenal supporting cast) who offers moderate scrambling upside.
The Rest of the Starters: QB31-QB33
All signs point to Carson Wentz being a problem in the locker room. The tools are there but his volatility is multifaceted.
Drew Lock can’t hit the broadside of a barn and he’s playing for a coach that will do him no favors.
Sam Darnold is the modern day Blake Bortles.
Names of Note: QB34-QB41
Taysom Hill will produce sporadically.
Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield could be starters this year. The former carries high-floor QB2 upside and the latter does not.
Rookies Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, and Matt Corral are fine bench stashes.
Case Keenum, Gardner Minshew, and Tyler Huntley all carry QB2 relevance in the event they are forced to start. Depending on how Deshaun Watson’s legal proceedings shake out, Jacoby Brissett could be a multi-game starter. Brissett lacks talent though.
2022 Quarterback Rankings
Rank | Quarterback | Team |
---|---|---|
1 | Josh Allen | BUF |
2 | Kyler Murray | ARI |
3 | Justin Herbert | LAC |
4 | Jalen Hurts | PHI |
5 | Russell Wilson | DEN |
6 | Lamar Jackson | BAL |
7 | Patrick Mahomes II | KC |
8 | Trey Lance | SF |
9 | Joe Burrow | CIN |
10 | Tom Brady | TB |
11 | Dak Prescott | DAL |
12 | Matthew Stafford | LAR |
13 | Kirk Cousins | MIN |
14 | Derek Carr | LV |
15 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC |
16 | Deshaun Watson | CLE |
17 | Aaron Rodgers | GB |
18 | Jared Goff | DET |
19 | Tua Tagovailoa | MIA |
20 | Justin Fields | CHI |
21 | Daniel Jones | NYG |
22 | Davis Mills | HOU |
23 | Jameis Winston | NO |
24 | Mac Jones | NE |
25 | Matt Ryan | IND |
26 | Baker Mayfield | CAR |
27 | Mitchell Trubisky | PIT |
28 | Marcus Mariota | ATL |
29 | Geno Smith | SEA |
30 | Carson Wentz | WAS |
31 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN |
32 | Zach Wilson | NYJ |
33 | Jacoby Brissett | CLE |
34 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF |
35 | Kenny Pickett | PIT |
36 | Desmond Ridder | ATL |
37 | Malik Willis | TEN |
38 | Gardner Minshew II | PHI |
39 | Case Keenum | BUF |
40 | Drew Lock | SEA |
41 | Teddy Bridgewater | MIA |
42 | Tyler Huntley | BAL |
43 | Matt Corral | CAR |
44 | Sam Darnold | CAR |
45 | Sam Howell | WAS |
46 | Taylor Heinicke | WAS |
47 | Jordan Love | GB |
48 | Kyle Trask | TB |