Week 1 of the fantasy football season has arrived. As always, it is crucial to know what players are the preferable starts. Taking player talent, performance, and matchup into account, here are my Week 1 QB rankings.
Top 33 Fantasy QB Rankings
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | Flex | SF
1) Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills (vs. ARI)
2) Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles (vs. GB)
3) Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. BAL)
4) Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens (at KC)
5) Anthony Richardson | Indianapolis Colts (vs. HOU)
6) C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans (at IND)
7) Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals (at BUF)
8) Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. NE)
9) Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders (at TB)
10) Jared Goff | Detroit Lions (vs. LAR)
11) Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers (at PHI)
12) Justin Fields | Pittsburgh Steelers (at ATL)
13) Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins (vs. JAX)
14) Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys (at CLE)
15) Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears (vs. TEN)
16) Kirk Cousins | Atlanta Falcons (vs. PIT)
17) Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams (at DET)
18) Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers (vs. NYJ)
19) Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars (at MIA)
20) Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers (vs. LV)
21) Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. WAS)
22) Geno Smith | Seattle Seahawks (vs. DEN)
23) Aaron Rodgers | New York Jets (at SF)
24) Deshaun Watson | Cleveland Browns (vs. DAL)
25) Daniel Jones | New York Giants (vs. MIN)
26) Will Levis | Tennessee Titans (at CHI)
27) Sam Darnold | Minnesota Vikings (at NYG)
28) Derek Carr | New Orleans Saints (vs. CAR)
29) Russell Wilson | Pittsburgh Steelers (at ATL)
30) Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers (at NO)
31) Bo Nix | Denver Broncos (at SEA)
32) Gardner Minshew II | Las Vegas Raiders (at LAC)
33) Jacoby Brissett | New England Patriots (at CIN)
The Top Quarterbacks To Start in Week 1
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (at DET)
Matthew Stafford is likely not on your radar as a Week 1 starter in a 1QB league, and for the majority of people, rightly so. He was nowhere near the top 12 quarterbacks in draft rankings, and mostly we stick with our main draft picks when making Week 1 decisions.
However, this is a fantastic spot for the Los Angeles Rams’ offense to open the season.
The Detroit Lions’ defense is expected to be better than its 23rd ranking in terms of points allowed last year, but the unit will still struggle at times. That starts this week in a game that the sportsbooks have projected as the highest-scoring game of the week at 51 points.
In 2023, Detroit allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They allowed over 25 points on the scoreboard eight times, and in the playoff game between these two teams, Stafford threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns to finish with 22.7 fantasy points.
If you are not comfortable with your Week 1 starting option for any reason, Stafford could be a great option to mix things up this week.
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (at ATL)
You may have noticed that despite there being 32 teams in the NFL, we have 33 quarterbacks listed. That is because of the unique situation in Pittsburgh.
Every report we’re getting is that Russell Wilson is trending towards not playing this week.
The QB position is not like others, where the status of one guy affects how startable the backup is. This is black and white.
Fields is a top-12 option if Wilson sits and unstartable if Wilson plays. There is no middle ground, no gray area. As a result, I’ve chosen to rank both Fields and Wilson as if each is starting.
If Wilson doesn’t play, you can confidently start Fields as a QB1. If Wilson plays, bench both of them.