Only one quarterback was picked in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, shocking NFL scouts and executives. Kenny Pickett landed with the Steelers in Round 1, but he was the least exciting quarterback among the top five from a fantasy perspective heading into the draft.
Any fantasy manager looking to upgrade at quarterback this offseason will likely need to turn to the trade market. Luckily, there are plenty of intriguing quarterbacks, so there should be some available for trade in your league at a reasonable price. Here are my top-40 quarterbacks for dynasty, broken into five tiers.
Tier 1
Rank | Name | Team |
1 | Josh Allen | Bills |
2 | Lamar Jackson | Ravens |
3 | Justin Herbert | Chargers |
4 | Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs |
5 | Joe Burrow | Bengals |
6 | Kyler Murray | Cardinals |
These six quarterbacks have a combination of experience, talent, youth and rushing ability on their side. Ten quarterbacks have scored at least 18.5 fantasy points per game in each of the last two seasons. Six are 26 years old or younger while the other four are further along in their career. They all have PFF overall grades above 81 over the past three years, including passing grades above 79.
All have at least 500 rushing yards over the last two seasons with the exception of Joe Burrow. Only five other quarterbacks have accomplished this, and at least two will be backups next season. Burrow makes up for his lack of rushing with his passing, as he was the highest-graded passer of the group last season.
An argument could be made to put these six players in almost any order. Josh Allen sits at the top as the most talented passer among those with at least 1,000 yards over the last two seasons. Lamar Jackson follows with over 500 more rushing yards than any other quarterback over the same time period. The Ravens dealt with significant injuries last season but should be healthier this year to help Jackson.
Tier 2
Rank | Name | Team |
7 | Trey Lance | 49ers |
8 | Jalen Hurts | Eagles |
9 | Justin Fields | Bears |
This trio of quarterbacks is even younger than the Tier 1 quarterbacks, and on average, they are even more talented runners. They are a tier below because they are less proven, not as good at throwing or both.
Jalen Hurts is the most proven of the group. His 0.63 fantasy points per dropback ranked second among quarterbacks last year. He also gained A.J. Brown as a new top wide receiver without losing anyone noteworthy on offense. His main problem is that his career 69.7 PFF passing grade is notably lower than the quarterbacks in Tier 1. There is a higher chance Hurts gets benched this year or in future years compared to the top six.
Trey Lance ranks just above Hurts after just two career starts. He became the sixth quarterback in the last 50 years with 16 or more rushing attempts in a game during his first start and finished as QB10 in his second start. Lance’s arm strength gives him big-play possibilities, and the 49ers offense has the talent to match.
Finally, Justin Fields rounds out the group. He had a slow start to his rookie campaign but averaged 21.7 fantasy points per game in the last four games he both started and finished. Fields doesn’t have nearly the same weapons the other two quarterbacks in the tier have, moving him to the bottom of the group.