Ryan Miller, @RyanMillerNFL

  Analyst for Dynasty League Football

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The 2019 Fantasy Quarterback class is rock solid with more than enough options for fantasy owners to comfortably choose from. Listen in as NFL Fantasy Football Expert scout Lance Goodman takes a look at how things are shaping early with a few weeks left before Live Drafts begin are in full effect. 

 

Top 10

 

Kansas City Quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes in as the clear cut and consensus to prospect in this year's Draft. After lighting the league up with 50 TD passes in his first year as a starter, nobody at this position has a higher ceiling of potential. Not too far behind is Indianapolis gun slinger Andrew Luck who is a proven commodity as a Championship caliber in fantasy football. Aside from a bad string of injuries, Luck has posted 45 & 39 TD passes in his last two full seasons. Next is Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles. He's another player who aside from injury, has been highly productive. If it weren't for a late season injury in 2017, he would have easily been the top prospect in last year’s class. If Jared Goff of the Rams got better as an individual player and has a healthy Todd Gurley and Cooper Kupp at his disposal, I like what's potentially in the cards for him. He should be able to build on his 4,700+ yards and 32 TDs from a year ago. Matt Ryan of the Falcons re-established himself as an elite Fantasy Quarterback last season, after a down year in 2017. He's struggled a bit with consistency over the years but he's been in the league long enough and stacked big numbers in two of the last three years to get the benefit of the doubt. With or without star Running Back Melvin Gordon, Chargers Quarterback Phillip Rivers is setup to have another highly productive fantasy season. He's got the weapons on the perimeter to make it work and even though Gordon provides an extra boost, his absence from the lineup could call for more passing from Rivers. Second year rifleman Baker Mayfield appears to be in line for a big year after tossing 27 TDs as a rookie. With a new offensive coordinator and talented supporting cast, it's hard to imagine him not succeeding as a fantasy Quarterback the season. At #8, it's all about respect when it comes to Seattle signal callers Russell Wilson. Yes, the Seahawks are now a more run heavy offense and yes his unit of Wide Receivers aren't elite but Wilson is such a dynamic and intuitive player, his numbers always add up. He'll have a disappointing game here and there but makes up for it with some monster games along the way. As an NFL Quarterback, the Vikings Kirk Cousins failed last season but in terms of fantasy football, he sealed his spot as a top 10 fantasy Quarterback. Over the last 3 seasons, Cousins has consistently proved that 4,000+ passing yards and 30+ TD passes are always in the cards. Rounding out the top 10 is Fantasy Football made man Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. His numbers have been down the last 2 seasons from what we had become accustomed to seeing in his prime years, however it hasn't stopped him from ranking inside the Top 10-12 players at his position and I have to believe that trend will continue this season.

 

#11-20

 

Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans leads off my second tier of Quarterback prospects. He's entering his third year and more than anything is fully healthy. Between his arm and legs, Watson could easily crack the top 10 if his receiving targets stay healthy and he can limit turnovers. Next is Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, who is anxious to bounce back from a subpar 2018. There are a ton of signs that point towards Rodgers having a strong bounce back season, with the biggest potential turn around, being him cashing in on routine throws. Just to show you how transparent things are here at NFLExporter, I'm moving the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger up a spot to #13. I definitely feel the loss of All World Wide Receiver Antonio Brown will hurt but Big Ben is a savvy veteran who will get the job done based on sheer volume. If he can stay from turnovers, his numbers will add up in the end. Mitchell Tribusky of the Bears is who I moved down a spot to #14. It wasn't a knock against him and he's another Quarterback who has top 10 potential if things go his way. He should be a better player as he enters his third year and had a full off-season to build with second year Head Coach Matt Nagy. Aside from a diverse group of targets in the passing game, Tribusky can also make things happen using his legs, which is always a bonus in Fantasy Football from the QB position. With the Bucs Jameis Winston, it's pretty simple for me. Cut the turnovers and bad decision making out! If he can do that, he'll be a very reliable and trustworthy starter, which he is not right now. Derek Carr of the Raiders moving up a slot to #16, is another real time change in my rankings. Between his arm talent, an upgrade at the Wide Receiver position and potential game flow, Carr is another Quarterback whose ceiling of potential is based on limiting turnovers and bad decision making. Dak Prescott of the Cowboys got bumped down a slot and it's mainly due to my expectations as far as game flow. Dallas is a team that wants to establish the run and have a balanced attack, so for every big game he may potentially have, I do expect some grind it out games as well. However, his ability to scramble and score rushing TDs is definitely worth noting. The same holds true for Carolina Quarterback Cam Newton, who I have ranked lower than the majority of accredited media outlets. Newton is a very good player who like Dak Prescott, can do a lot of damage with his feet and has made a living scoring goal line TDs. But in a vacuum, I have a lot of concerns. He doesn't have a dominant #1 Wide Receiver. His safety net in Tight End Greg Olsen is aging and has struggled with injuries as of late and Newton hasn't been the most accurate passer throughout his career. I'm really anxious to see how he looks in Preseason action. At #19, it's Tom Brady of the Patriots. His fantasy ranking and ranking as a pure NFL Quarterback are two completely different things. In terms of fantasy, I still expect Tommy Guns to have some big games but I truly believe New England is looking to employ a much more balanced offense than we've seen in recent years. Rounding out this tier is the Lions Matt Stafford. He usually ranks higher on my list but after losing his favorite target in Wide Receiver Golden Tate last year and Detroit looking to become more balanced on offense, Stafford begins this season as a wait and see prospect for me.

