Call me crazy, but to me, Daniel Jones looks like he’s kind of for real. He’s playing well, and I don’t think he’s going away.
Jones wasn’t much of a downfield passer with the Giants. When he had those opportunities in New York, too often the ball came in off target or flat. But he’s making them now. He’s been connecting with Alec Pierce on the big shots downfield (though Pierce won’t play this week).
I also like that Shane Steichen is using Jones regularly on quarterback sneaks, making him a poor man’s Jalen Hurts of sorts. Jones has run for 3 TDs in three games.
I’m not sure that Jones will ever be great in clutch situations. Even during this hot start, he’s thrown only 3 TDs. He’s completed only 3 of 10 inside the red zone. That’s a lower completion percentage, remarkably, than in any of his six seasons with the Giants.
| DANIEL JONES IN THE RED ZONE | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Com | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Rushing |
| 2019 | Giants | 31 | 59 | 52.5 | 172 | 12 | 5-37-2 |
| 2020 | Giants | 32 | 59 | 54.2 | 154 | 7 | 4-25-0 |
| 2021 | Giants | 16 | 42 | 38.1 | 70 | 5 | 13-48-2 |
| 2022 | Giants | 26 | 41 | 63.4 | 182 | 12 | 24-76-6 |
| 2023 | Giants | 7 | 12 | 58.3 | 45 | 2 | 8-38-1 |
| 2024 | Giants | 15 | 30 | 50.0 | 82 | 6 | 13-47-2 |
| 2025 | Colts | 3 | 10 | 30.0 | 19 | 1 | 9-10-3 |
But given the way he’s playing and the structure of the offense, Jones looks like a possibility for top-10 stats in 2025. That’s worth something.
If I’m in a dynasty league, I think I’d rather have Jones, with what he’s doing right now, rather than the hope of future production from guys like C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young or Michael Penix.
Valuing players for dynasty purposes is tricky. There’s a weighing of the here and now, but some consideration must be made for the future. Joe Burrow, for one, is probably the favorite to lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns in the 2026-28 seasons. I’d definitely be willing to select him in my top 10 quarterbacks (having to rely on a quarterback in the teens for 2025 – maybe Jones).
On the other hand, there’s also some value, I think, in just selecting players who are good right now, even if they’re older, figuring that 2026 and beyond can be figured out later.
The following is my latest stab at dynasty list for quarterbacks. I’m assuming standard scoring (1 point for every 20 passing yards, 4 points for TD passes, 1 for every 10 rushing yards and 6 for rushing touchdowns). I’m thinking of a 12-team league, with each franchise probably rostering about three quarterbacks – controlling the rights to those players indefinitely.
With most of the rankings on this site, they’re creating by carefully projecting every stat for every player. The dynasty rankings are different. They’re done off gut feel. You put together a list of all the quarterbacks, and carefully go down the list, moving players up and down until they feel right.
I turn my attention to dynasty leagues every Saturday during the regular season, rotating between the four notable positions. To see the most current list at the other positions, use the “PAST ISSUES” navigation box.
Last week: Wide receivers
Next week: Running backs
| DYNASTY LEAGUE QUARTERBACKS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
| 1. | BAL | Lamar Jackson | 28.7 |
| 2. | BUF | Josh Allen | 29.4 |
| 3. | LAC | Justin Herbert | 27.6 |
| 4. | KC | Patrick Mahomes | 30.0 |
| 5. | WAS | Jayden Daniels | 24.8 |
| 6. | PHI | Jalen Hurts | 27.1 |
| 7. | CIN | Joe Burrow | 28.8 |
| 8. | SF | Brock Purdy | 25.8 |
| 9. | CHI | Caleb Williams | 23.9 |
| 10. | TB | Baker Mayfield | 30.5 |
| 11. | DET | Jared Goff | 31.0 |
| 12. | DEN | Bo Nix | 25.6 |
| 13. | NE | Drake Maye | 23.1 |
| 14. | ARI | Kyler Murray | 28.1 |
| 15. | MIN | J.J. McCarthy | 22.7 |
| 16. | TEN | • Cam Ward | 23.3 |
| 17. | GB | Jordan Love | 26.9 |
| 18. | IND | Daniel Jones | 28.3 |
| 19. | HOU | C.J. Stroud | 24.0 |
| 20. | DAL | Dak Prescott | 32.2 |
| 21. | JAC | Trevor Lawrence | 26.0 |
| 22. | CAR | Bryce Young | 24.2 |
| 23. | SEA | Sam Darnold | 28.3 |
| 24. | NYG | • Jaxson Dart | 22.4 |
| 25. | ATL | Michael Penix | 25.4 |
| 26. | LAR | Matthew Stafford | 37.6 |
| 27. | NYJ | Justin Fields | 26.6 |
| 28. | LV | Geno Smith | 35.0 |
| 29. | MIA | Tua Tagovailoa | 27.6 |
| 30. | PIT | Aaron Rodgers | 41.8 |
| 31. | NO | Spencer Rattler | 25.0 |
| 32. | CIN | Jake Browning | 29.5 |
| 33. | CLE | • Dillon Gabriel | 24.7 |
| 34. | ATL | Kirk Cousins | 37.1 |
| 35. | SF | Mac Jones | 27.1 |
| 36. | MIA | Zach Wilson | 26.2 |
| 37. | MIN | Carson Wentz | 32.7 |
| 38. | CLE | Joe Flacco | 40.7 |
| 39. | WAS | Marcus Mariota | 31.9 |
| 40. | LAR | Jimmy Garoppolo | 33.9 |
—Ian Allan