Ranking NFL’s Best Young QBs
The past three NFL draft classes have supplied with the league with a great crop of talented, young quarterbacks. These quarterbacks include Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Trevor Siemian, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, and Dak Prescott. From a keeper and dynasty football standpoint, I often advocate investing in proven veterans because of their reasonable cost of acquisition. That said, rebuilding teams or those in two quarterback or superflex leagues may want to attach themselves to the next Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, or Russell Wilson. For those folks, I’m here to help as I’ve ranked these quarterbacks in terms of fantasy value for the next three seasons.
- Derek Carr – He has already become a borderline top 10 fantasy quarterback in his third season. With Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, Oakland’s building a great team around Carr.
- Jameis Winston – He has all the physical tools and has shown why Tampa Bay selected him first overall in 2015. Though he ranked 34th of 37 quarterbacks in terms of accuracy percentage in 2015 according to Pro Football Focus, Winston has shown plenty of promise in his first two seasons and is paired with the best young WR besides Odell Beckham Jr. in Mike Evans.
- Carson Wentz – He’s quickly becoming the breakout star of 2016. Expected to remain on the sidelines until 2017, Wentz was named the starter immediately following the Sam Bradford trade. Many expected that he wouldn’t be ready after missing most of the preseason with a rib injury. Instead of running a conservative scheme and attempting to hide their QB while he develops, Pederson has put a lot of trust in Wentz – best exemplified by the Eagles opening drive Week 2 against the Bears on Monday Night Football where Wentz opened the game, play after play, in an empty back set. His weapons don’t compare to Carr, Winston, or Bortles, but Jordan Matthews, Zach Ertz, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Nelson Agholor have potential to develop into reliable targets.
- Blake Bortles – Coming into this year, we knew Blake Bortles’ remarkable 2015 season was largely aided by negative game-script. However, that may not go away anytime soon. The Jaguars should continue to struggle and fall behind as their defense has not improved as quickly as some may have hoped. Receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns will make Bortles’ at least a high end QB2 each of the next three years, but Bortles makes far too many mistakes, hasn’t shown much growth in year 3, and likely is a better fantasy QB than NFL QB.
- Marcus Mariota – There’s no denying Mariota has disappointed in 2016. The Titans have the worst WRs in the AFC and recently demoted free-agent signee Rishard Matthews for 35 year-old Andre Johnson. Mike Mularkey’s “Exotic Smashmouth” scheme has lacked creativity and seems focused on protecting Mariota rather than developing him. I’m still a fan of Mariota, but definitely would be concerned as a Mariota owner.
- Jared Goff – There’s so much unknown surrounding Jared Goff. It’s very curious that he couldn’t beat out Case Keenum or Sean Mannion in training camp. Even when he’s eventually handed the reigns, Goff will join the least creative offense in the NFL that is currently struggling to get the most out of star RB Todd Gurley. LA has the worst pass catching options in the NFL, led by gadget player Tavon Austin. There are many reasons Goff was considered the top prospect in the NFL draft by many, but I’ve cooled on him since the April draft.
- Paxton Lynch – Considered more of a project than Goff or Wentz, Paxton Lynch has played fairly well in limited action. He has excellent physical tools and is built to run Gary Kubiak’s offense. Like Wentz, his running ability should aide his fantasy value, potentially making him a top five fantasy QB during his best seasons.
- Dak Prescott – Through four games, Dak Prescott looks like he belongs. With no turnovers through four games, Prescott has kept the Cowboys afloat without veteran QB Tony Romo. He may lack the ceiling as a passer of Carr, Winston, and Wentz, but has showcased his abilities enough to be considered a potential long-term starter in the NFL and likely the Cowboys QB in 2017. The Dallas offensive line and presence of a healthy Dez Bryant could make Prescott a high end QB2 by the end of 2016, assuming Romo doesn’t return.
- Teddy Bridgewater – Coming into 2016, I was very down on Teddy Bridgewater and even sold him for Tavon Austin in one of my dynasty leagues. Let’s not forget that the Vikings ranked 31st in passing yards in 2015 and 25th in yards per attempt according to Pro-Football-Reference. I don’t love his arm strength, especially in the NFC North where he’ll have to play outdoors in Green Bay and Chicago. Depending on how the 2016 Vikings season ends, Sam Bradford may not have to give back the starting QB job when Bridgewater returns.
- Trevor Siemian – He likely isn’t a long-term long-term NFL starter, but is showing he belongs at least as a backup in the NFL. He has lesser physical abilities than fellow Broncos QB Paxton Lynch and likely is on a short-leash, but has impressed enough this season to warrant being on the radar of fantasy owners.
I want to hear from you! Which players ranking do you agree or disagree with most? Let me know on Twitter @DaveSanders_RSO!
Bio: An avid fan of all things NFL, Dave has been playing fantasy football since 1999. Though Dave participates in all types of fantasy football including redraft and daily, he prefers keeper and dynasty leagues as talent evaluation and scouting are integral components of each. Follow him on Twitter @DaveSanders_RSO
