Who will be the best fantasy QB in 2025? 3 Fantasy QB1s + 2 Sleepers + 1 QB to stay away from

The quarterback position is the most important position in sports. Quarterbacks lead teams every week, turn losses into wins, wins into losses, and are the face of any NFL franchise. They’re also the face of any fantasy squad. 

It’s nearly impossible to win any fantasy championship without a star passer leading your team each week. Good quarterbacks can produce games of over 30 points, while lackluster ones can provide less than 10. If you want any chance at bringing home that trophy, you need to understand the nature of QBs heading into your draft and know who to select. You may want to spend a high pick on one of the biggest names, or you may want to select a more under-the-radar player later in the draft. In this article, we will go through three QB1 contenders, two late-round sleepers, and one guy to stay away from. 

The ONLY Three Possible QB1s in 2025

I can guarantee that the top quarterback in 2025 will be one of the following names. They all possess elite rushing ability, can dissect defenses with their pinpoint throws, and are surrounded with talent that puts them in the perfect decision to succeed. If someone gives you any other name, they are wrong.

The QB1 in 2024 was Lamar Jackson, who was the backbone for a large number of title-contending squads. 38% of ESPN fantasy football finalists had Jackson on their squad, a higher percentage than any other player. In other words, of the league managers who made their championship matchup, 38% had Lamar Jackson rostered. This is no surprise. The two-time MVP averaged nearly 26 points per game in PPR, with four games over 30. Jackson’s unique balance of passing precision and mobility paved the way for his massive season - in addition to his 4100 passing yards, he led all quarterbacks with 915 rushing yards. 

Jackson is getting older, but has shown no signs of regression. Despite his aggressiveness as a rusher, the former Heisman winner has stayed consistently healthy, playing in 33 games over the past two seasons. The Ravens kept their offense mostly consistent over the offseason, resigning offensive coordinator Tood Monken and superstar rusher Derrick Henry. They also added veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins to bolster the passing game. Lamar Jackson is a safe bet to repeat as the QB1. 

Despite Jackson putting forward a generational season for fantasy purposes, Bills superstar Josh Allen followed close behind with 22 ppg (points per game). Allen continued to build on his QB1 finish in 2023 despite losing his number one receiver in Stefon Diggs. Allen is another quarterback who benefits from his mobility - he finished second among all QBs in rushing touchdowns. Standing at 6’5 and 238 pounds, any NFL fan will be familiar with Allen’s ability to break tackles and gain extra yardage with his legs. This is in addition to him having one of the strongest arms in the league. It’s easy to see why the reigning MVP has finished top two in fantasy every year since 2020. 

One of the most overshadowed qualities about Allen is his durability - he has miraculously missed 0 games due to injury since 2019. This proven reliability should be appealing to all fantasy managers. Critics for 2025 may point to the lack of proven weapons on the Bills roster, as the wide receiver room is very inexperienced and lacking star power. However, Allen is arguably the most talented passer in the league and proved this past year that he doesn’t need superstar pass-catchers to put up big numbers. He’ll continue to lead both the Bills and fantasy managers to victory and has lots of promise to finish as the top fantasy quarterback in 2025. 

For this third quarterback, some may point to Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts or former number one overall pick Joe Burrow, but I’m going to look in a different direction. If Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson don’t finish as the top quarterback, it’s going to be Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders. 

After being drafted second overall in 2024, Jayden Daniels caught the attention of football fans across the world with his stellar rookie campaign. Washington’s football team has won three playoff games since 2000. Two were with Jayden Daniels. The offensive rookie of the year led clutch drive after clutch drive, extending plays with his expert agility and superb pocket presence. Daniels had almost 70% completion percentage with over 4000 all-purpose yards and 31 total touchdowns. He completely turned around a struggling Commanders team and brought them to the NFC championship game. It’s not hard to call this the greatest rookie season of all time. 

If you’ve noticed a trend so far, it’s that rushing quarterbacks tend to be favored in fantasy football. Jayden Daniels fits the bill. He was second to Lamar in QB rushing yards this past season, and that number should only continue to increase. All the top passers we know in this league - Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes - took major strides in their sophomore seasons. Daniels already finished 5th among fantasy QBs in 2024 despite having no NFL experience and the commanders testing a new coach in Dan Quinn. Expect major improvements soon.

Washington has put their full trust in Jayden Daniels and prioritized building around him in the offseason. They added gadget-receiver Deebo Samuel, who should be a solid slot option for Daniels to pair with. They also added veteran offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who has consistently been among the league’s best pass protectors and should do wonders for this offensive line. Both players are pro-bowl caliber and could provide a major boost for this offensive production.

Everything is in place for a monster season for Jayden Daniels. Upgrades on the offensive line should give him more time and flexibility in the pocket, while an improved receiver room should provide more opportunities for passing production and force defenses to stretch out, allowing more rushing lanes for Daniels. The upgraded supporting cast and an extra year of NFL experience foreshadow big jumps from the former LSU man. Jayden Daniels will have an MVP caliber season and is a very good candidate to finish as the QB1 in fantasy football. 

