Quarterback rankings for 2021 fantasy football

UPDATE 6/8

The Julio Jones trade shifts quarterback rankings around a bit, giving Ryan Tannehill a boost and Matt Ryan the opposite of a boost. I wasn’t high on Ryan this year as it was, but he was always going to have upside if Jones and Calvin Ridley were both there. Now his upside will need to come from rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and a host of average receivers.

We’re still waiting on any substantial Aaron Rodgers and DeShaun Watson news and it looks like we will just keep on waiting. Since they are two of the best quarterbacks in the league and in fantasy, that news is going to be huge for multiple offensive players this season.

The NFL Draft is over and free agency has just a few players left to pick through. We will continue to see moves and possibly big trades that will push the rankings around, but for the most part fantasy skill positions are fairly stable. That means it’s time to see where we are in the 2021 fantasy football rankings. Closer to the season, we’ll split this up into standard and PPR, but until then, let’s go with .5 point PPR scoring.

Quarterbacks remain the driving force in this league, but not the driving force in fantasy. That’s one reason we should see more 2QB leagues out there, but I digress. Right now there are two situations that make the rankings tough, as Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson both aren’t assured to start Week 1 for their current teams. Their situations could also impact other teams if either are traded at some point. I feel better about Rodgers playing this season than Watson though.

Our top quarterbacks are many going into 2021. Nobody sticks out as so far above the rest to feel the need to reach for him. I’ve pushed Watson down quite a bit due to his legal issues, but with news his ranking could move back up quickly. Mahomes led all quarterbacks in points per game last season and is still my favorite to be QB1 due to his consistency, but Josh Allen through Rodgers are all able to take that crown, along with a few wild cards.

Jalen Hurts is a bit of a boom or bust play where I have him ranked, but you just can’t get away from his rushing ability boosting his fantasy points. Matthew Stafford with the Rams seems too obvious of an upgrade for Stafford and I’m happy to grab him as my starter. I have Ryan Fitzpatrick lower than my hopes for him due to the possibility he is benched, but I love his upside as a gunslinging late rounder.