 

 

#21-32

 

The bottom bracket of prospects is dominated by young guys, veterans and a few players who owners have very little trust in. Sam Darnoldson of the Jets appears to be the best option in terms of pure passing out if the group of first and second year starters. If the Jets can manufacture a consistent running game and Wide Receivers Robbie Anderson and Quincy Enunwa can stay healthy, Darnoldson has some reliable play makers to distribute the ball to. Cincinnati Quarterback Andy Dalton has gotten lost in the shuffle. There was still hope at one point and time but everyone has either learned firsthand or through someone else's misery. It's a crap shoot and he simply can't be trusted. Jimmy Garrapollo hasn't done much to make fantasy owners fully confide in him either. At this point he's remembered for being injured and dating an adult entertainer, just as much as he is for his brief moments of stellar play. The verdict is still out for me until I see him perform at a high level for an entire season. The next three prospects are in similar situations. Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson all can pass the ball but tend to the most damage with their feet. Murray and Jackson have established Running Backs and decent Wide Receivers, so there in a little better position to thrive, although it remains to be seen exactly how good of a passer either is. As for Allen, he's working with the same cast from last season for the most part, which isn’t the most positive sign. You can expect all three to have some difficulties from time to time but in the right match up, all of them certainly can succeed. Things look a little shaky for Denver Quarterback Joe Flacco. You keep your fingers crossed that veteran Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders can get back to 100% and that second year WR Courtland Sutton pans out because the Broncos don't have any other top notch play makers in the passing game. I've got to see it this year from Tennessee Quarterback Marcus Mariota. He's had his fair share of ups and downs including the injury bug but even if he's healthy and playing his best football, I'm just not sure if the Titans offense is setup for him to stack big numbers on a weekly basis. To be completely honest, I don't know what to expect from Nick Foles in Jacksonville. He's definitely an upgrade over Blake Bortles but I'm not sold on his play makers in the passing game. Anytime you have a new Quarterback on a new team, you take the wait and see approach and that's exactly what we're going to do. Whoever wins the job in Miami has their work cut out, as it will be their first year as the team’s starter, leaving us with no initial expectations. The Dolphins are hopeful that Wide Receiver DeVante Parker can become the go to guy and role players like Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola can step up. Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick will battle it out during Training Camp to see whose worthy of Manning the ship. I'm not sure how bad it may get for Giants Quarterback Eli Manning this season but it doesn't look good.  Seasoned veteran Golden Tate is out the first four games of the season due to suspension and starter Sterling Shepard is dealing with an injury, leaving the Giants with very little depth or talent at Wide Receiver. The Redskins are hopeful that rookie Duane Haskins can secure the job from day one but in terms of fantasy football this is a situation that owners are advised to stay away from until further notice, especially with the Redskins suspect receiving corps.

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- 2018 Preseason Final Ranks

-2018 Final QB Rankings recap