Fantasy Football season is upon us. Now that the NFL Draft is done and dusted, some have already started drafting for their dynasty leagues. Whether it be a startup or a rookie draft, it feels a bit early, but I won’t lie, even I’m dying to get to draft season.

Dynasty leagues are becoming more and more popular every year, which means more leagues are starting to pop up every offseason. If you’re looking to get into a dynasty league this year, but you’re a bit confused as to why the draft ADP is different than redraft leagues, let me explain.

In dynasty, your team will stay the same year after year. There is one big draft at the start, and then after that, you’ll have one rookie draft every offseason, and that will be the main way you add players to your team. Because of this, young players are valued higher than older players, even if they might not be as productive in year one.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to work on some dynasty tier lists for every position so you can get an idea of how early you should expect players to go in your startup draft. We’re going to start with the quarterbacks today, but we’ll hit on receivers, running backs and tight ends in the near future.

Tier 1

In dynasty leagues, youth is king. Nabbing a great, young quarterback can set you up for a decade. There are a ton of great young quarterbacks in the NFL right now, but there are a few that standout above the rest for fantasy.

Josh Allen has been around for a long time, but he’s only 29 years old and easily has 10 more years of elite football ahead of him. Not only is he an elite passer, but he racks up a ton of rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, which makes him the most desirable quarterback in both redraft and dynasty leagues. When it comes to consistent fantasy play, nobody really comes close to Allen.

But if you’re looking to go younger and get you a star under the age of 25, look no further than Drake Maye. The New England Patriots’ QB1 was the MVP runner up last season, throwing for 4,300+ yards and 30+ touchdowns, but he also ran for 450 yards and four scores. He’s one of the safest bets you can make in dynasty right now.

But if those two are gone and you’re trying to find your quarterback early, Jayden Daniels is another excellent option. 2025 was a bit of a wash due to injuries, but he was exceptional in 2024, and now he has more weapons than he’s ever had. Add on the fact that he’s one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league and is only 25 years old, and it’s easy to see why he’s viewed as one of the top dynasty quarterbacks in the league.

Tier 2

I was very close to putting Lamar Jackson in tier 1, but he’s 29 years old, has suffered multiple big injuries and doesn’t have the big body type to hold up in the NFL like Josh Allen does. I still love him as a dynasty option, because he’s still got 5-7 really good years ahead of him, but if he keeps suffering lower body injuries and his rushing ability starts to slip away, his fantasy value immediately drops. But he’s clearly the top of tier 2 for me.

Now we get to some guys that are great quarterbacks and can score you a ton of points, but they don’t have the rushing upside as the four we’ve already mentioned. Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are on the older side of this tier at 29 and 30 years old respectively, but because they’re more of your prototypical pocket passer, they should hold up for another 10 years.

Then there’s Caleb Williams, who has more rushing upside than Mahomes and Burrow, but isn’t in that same tier of a Jackson, Daniels, Allen or Maye. His upside is through the roof, but he’s still got to get better before he’s considered elite.

The final player in my second tier is actually the reverse of the last three. Jalen Hurts isn’t a great pocket passer, but he vultures so many touchdowns with his legs that he’s always going to be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. I don’t know how long he’ll be a starter, because we saw last year how much they struggled when Philly’s offense wasn’t built perfectly around him, but when he’s on the field, he’s a great fantasy option.

Tier 3

Let’s start with the young bucks. Tyler Shough, Cam Ward, Fernando Mendoza, Jaxson Dart and Bo Nix all fall in this tier.

Shough and Ward can scoot if they need to, but most of their damage is done with their arms. Both of these guys saw their teams invest a lot of resources into giving them weapons to work with, so their floors have been elevated a ton this offseason. Nix is in the same boat. He can run, but likes to do most of his damage with his arm, and the addition of Jaylen Waddle should only help his fantasy production, but he is 26 years old.

Fernando Mendoza was the first overall pick in the draft this year, so there’s a ton of hype around him, but he’s also a bit of an unknown commodity. We know how great he was in college, but there’s no guarantee that translates to the NFL. He could be at the top of tier 2 this time next year, or he could drop to tier 7 if he’s no good. He’s much more risky than the others in tier 3, but his upside is higher than almost all of them.

