Scott Engel is in his 13th year as the official Fantasy Football writer and analyst for Seahawks.com. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time nominee. You can find more of his fantasy football analysis and fantasy football rankings at RotoBaller.com.

Fantasy football players can take various approaches to drafting a starter at the quarterback position this season. Some may opt for one of the elite guys, while others will be satisfied enough with a top 10 fantasy QB. More experienced drafters or risk-takers will wait a while to pick a starter, possibly two outside of the top 12 to 14 range. In those cases, drafters can see who emerges as the preferred starter or stream two options in leagues with one starting QB.

Superflex leagues, which are becoming more popular, allow you to start a second QB at a second flex position. In those formats, players at the position go off the board much quicker, and the first round of many drafts will be dominated by QB selections. In superflex leagues, I usually aim to draft two starters in the first four rounds, as a loose plan. In one-QB leagues, I go with the flow of the draft as it progresses, while preferring to come away with one of the top 10 I have ranked in this feature.

The rundown here highlights fantasy QBs for 2024 in groupings that include the elite players at the position, good top 10 starters to consider, other possible QB1 types, and targets that can rise above their preseason rankings in the 15 to 20 range. I also dedicate a special section to Geno Smith's 2024 fantasy football outlook and sprinkle in some sleeper types. Strategy tips for one-QB leagues and superflex formats are included and my top 20 QB ranks follow the analysis.

NFL Fantasy Football: The Big Four QBs

Most fantasy football quarterback rankings will start with Josh Allen at No. 1, then Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson round out a "Big Four" at the position. The Bills' standout has finished as a top QB2 in each of the past four seasons and rushed for a career-best 15 TDs in 2023. He figures to shoulder a heavy offensive load again. Hurts is the "Brotherly Shove" artist who has rushed for a total of 28 TDs over the past two seasons. He and Allen are regarded as the top dual-threat QBs in fantasy football.

Mahomes is the most highly decorated passer in the game in real life. He finished as a top 4 fantasy QB in the three seasons prior to last year and can get back into such territory with a deepened WR crew that now includes Hollywood Brown and exciting rookie Xavier Worthy. Jackson rushed for 821 yards last season and now has registered three of the top all-time nine rushing seasons for QBs. He also passed for a career-high 3,678 yards in 2023.

Average Draft Position reports from FantasyPros indicate that all of these QBs will be off the board by the early part of the fourth round in standard lineup type of fantasy leagues. In superflex leagues, the top four will usually be picked in the first half of the first round. Those drafting in the superflex top 5 are in a prime position to land one of the most coveted players on the overall board.

2024 Fantasy Football Rankings: More Top QB1 Options

For those who focus more on other skill positions in the first few rounds of a one-QB draft, there will still be very good targets past the top 4 to consider. A pair of second-year QBs, Anthony Richardson and C.J. Stroud, will be prime top 6 options. Richardson has tremendous fantasy potential as a rusher. Stroud finished as a top 10 QB in Fantasy Points Per Game as a rookie (18.7) and should have a higher ceiling this year after Houston added Stefon Diggs to an emerging receiving crew that already included Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and tight end Dalton Schultz.

Dak Prescott led the NFL in TD passes with 36 and his 4,516 passing yards was the second-highest total of his career. He finished as fantasy QB3 last year and the Dallas receiving group remains much the same, so expect another prolific fantasy campaign in 2024. A healthy Joe Burrow should be able to get back into top 5 fantasy QB range. The addition of top rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. could also launch Kyler Murray into the top 5. He averaged 18.9 FFPG in eight games last season (ninth overall) and now has a true alpha WR while also remaining a top rushing threat at QB.

You should be satisfied to nab any of the QBs I have ranked from fifth to ninth here. Stroud and Richardson will be picked in the fourth or early fifth rounds of many drafts, while the others should be considered as fifth to sixth round targets depending on the flow of your draft as it progresses.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Aiming For Upside QBs

Some fantasy analysts and drafters will rank Jordan Love inside the top 10, and he has a lot of promise coming into the new season after finishing as QB5 last year and then throwing three TD passes in the first round of the NFC playoffs. Brock Purdy was QB6 last season overall and QB8 in FFPG (19.2). He is a comfortable director of a first-rate offense and will also be a very good complementary fantasy option to the top running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends you might draft ahead of him.

