There are few things in this world that are more enjoyable than fantasy football. Unfortunately, there are far too many fantasy football players who are living in the dark ages and only participate in redraft leagues.
Hell, even keeper leagues are a thing of the past!
I’m here to show you the light and lead you into the future, like Prometheus bringing flame to humanity.
Anybody can win a standard fantasy football league, but only the truly elite fantasy football players can excel in a dynasty league.
A few years ago, I started a 10-team dynasty league and it has completely changed the way I view the world. Seriously. Colors seem brighter, foods taste better, and birds’ singing even sounds sweeter. Once upon a time I only studied the draft so that I would be well-versed with who the Broncos selected, but now I’m operating on a higher level because I am scouting for my team. My dynasty.
Now, you might be asking yourself “WTF qualifies this guy to give me dynasty fantasy football advice? He’s not an expert. He’s a nobody! And he sounds like an idiot.”
First of all, I’m not an idiot. I’m really, really smart about like four things. Fantasy football is one of those things. Second of all, allow me to refer back to my personal aforementioned dynasty league. Three years ago we had our preliminary draft. I went in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, thinking I had a strategy that would win me my league for years to come. I thought I had NAILED it. I was wrong. My team was BAD. And after two straight abysmal losing seasons, one of which being a last place finish, I gutted my team and completely revamped it. This past season, thanks to shrewd trades and an uncanny ability to draft nothing but studs in our yearly rookie drafts, I went worst to first and won the league behind the strength of the highest scoring team by a wide margin.
Do I say this just to brag?
Well, yeah. Why the hell else do we play fantasy football if not for bragging rights?
But beyond that, it was easy to notice throughout my dynasty fantasy football journey these past several years that there is a shockingly limited amount of resources for people like me.
Dynasty rankings are hard to find. And truly good dynasty rankings are damn near impossible to find. Don’t believe me? Well relying on these kinds of rankings before the preliminary draft got me nowhere. The roster was the laughingstock of the league. So it’s time to take matters into my own hands.
Don’t take advice from self-proclaimed “experts.” There’s literally no metric that exists in fantasy football that can realistically classify someone as an expert in the field. It doesn’t exist. You can’t take freaking classes and magically work your way up to “expert.” Instead, take advice from someone who has won their league. Someone who knows what it’s like to hit dynasty’s rock-bottom only to rise from the ashes of mediocrity to become a champion like a glorious phoenix. Someone like me.
Below you will find my top-10 dynasty fantasy quarterback dynasty rankings for 2024. You’re welcome.
Oh, and stay tuned for my running back, wide receiver, and tight end dynasty rankings, coming soon.
1. Caleb Williams, USC
Dynasty Draft Projection: Top-2 pick
Age: 22 (23 in November)
Analysis: Far and away the best QB prospect in all of college football, arguably the best since Andrew Luck, and the king of these dynasty rankings, Williams will be the first pick in the NFL draft (unless something catastrophic happens).
At 6-foot-1 (17th percentile) and 215 pounds (27th percentile) Williams doesn’t necessarily have the prototypical QB build (despite the fact that he compared himself to Aaron Rodgers at the combine), but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in arm talent and jaw-dropping highlight reel plays.
He’s also projected to run a 4.59 forty (91st percentile), so while he may not be the running threat that Jayden Daniels is, he’s more than capable of chewing up yards on the ground.
The Bottom Line: Do not overthink this. If you have the first pick in your dynasty draft, you are taking Williams or Marvin Harrison Jr. Period.
If it’s a league that requires (or allows) you to play two quarterbacks, you’re drafting Williams. The only scenario in which you are passing on Williams for MHJ is if it is a one-QB league or if you already have three (yes, three) top-10 fantasy QBs on your roster.
2. Jayden Daniels, LSU
Dynasty Draft Projection: 1st-round pick
Age: 23 (24 in December)
Analysis: It might seem crazy to have Daniels ranked above Drake Maye, but from a fantasy standpoint, it’s hard to not love his running ability (reported 4.5 40-yard dash). Even if it takes Daniels a couple of years to come into his own as a passer, he should be able to rank in the top half of fantasy QBs because of said running ability (think Justin Fields but with better footwork).
On top of his exceptional athletic ability as a runner, Daniels possesses a very strong arm and can make all the throws a starting QB in the NFL needs to make. The only thing that should scare you about Daniels is his propensity for taking comically massive hits when he’s on the run. Think Wile E. Coyote when he smashes into the side of a mountain or gets blown up with dynamite.
If he can learn how to protect himself, a la Lamar Jackson, then he should be fine.