2 Sleeper Picks

Just because Lamar and Allen score the most points does not mean that you need them if you want to win your league. Plenty of fantasy players dominate week-after-week by prioritizing other positions (wide receiver, running back, etc) and securing great value by drafting a solid quarterback late, rather than one of the big names. In 2024, a good example of this quarterback was Baker Mayfield. As a player who had bounced around several teams before, nobody knew if they could trust him. On average, he was the 21st quarterback taken in fantasy drafts. He finished as the QB4. Other examples include Jared Goff (drafted as QB15, finished as QB6), Bo Nix (drafted as QB23, finished as QB7), and Sam Darnold (drafted as QB31, finished as QB9). I’m going to provide some players who I think have elite potential but are going very late in fantasy drafts. 

My favorite sleeper this year is by far Justin Fields, who joined the New York Jets in the offseason. He’s currently being taken as QB15, but I think he can finish as high as the QB5. He has immense rushing value, which we know is very important. I think he fits well into the Jets and there are several reasons he is primed for a massive season. 

The last season where Justin Fields played at least 15 games was in 2022 with the Chicago Bears. His actual NFL performance was iffy, but his fantasy performance was incredible. He ran the ball 160 times for over 1100 yards with an average of 7.1 yards per carry. He broke the record for most QB rushing yards in a regular season game with 178. To put into perspective, 178 rushing yards is 17.8 fantasy points. Add in his rushing touchdown, and Justin Fields put up 23.8 fantasy points that game even if he didn’t throw the ball once. He was a textbook example of a dual-threat quarterback and rewarded fantasy managers with multiple 40 point games. 

It makes sense to say that Fields’ performance in 2022 does not dictate what he’s going to do three years later, but signs are showing he hasn’t regressed much. This past season, Fields started the first 6 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers while Russell Wilson was injured, exceeding expectations with 10 total touchdowns to just one interception. His fantasy stats? 19 points per game, despite the Steelers having a more limited offensive playbook compared to most teams. Had he started the whole season, Fields was on track to finish as the QB8. 

In New York, Fields will partner with old college teammate and former first round pick Garrett Wilson. Despite being on-and-off, Wilson has tremendous talent and has potential to form a scary duo with Fields. The biggest question mark for this team is going to be the offensive line, but I’m not as worried about the pass protection as others are. New York has a young, unproven offensive line, but they improved from last year and drafted offensive tackle Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick. They may not be great, but Justin Fields is more athletic than past Jets quarterbacks and should have enough time to make plays. Keep in mind that he averaged 20.5 points in 2022 with the Bears’ 31st ranked offensive line. 

If you don’t trust Justin Fields, then turn your attention to Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers. He’s currently being taken as the QB24 despite being poised to take a major leap in 2025. Don’t hesitate to draft him and pounce on the chance to receive great value for a late-round pick. 

Bryce Young started 2024 very shaky, but slowly improved as the season got better. By the end of the year, he was putting up big numbers and closed out week 18 with a 36 point performance. The Panthers had their bye week in week 11 and something must have clicked for Young in that break. In weeks 12-18, Young averaged 21.2 points per game and was the QB6 in that timespan.  

The Panthers took wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the 8th overall pick. Standing at 6 '4 and 219 pounds, McMillan should be a great target for Bryce Young and really helps Young’s value for fantasy. The Panthers also added 1000 yard rusher Rico Dowdle on top of talented RB Chuba Hubbard. This pair can help take some defensive pressure off of Young and allow him more options in the passing game. He also has trusted veteran Adam Thielen and former first round pick Xavier Leggette as receiving options.

Bryce Young was drafted as one of the biggest talents in recent years, and everything is set for him in 2025 to show why he was drafted so high. With 6 rushing touchdowns last season, he has the running ability needed for a top quarterback. He has promising weapons around him and an offensive line that is continuing to get better. If there’s any time to take a chance on the former first overall pick, it’s now. 

One Quarterback you HAVE to Stay Away From

If you ask me outside of fantasy, I’ll tell you that Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback if you want to win a super bowl. If you ask me for fantasy, I’ll tell you to stay as far away from him as you can. He’s currently being taken as the QB6 despite only finishing as the QB11 last season, and I don’t see him finishing in the top eight. He can still be a low-end starter, but don’t draft him expecting him to be among the best. 

The hype around Patrick Mahomes this season is the belief that the Chiefs will be fully healthy and this will magically make Mahomes a top fantasy option again. Wrong. The number one receiver on the Chiefs, Rashee Rice, may or may not be available when the season starts. He tore his acl last season after four games and missed the remainder of the year. Now he’s currently facing a possible suspension. Even if he is available to play at the beginning of the year, I don’t believe Mahomes' fantasy value will be very different. In those four games with Rice, Mahomes averaged just 15 points and didn’t have a game over 20. His other favorite target, Travis Kelce, is getting older and has been regressing over the past few seasons. RB Isaiah Pacheco will also be healthy in 2025, which could prompt the Chiefs to run the ball more. This would result in less options for Mahomes. It’s important to note that Kansas City will be without offensive guard Joe Thuney, who was an important piece of the offensive line. The team around Mahomes isn’t bad at all, but they aren’t ideal for his fantasy value. 

Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback. These days, he’s not great for fantasy. The Chiefs run a slower offense than they used to and Mahomes does not have as much opportunity to light up the scoreboard - the Chiefs did not have a single game in 2024 where they scored more than 30 points. On top of that, Mahomes does not run as much as he used to: he only recorded 58 rushes this past season, his lowest total since 2019. I think Mahomes will win his team lots of games - he produces when needed and he’s a great leader. But that doesn’t mean he’s a great option for your fantasy league.