Then there’s Jaxson Dart. He’s a bit of a Wild Card here. He played well early in the season, but after his concussion, his production dropped off a little bit. He provides more with his legs than most of the others I’ve mentioned in this tier, but I don’t think he’s as great of a passer as Shough, Ward, Mendoza and Nix. He’s the most risky of the five young guys I mentioned outside of Mendoza.

I also have three veterans in this tier: Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence and Brock Purdy. These three are your prototypical pocket passers, but they’ve proven they can still score a lot of fantasy points with just their arm. They’re all 26 or older and have some tread on their tires, but they’ve still got 7+ years of good football ahead of them.

Tier 4

Tier 4 is a mixture of older players that can be really efficient in fantasy for the next 4-5 years, but also some younger guys that just don’t put up huge numbers, but can be really consistent.

Starting with the veterans, I have Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff in this tier. They are 32, 31 and 31 years old, respectively, and can give you some big games, but for the most part, they’re going to sit in the high-teens to low-twenties range. If you decide to load up on skill position players early, there’s certainly some value in these three in the later rounds, as long as you know you’re going to have to replace them in a few years.

The other two players in this tier are Jordan Love and Sam Darnold. Love is 27 and Darnold is 28, meaning they still probably have 7-10 years ahead of them, but they’re both very mediocre fantasy performers. They’re not going to score you more than 20 points very often, but they are very solid QB2 options in dynasty.

Tier 5

Tier 5 in my shortest tier, and it’s reserved for a few players that are on their second or third teams, but have some high upside in fantasy.

The first player is Kyler Murray, who just signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Injuries have derailed his career the past few years, but if he can get back to playing the kind of ball he was in 2019-2021, he could be a sleeper in fantasy, given his rushing upside.

Then there’s Malik Willis, who is taking over as the Miami Dolphins’ QB1. His first stint in Tennessee didn’t work out, but he played really well as a backup in Green Bay last year, so there’s some hope he can become a solid starter in Miami. He has a ton of rushing upside, too, so he could be another sleeper in fantasy.

Finally, there’s Daniel Jones, who played some really solid football in 2025 before his tore his Achilles. That’s a nasty injury to comeback from, which has me a bit concerned about him as a dynasty option, but he was thriving in Shane Steichen’s system before his injury. There’s a world where he’s a top-15 fantasy quarterback next year.

Tier 6

Tier 6 is mainly reserved for some underachieving quarterbacks that could lose their starting job in the next couple of years, but I also threw Matthew Stafford into this tier. In redraft leagues, he should be a top option, but in dynasty, he doesn’t have a ton of value. At most, it seems like he has two more years in him, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they win the Super Bowl this year and he rides off into the sunset. His long-term value just isn’t there in dynasty, which is why he’s in tier 6.

Then there’s the underachievers. C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young headline this group. They were the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in 2023, and while Stroud had a very impressive rookie season, they have both been very disappointing the past two years. Their respective teams have big decisions to make on whether or not to give them long-term extensions next offseason, and I think there’s a real chance neither of them get one.

Finally, there’s Michael Penix Jr. It was a shock when the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the top-10, while having Kirk Cousins on the roster, and it’s played out how pretty much everyone expected it to. Injuries haven’t helped, but he also just hasn’t played well. Don’t be surprised if he’s out of a starting job as soon as this season.

Tier 7

For our final tier, we have some young quarterbacks that have some upside and could become a full-time starter one day, but overall, I don’t know how much value they hold.

Let’s start with the 2026 rookie class. Ty Simpson, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck and Drew Allar all fall in this tier. None are expected to start right away, but Simpson, Beck and Allar all have a pretty clear path to getting a shot within the next 2-3 years, if not sooner. As for Nussmeier, his path is a little more murky, but if he gets to come in as a backup and show he can be an NFL quarterback, he could be a trade target for a QB-needy team in the near future.

I also have Shedeur Sanders in this tier. He’s the only one in this group that has a real shot at starting Week 1, but I don’t really believe in him as an NFL quarterback. What I will say is, if the new coaching staff actually believes in him, gives him a fair shot and tries to develop him, there’s some potential there.

And last but not least, we have Anthony Richardson. He has the highest ceiling of anyone in this tier, but the Indianapolis Colts have basically given up on him. I hope he gets the chance to go somewhere else that’s willing to develop him and give him a second chance, because he’s still just 23 years old.