The Bottom Line: The landing spot will matter a lot with Daniels. To maximize his freakish potential, he needs to go to a team that knows how to utilize his dual-threat nature. Still, running QBs carry a distinct fantasy advantage over pocket passers, which is why Daniels should be ranked above Drake Maye.
3. Drake Maye, North Carolina
Dynasty Draft Projection: 1st-round pick
Age: 21 (22 in August)
Analysis: You really shouldn’t shy away from Drake Maye because of Mitchell Trubisky and Sam Howell. Maye is better. Like, way better.
Do NOT be the person who thinks that just because a school has never produced a top QB it means they never will. That’s silly.
In fact, if it wasn’t for Caleb Williams being considered a generational talent Maye could easily be the first overall pick and nobody would bat an eye.
Maye’s game is easy to love. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds he’s got prototypical QB size and has been clocked at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash (90th percentile). Though he doesn’t quite run like Daniels (spoiler: no one in this QB class does), Maye is still a dangerous dual-threat QB who can chew up yards either by scrambling or on designed runs.
There is a lot of Justin Herbert in his game, but he’ll need to improve his mechanics and decision-making ability if he hopes to live up to that lofty projection.
The Bottom Line: Maye is considered QB2 in the majority of dynasty rankings, and it’s hard to have a problem with that. Daniels’ ability as a runner is just too infatuating here, ultimately.
If your team is in need of a QB, you can do a lot worse than Maye. In fact, I consider him and Daniels to be 2A and 2B. Regardless of where he gets drafted, Maye should have solid fantasy relevancy immediately.
4. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Dynasty Draft Projection: 1st-round pick
Age: 21 (22 in January)
Analysis: How can you not love J.J. McCarthy?
While he may not have the arm talent of Williams and Maye or the mobility of Daniels, McCarthy is a smart, confident, clutch quarterback, who proved that the moment was never too big for him.
As a matter of fact, an anonymous NFL scout recently compared McCarthy to Joe Burrow.
The Bottom Line: If your dynasty team is well off he’s the kind of QB who might be best served sitting and learning his rookie year, so patience is key if you’re considering drafting JJ McCarthy. That being said, there’s a good chance that he plays immediately, especially if he ends up in a place like Minnesota.
5. Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Dynasty Draft Projection: 2nd-round pick
Age: 23 (24 in May)
Analysis: What a bizarre series of events we’ve witnessed regarding Penix ever since the National Championship game, and his dynasty rankings reflect that.
At one point, he seemed like a lock to be drafted in the first round. Now, it sounds like he could fall all the way down to the third round. Sure, the injury history is a huge concern, but as of the time of this writing, he has been double- and triple-checked by medical staffs and has seemingly passed with flying colors.
Penix has a powerful arm, throws an effortless deep ball, has good pocket mobility and is, above all else, a leader.
Perhaps the biggest potential deterrent aside from his medicals is the fact that he’s a southpaw with a bit of a slow release.
The Bottom Line: It’s almost impossible to foresee a scenario in which Penix starts Week 1 of the NFL season, but that doesn’t mean he can’t eventually become a starter in this league.
The landing spot for him will be incredibly important. As of now, he is a solid mid-to-late second-round option if you miss out on one of the big four QBs in the first round of your dynasty draft.
6. Bo Nix, Oregon
Dynasty Draft Projection: 2nd-round pick
Age: 24 (25 in February)
Analysis: After an up-and-down start to his college career, at Auburn, Bo Nix transferred to Oregon and flourished. The burning question is, ‘how much of his success was a result of playing in a wide open Oregon offense?’
There have been concerns about his arm strength, and while it appears as though he’s able to make every throw, it’s doubtful you’ll find anyone who thinks he has a cannon. That said, he seems to possess tremendous pocket mobility and, for the most part, does a good job keeping his eyes downfield when the pocket breaks down.
Nix is also a capable runner to the point where read-option plays can certainly be part of his game. It also helps that he’s able to get the ball out in a hurry with his quick, compact release.
The Bottom Line: Nix is another guy who is unlikely to be a Week 1 starter in the NFL, but if put in the correct situation he’s certainly capable of becoming an eventual starter in the league. From a dynasty standpoint, I don’t know that I’m comfortable taking him in the first round, but you can feel good about drafting him in the second.
7. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Dynasty Draft Projection: 4th-round pick
Age: 23 (24 in September)
Analysis: This is where the QB class seems to drop off quite a bit.
Once upon a time, Rattler was considered a potential first overall pick in the draft. However, after being replaced by Caleb Williams at Oklahoma, Rattler transferred to South Carolina where he was unable to recapture those lofty first-overall-pick projections.
