Updated quarterback rankings for 2021 fantasy football leagues

Preseason is over and soon we get two great fantasy quarterbacks to kickoff the real season when Tom Brady and Dak Prescott go head to head tone week from today. Both are prominently placed in my quarterback rankings and are players I’ll be drafting if I get a chance.

2021 Fantasy Football rankings: Quarterbacks

We finally have our 32 Week 1 starting quarterbacks all lined up in a neat little row. And just like in grade school, we’ll get to pick them off the line for our teams. And just like grade school, some are a little better at kickball than the others.

Quarterback competition winners

Jameis Winston, Saints

Winston was the better passer in preseason and won the job outright. His ability to throw deep and open up the Saints offense was just too good to pass over for the running ability of Taysom Hill. His fantasy status is somewhat suspect, but his upside is still good in a Sean Payton offense.

Mac Jones, Patriots

Jones beat out Cam Newton well enough for the team to release Newton. He proved to be the more efficient passer this summer and should help the fantasy pieces in the Patriots offense, especially compared to Newton. Newton ends up taking fantasy opportunities for himself, while Jones will be more of a facilitator. That does mean Jones doesn’t have all that much upside in fantasy at this point.

Andy Dalton, Bears

Justin Fields proved that he is the future for the Bears, at least in comparison to Andy Dalton, but Dalton got the nod to start the season. Dalton is a fine backup quarterback at this point in his career, but he’s not going to win games for his team. With the Rams and Browns defense in the first three games and the Bears offensive line average at best, they’re going to give Fields a little cushion to start the year. Fields is still worth drafting if you have space. His fantasy upside is more worthy a spot on your team than Dalton’s.

Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos

Bridgewater beat out Lock in part due to his ability to not turnover the ball. The Broncos want to win with the running game and defense and Bridgewater is the best suited to win with that style. Lock has more upside with his strong arm, but he also makes too many mistakes. Bridgewater has a lot of good weapons to work with and might have some streaming opportunities, but his average will be below average.

What exactly are the 49ers doing?

It appears that Jimmy Garoppolo will start the season behind center, but rookie Trey Lance is going to get opportunities throughout the game. Kyle Shanahan is one of the few coaches who might be able to pull this off. Neither quarterback will have fantasy value until Lance is able to take over the job completely, if that happens.