2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: QBs 11-20

AUG. 24 UPDATE: Taysom Hill started the first preseason game and then was replaced by Jameis Winston. Both struggled in that affair, but things were different in the second exhibition contest. Winston started and was amazing. He misfired just once, going 9-of-10 for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the scores were deep bombs to Marquez Callaway. Winston looked like a completely different quarterback, and the year off he spent learning from Sean Payton and Drew Brees seems to be paying dividends. With Hill disappointing once again after Winston left the game, it seems almost certain that Winston will be the starter in Week 1.

Jameis Winston could win the Saints’ starting job. If so, he could be a viable streaming option.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,400 passing yards. 30 passing TDs. 20 INTs. 200 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 306.

The Vikings’ ideal game plan is to run as much as possible. Kirk Cousins is very frustrating to own for that reason, but he’ll go off some weeks when his team is forced to abandon the rush.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,500 passing yards. 35 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 110 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 305.

Trevor Lawrence’s scrambling ability will make him a viable option as a rookie, and he’ll have some great receivers at his disposal in Jacksonville. He’s a borderline top-10 fantasy quarterback despite being a rookie.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,600 passing yards. 30 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 300 rushing yards. 4 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 303.

When Justin Fields is named the starter, he will instantly be a viable fantasy option because of his rushing ability. He’ll also be able to throw to Allen Robinson. I like him for 2021, as the Bears can’t use Andy Dalton as their starter for very long.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,800 passing yards. 22 passing TDs. 13 INTs. 540 rushing yards. 6 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 304.

AUG. 22 UPDATE: Ben Roethlisberger absolutely torched Detroit, and that is not an exaggeration. Using some shockingly improved ball velocity, he ripped through the Lions’ secondary by hurling deep strikes to his talented weapons. He went 8-of-10 for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and one of his incompletions was dropped. His best throw was a 43-yard bomb to Diontae Johnson. This version of Roethlisberger looked nothing like the quarterback who dinked and dunked in 2020. I never would have believed it, but watching him in this contest makes me wonder if he’s finally over the elbow injury that plagued his past two seasons. If so, Pittsburgh’s offense could be lethal this year, especially if the blocking is better than expected.

Ben Roethlisberger’s arm was a question mark heading into 2020, but it was apparently perfectly splendid as he fired countless passes that year. Roethlisberger should continue to heave lots of passes to his talented receiving corps, though his offensive line declined from last year.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,400 passing yards. 38 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 30 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 301.

Ryan Tannehill has shown plenty of improvement in Tennessee, and A.J. Brown makes him a viable option in good matchups. However, the Titans lost their coordinator, Arthur Smith, and a couple of receiving options – Corey Davis, Jonnu Smith – so Tannehill could take a step backward in 2021.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,100 passing yards. 31 passing TDs. 12 INTs. 190 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 301.

AUG. 4 UPDATE: Reports indicate that the Bengals’ offense is really struggling in training camp thus far. Joe Burrow has looked much worse than last year, which can’t be a surprise because he isn’t a full year removed from a brutal knee injury. Meanwhile, the offensive line has struggled despite the addition of Riley Reiff. This could just be some FUD from the media, but a hobbled Burrow getting poor blocking isn’t something unexpected.

Joe Burrow was a solid fantasy option before he suffered an injury. The problem is that his knee may not be ready for the 2021 opener. He’s a risky option, so he’ll need have to be drafted as a high-upside backup.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,000 passing yards. 27 passing TDs. 11 INTs. 160 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 300.

AUG. 13 UPDATE: Jalen Hurts’ best throw in his preseason debut was an accurate, 34-yard connection to Dallas Goedert in which he did a good job to avoid pressure. However, he skipped a pass to Jalen Reagor on his next attempt despite seeing no pressure in the pocket and having Reagor wide open for a medium gain. Hurts later missed Quez Watkins for a 98-yard touchdown. Hurts finished an underwhelming 3-of-7 for 54 yards, with one throw being tossed away as a result of pressure. Hurts’ accuracy desperately needs to improve after last year’s 52-percent completion result, and this game showed no evidence that this aspect has been upgraded.

AUG. 5 UPDATE: Rumors have surfaced that the Eagles are attempting to trade for Deshaun Watson. A CBS report says “talks are heating up.” We’ll see what happens, but if this trade goes through, it’ll obviously damage Jalen Hurts’ draft stock. Hurts would naturally be out of a job whenever Watson returns from his impending suspension.

With Carson Wentz gone, Jalen Hurts will start all 16 games in 2021 unless he gets hurt or completely bombs. If he can stay healthy and not kill his team, he’ll be a great fantasy option because of his rushing ability.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,350 passing yards. 22 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 950 rushing yards. 6 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 299.

I was expecting Daniel Jones to make a big improvement in his second year, but that never happened, as he continued to be mistake-prone. Perhaps Jones will make strides in his third year, given that Saquon Barkley is returning from injury, and Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney were added to his receiving corps.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,850 passing yards. 26 passing TDs. 14 INTs. 420 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 290.