Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa go head-to-head on Sunday, and that’s a notable matchup: two quarterbacks who could be notable players at the position for years. Herbert has been ripping it up for two months, while Tagovailoa comes off his first big game as a pro.
If we shift the attention from 2020 and look more long-term, Herbert looks like the stronger choice right now, given what he’s been able to do in a half season as a starter. Tagovailoa may have been selected one pick earlier in the draft in April, but I think most NFL teams and fantasy GMs right now would prefer Herbert if given that choice.
Herbert has been good enough, in fact, that I wonder how many would select him before even the third of the high-profile rookie quarterbacks. Joe Burrow has more than met expectations for the Bengals, but I think Herbert has been a little more impressive. I would be torn between those quarterbacks.
If I were walking into a dynasty draft today, I would be locked in on Patrick Mahomes as the top quarterback on the board. (I think pretty much everyone would.). It’s after him that the decisions get trickier. Russell Wilson has been awesome this year, but Deshaun Watson is really good and is seven years younger. Kyler Murray is a dynamic pass-run threat in his second year, but I don’t know how long his playing style is sustainable.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are both in their third year, and they’ve both put up some great numbers, but I think Herbert and Burrow can be compared to those guys (as long-term prospects). There’s also Aaron Rodgers, but he’s 36, which has to decrease his value somewhat – these are long-term rankings.
The list here is put together by hand. Basically, I’m just going through the thing over and over and trying to make it feel right, balancing how good the guys are right now versus what they might be doing in 3-5 years. Assume standard scoring and a 12-team league, with fantasy franchises holding the rights to players indefinitely.
With dynasty leagues, I hit a different position each Saturday. Last week it was wide receivers. Next week it will be running backs. To see the previous versions, use the “past issues” links on the right side of the page.
| DYNASTY QUARTERBACKS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | Player | Age | Prev |
| 1. | KC | Patrick Mahomes | 25 | 1 |
| 2. | HOU | Deshaun Watson | 25 | 2 |
| 3. | SEA | Russell Wilson | 31 | 3 |
| 4. | ARI | Kyler Murray | 23 | 8 |
| 5. | LAC | • Justin Herbert | 23 | 7 |
| 6. | CIN | • Joe Burrow | 22 | 6 |
| 7. | BUF | Josh Allen | 24 | 5 |
| 8. | BAL | Lamar Jackson | 23 | 4 |
| 9. | GB | Aaron Rodgers | 36 | 9 |
| 10. | LAR | Jared Goff | 26 | 11 |
| 11. | DAL | Dak Prescott | 27 | 13 |
| 12. | DET | Matthew Stafford | 32 | 10 |
| 13. | PHI | Carson Wentz | 27 | 14 |
| 14. | LV | Derek Carr | 29 | 17 |
| 15. | MIA | • Tua Tagovailoa | 22 | 18 |
| 16. | NYG | Daniel Jones | 23 | 19 |
| 17. | CLE | Baker Mayfield | 25 | 16 |
| 18. | TEN | Ryan Tannehill | 32 | 21 |
| 19. | MIN | Kirk Cousins | 32 | 20 |
| 20. | ATL | Matt Ryan | 35 | 25 |
| 21. | NE | Cam Newton | 31 | 12 |
| 22. | PIT | Ben Roethlisberger | 38 | 22 |
| 23. | TB | Tom Brady | 43 | 23 |
| 24. | NO | Drew Brees | 41 | 26 |
| 25. | CAR | Teddy Bridgewater | 28 | 24 |
| 26. | DEN | Drew Lock | 24 | 28 |
| 27. | NO | Taysom Hill | 30 | 31 |
| 28. | NYJ | Sam Darnold | 23 | 29 |
| 29. | JAC | Gardner Minshew | 25 | 15 |
| 30. | CHI | Nick Foles | 31 | 30 |
| 31. | SF | Jimmy Garoppolo | 29 | 32 |
| 32. | GB | • Jordan Love | 22 | 33 |
| 33. | IND | Philip Rivers | 38 | 36 |
| 34. | JAC | • Jake Luton | 24 | -- |
| 35. | DAL | Andy Dalton | 33 | 27 |
| 36. | WAS | Dwayne Haskins | 23 | 37 |
| 37. | IND | Jacoby Brissett | 27 | 38 |
| 38. | MIA | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 38 | 34 |
| 39. | CLE | Case Keenum | 32 | 43 |
| 40. | WAS | Kyle Allen | 24 | 35 |
| 41. | NO | Jameis Winston | 26 | 40 |
| 42. | PHI | • Jalen Hurts | 22 | 42 |
| 43. | SF | Nick Mullens | 25 | 49 |
| 44. | NE | Jarrett Stidham | 24 | 46 |
| 45. | WAS | Alex Smith | 36 | -- |
| 46. | CHI | Mitchell Trubisky | 26 | 41 |
| 47. | LAC | Tyrod Taylor | 31 | 44 |
| 48. | NYJ | Joe Flacco | 35 | 48 |
| 49. | DEN | Brett Rypien | 24 | -- |
| 50. | KC | Chad Henne | 35 | 47 |
—Ian Allan