Drafting the right quarterback in fantasy football can make or break your season. With elite signal-callers like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson anchoring the top of draft boards, and emerging stars such as Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Caleb Williams offering breakout potential, fantasy managers face a big decision on draft day.
Do you pay up for a proven dual-threat stud early, or wait and stockpile skill players before grabbing a high-upside QB later? We break down the top 25 fantasy quarterbacks for 2025, highlighting their outlooks, upside, and draft value so you know exactly who to target for your team.
For more information on each of the following QBs, make sure to check out our recent fantasy outlooks for 150+ players.Â
Which Quarterback Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
1) Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills
2) Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens
3) Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders
4) Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles
5) Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals
6) Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7) Bo Nix | Denver Broncos
8) Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs
9) Kyler Murray | Arizona Cardinals
10) Justin Fields | New York Jets
11) Brock Purdy | San Francisco 49ers
12) Drake Maye | New England Patriots
13) Dak Prescott | Dallas Cowboys
14) Caleb Williams | Chicago Bears
15) Jared Goff | Detroit Lions
16) Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers
17) J.J. McCarthy | Minnesota Vikings
18) Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers
19) C.J. Stroud | Houston Texans
20) Bryce Young | Carolina Panthers
21) Michael Penix Jr. | Atlanta Falcons
22) Trevor Lawrence | Jacksonville Jaguars
23) Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams
24) Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins
25) Geno Smith | Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Allen Fantasy Outlook
Production at the QB position is the most predictable and consistent from year to year. The larger the sample size PFSN has on a player’s performance, the more confident we can be in predicting what he will do in the upcoming season.
This combination makes Allen the best overall player in all of fantasy football.
Of course, this doesn’t mean he should go No. 1 overall, or even in the first round. Opportunity cost matters. Positional value matters. QBs don’t go in the first round for a very good reason. Purely looking at all players in a vacuum, though, Allen is the best.
Interestingly, Allen’s fantasy output has declined each of the past four seasons (not that it matters). He averaged 24.1 fantasy points per game last season, which was 0.1 ppg lower than the year before, which was 0.1 ppg lower than the year before that, which was .03 ppg lower than the year before that.
His ceiling is elite. His floor is elite. He’s as consistent as they get. He’s been the overall QB1 for three of the last five years.
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There aren’t enough superlatives to adequately describe Allen as both an NFL quarterback and a fantasy asset. He’s an elite QB1 who is also his team’s primary goal-line back. Allen has rushed for 27 touchdowns over the past two seasons. That gives him both the highest floor and the highest ceiling in fantasy football.
If you compare Allen’s rushing efficiency now to his early career, it may seem like he’s less effective. However, the fact that he runs for so many short touchdowns, as well as the Bills’ version of the tush push, artificially decreases his yards per carry. Allen is an efficient runner.
In total, Allen accounted for 40 touchdowns last season. He scored 20+ fantasy points 12 times, including every game from Week 6 to 15. In Weeks 14 and 15, Allen had the greatest two-game stretch in the history of fantasy football, scoring 93.2 fantasy points over that span.
Lamar Jackson Fantasy Outlook
What needs to be said about Jackson? He’s the greatest rushing quarterback of all time and has also evolved into an elite passer, too.
Jackson is coming off a season in which he threw 41 passing touchdowns, easily a career-high. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Jackson doesn’t rush for many touchdowns. Head coach John Harbaugh does not use Jackson around the goal line because he wants to avoid exposing him to unnecessary hits. Plus, it helps to have one of the greatest short-yardage backs in football history in Derrick Henry.
Since taking over as the Ravens’ starting quarterback in 2019, Jackson has never averaged fewer than 20 fantasy points per game. His floor is that of a mid-QB1. Twice, he has finished as the overall QB1, with the second instance coming last season when he posted 25.6 points per game.
At 28 years old, Jackson is still far from the age at which mobile QBs start declining. The Ravens are returning their key offensive weapons in Henry, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, and Isaiah Likely. There’s no reason to expect this offense to look any different than it did last year.
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Jackson comes with slightly more injury risk than Josh Allen, which is what keeps him out of the top spot. However, fantasy managers should not shy away from Jackson at his QB2 ADP.
Allen and Jackson are almost always selected next to each other in fantasy drafts. What I wrote about the theory behind drafting Allen also applies to Jackson.
There are some outstanding running backs and wide receivers available at this spot. A few years ago, I would scoff at the notion that you should take a QB this early. Now, it comes down to how high you are on the running backs and wide receivers.
If there are RBs and WRs you really like that you believe to have top-five upside, it’s hard to push the button on Jackson. At the same time, I have completely come around on the value of an elite quarterback.
Ultimately, fantasy football is a weekly game, and big-time performances are what swing matchups. Jackson is going to win you multiple matchups throughout the season on his own.
There are still several late-round QBs I believe have a chance to return Jayden Daniels-like value this season. As great as Jackson was last year, drafting a running back or wide receiver at this ADP and then selecting Daniels later proved to be the optimal strategy.
If you miss out on Jackson or opt to go with a wide receiver or running back, that’s perfectly fine. I want you to know that if you decide to take Jackson in a spot that seems early for a QB, you should do it and feel good about it.