At 6-foot (7th percentile) and 217 pounds (17th percentile), Rattler lacks the ideal size of an NFL QB, and paired with the fact that he reportedly runs a 4.95 40-yard dash, it’s clear he lacks the speed to be a factor in the run game.
Still, what he lacks in size and speed he makes up for in experience and arm strength. Rattler has a huge arm and good pocket awareness, but he just doesn’t play the way you would expect from a guy with his kind of talent or collegiate experience.
If Rattler has the opportunity to play with a QB-savvy coach in the NFL, he has an outside chance to be successful.
The Bottom Line: Talent was never a question with Rattler. The majority of his shortcomings come from between the ears.
Still, going from a highly touted five-star prospect to a likely Day 3 pick has certainly tested his adversity, and he appears to be better for it. He projects as a career backup, but on the off chance that he develops into a starting NFL quarterback, he’s worth taking a fourth-round flier on in your dynasty draft.
8. Michael Pratt, Tulane
Dynasty Draft Projection: 5th-round pick
Age: 22 (23 in September)
Analysis: Projected to go somewhere in the middle rounds of the NFL draft, I doubt Pratt holds any value outside of a spot starter. With that being said, Aiden O’Connell was able to contribute a bit last season, and that’s basically how I view Michael Pratt.
He’s got a prototypical pocket passer build and a surprisingly fast 40 time (4.65), but his arm strength is limited. Pratt can make a living as an underneath/over-the-middle thrower but don’t expect him to take or hit on very many deep shots.
The Bottom Line: Pratt is a solid quarterback prospect. Nothing more, nothing less. He doesn’t have the upside of a guy like Rattler, but one could argue that his floor is higher.
A big reason I’m not comfortable taking Pratt in a dynasty draft until late in the fourth is that this is a remarkably deep wide receiver class. It’s also a deep running back class when it comes to average guys who could potentially become studs down the road. I would much rather take a flier on a receiver or running back in the fourth round than draft Pratt.
If he’s there in the fifth? Sure, why not?
9. Jordan Travis, Florida State
Dynasty Draft Projection: 5th-round pick
Age: 23 (24 in May)
Analysis: I’m sure we all remember the gruesome injury Jordan Travis suffered last season.
It was completely devastating, not just for Travis, but for his Seminoles as well, as it was the reason Florida State wasn’t invited to the College Football Playoff.
On one hand, that speaks volumes about Travis and the impact that he can have on a game. On the other hand, it poses the question “Will Jordan Travis ever be that same player again?” That answer remains to be seen.
Pre-injury it was easy to be a big fan of his game, thanks to his incredible ability to improvise coupled with rare athleticism and elite throwing mechanics.
If he’s somehow able to make a full recovery I see Travis as a Tyrod Taylor-type of player. A spot starter who can give you points thanks to his running ability. If it weren’t for the injury, he would have been slotted just behind Bo Nix in the dynasty rankings.
The Bottom Line: The most low-risk, high-reward option in these dynasty rankings. Jordan Travis won’t go before the fourth round so if you’re in a position to take him with one of your last picks, it could pay off in the long run, but it’s a gamble to be sure.
10. Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Dynasty Draft Projection: 6th-round pick or undrafted free agent
Age: 24 (as of March 6)
Analysis: On paper, this guy is the perfect QB and someone that should be near the top of these dynasty rankings.
6-foot-5 (87th percentile), 235 pounds (88th percentile), 33 ⅜ arm length (82nd percentile), 10 ¼ hands (80th percentile), 80 ⅝ wingspan (96th percentile), 35 inch vertical (88th percentile), 121 inch broad jump (93rd percentile) and a 4.78 40 (61st percentile).
Not only that, but he has an absolute rocket for an arm. In fact, it’s probably the strongest arm in this entire class. He has decent pocket awareness and it’s incredibly difficult to get him on the ground.
So what’s the problem? Well, to quote the old adage, he looks like Tarzan and plays like Jane. I feel bad writing that because it is, admittedly, a bit harsh. But damn.
He just isn’t a very good QB, and it’s maddening because his measurables are insanely rare. Those traits wind up being all for nought.
His accuracy is all over the place, he can’t read defenses, and his processing is slow, but he was able to make up for it with his absurd arm talent. That won’t work in the NFL.
The Bottom Line: I really wish Milton was a better QB because he is honestly a lot of fun and can make throws that only a handful of guys on the planet can make. He’s just so incredibly raw.
Maybe if he’s paired with a QB savant in the league he can carve out a nice career, but from a dynasty standpoint, I’m not touching him. If your league has a sixth or even seventh round, maybe take him there.
Got a fantasy question? Ask me on Twitter @VetanzeTherapy