Miami's Tua Tagovailoa was QB5 in fantasy football output over the first half of the 2023 campaign and has the weaponry to outperform my QB12 ranking of him as the pilot of one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Rookies Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams could splash onto the fantasy scene as instant QB1 types. Daniels can be a fantasy difference-maker because of his significant rushing promise, and Williams will leap right into a Chicago offense that is now loaded with multiple notable playmaking options.

Many of the QBs listed in this range are all good targets for those who wait until after the sixth round to draft a starter in a one-QB league, although Love could be taken a round ahead of the rest. In superflex leagues, some of the targets in this range can be viewed as either decent QB1 types and all are strong QB2 choices for those who double up at the position early on.

Fantasy Football QB Rankings: Value Plays To Consider

The QB position is deep again this season. There are some viable QB2 targets in my 15 to 20 ranking range that can surely perform at fantasy QB1 levels and are fine second QBs in one-starter formats and second starters in superflex leagues. We may see the authentic Trevor Lawrence breakthrough season in 2024. Justin Herbert was just outside the top 10 in FFPG per game last year (18.5) and has the talents to better than average. Jared Goff is a very good streamer in home games, as he totaled 19 of his 30 TD passes at Ford Field last season.

Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers are in favorable situations to bounce back from Achilles injuries. Cousins will take over as the point man in an Atlanta offense that will support him with a promising group of playmakers. Rodgers will be out to prove he is not done at 40 years old and will be the focal point of a Jets team built to win this year. He is still capable of a top 10-12 fantasy QB campaign.

Geno Smith Stats: Numbers To Know And 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook

Smith is included in the grouping of the QBs mentioned in the previous section, and much like Cousins and Rodgers, he can certainly surpass my preseason ranking to get back into the fantasy QB1 mix. The position's depth will allow fantasy players to wait past the No. 20 pick to pick Smith in many leagues, and he can certainly prove to be a nifty value play in 2024.

We cannot forget that Smith finished as fantasy QB5 overall and QB10 in FFPG (18.5) just two seasons ago. Under new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, we may see a healthy amount of big plays, and a receiving crew that includes DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, an ascending Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Noah Fant gives the Seahawks passer a great array of options to help him elevate his fantasy output this season.

Last year, Smith continued to show that he was a good downfield passer, as he ranked fourth in the league in Deep Ball Accuracy Rating (6.4) and ninth in Deep Ball Catchable Pass Rate (52.0), according to PlayerProfiler. He was also sixth in Passer Rating vs, Man Coverage (101.8) and seventh in Pressured Completion Percentage (60.8), other advanced statistical markers that can point to a positive continued outlook.

It is very possible that Smith will approach 4,000 passing yards and throw 25-plus TD passes again. He can potentially finish from anywhere to the mid-QB2 to back-end fantasy QB range this season. That marks him as a viable No. 2 QB to draft in the later rounds of a one starter league and as a second possible starter in a superflex league. Smith might return to being a quality streaming option in one-QB formats. He is certainly a target worth taking the shot on when ADP reports indicate he is 23th player off the board at his position.

Read more on Geno Smith in the Ryan Grubb offense from John Boyle here.

Sleeper Fantasy Football QB Targets

Daniel Jones finished as a top 10 fantasy QB two years ago and his WR corps was upgraded when the Giants drafted rookie Malik Nabers. … Will Levis is a fearless gunner who will have Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Boyd as featured WR targets. … Bryce Young should show signs of progress in his second season with Diontae Johnson and rookie Xavier Legette added to his pass-catching crew.

Justin Fields finished as QB6 in 2022 and will have fantasy QB1 upside again if he gets a chance to start for Pittsburgh at any point. …. Former Seahawk Drew Lock is a deep sleeper who might let loose as a downfield passer if a starting opportunity arises with the Giants. … New Seahawk Sam Howell is a good QB to stash in dynasty leagues, especially in superflex formats.

You can view my full fantasy football QB and positional rankings here on RotoBaller.com.

Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: The Top 20 QBs

1. Josh Allen
2. Jalen Hurts
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Anthony Richardson
6. C.J. Stroud
7. Dak Prescott
8. Joe Burrow
9. Kyler Murray
10. Jordan Love
11. Brock Purdy
12. Tua Tagovailoa
13. Jayden Daniels
14. Caleb Williams
15. Trevor Lawrence
16. Justin Herbert
17. Jared Goff
18. Kirk Cousins
19. Aaron Rodgers
20. Geno Smith