2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: QBs 21-35

JUNE 6 UPDATE: Matt Ryan, historically, has not been as good of a quarterback without Julio Jones. Kyle Pitts will help, but he’s just a rookie. Ryan is defintiely less appealing as a fantasy quarterback.

Matt Ryan is still a good option in positive matchups. There’s some potential for QB1 status in 2021 if Julio Jones can remain healthy the entire year. Even if Jones doesn’t, Kyle Pitts’ presence will obviously help Ryan.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,700 passing yards. 28 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 120 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 286.

Zach Wilson is a slightly raw passer, but possesses great mobility, making him a viable fantasy player right away. He’s a high-upside backup for 2021 fantasy leagues.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,600 passing yards. 20 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 480 rushing yards. 7 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 282.

AUG. 30 UPDATE: Trey Lance remained on the field for the rest of the first half and the initial drive of the third quarter once Garoppolo left the preseason finale for good. Lance looked good, despite what his passing stats say. Lance went 6-of-13 for 46 yards, but he endured three drops, one of which should’ve been a touchdown. Lance was firing bullets, but some of his receivers, namely Jalen Hurd, couldn’t secure the ball. Lance’s preseason was a positive, but if the 49ers plan on rotating Lance and Garoppolo like they did in this contest, Lance can’t be a viable fantasy quarterback unless Garoppolo is benched or gets hurt.

AUG. 4 UPDATE: Trey Lance has been spectacular in 49ers’ training camp, making some unbelievable throws only a few quarterbacks in the NFL could complete. Kyle Shanahan previously said that Lance wouldn’t get first-team reps, but changed his mind Tuesday. If Lance is as great during the preseason, he will likely be the starter in the season opener.

It’s unclear when Trey Lance will start. If we knew he’d get the nod right away, I’d have him much higher in these rankings because of his rushing upside.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 2,800 passing yards. 16 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 670 rushing yards. 7 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 280.

Teddy Bridgewater put together some solid passing performances last year with the Panthers. He’ll be a fine streaming option if the Broncos don’t trade for Deshaun Watson.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,000 passing yards. 24 passing TDs. 10 INTs. 250 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 279.

AUG. 12 UPDATE: There’s good news coming out of Indianapolis, as Carson Wentz is now “trending toward being available” for the season opener. We’ll see what happens, but this definitely makes me more bullish on all the Indianapolis players.

AUG. 2 UPDATE: Carson Wentz will undergo foot surgery to remove a troublesome bone. He will be out 5-12 weeks. That’s a wide range, and I would lean toward the latter number in that projection because Wentz may not be 100 percent when he returns to action anyway. All Indianapolis players should be avoided except for Jonathan Taylor, who will take a smaller hit than the other players.

JULY 31 UPDATE: Carson Wentz is out indefinitely due to a foot injury he suffered Thursday. This might just be nothing, but Wentz could have a major issue as well. If you’re drafting this weekend, avoid Wentz, move Jonathan Taylor several spots, and downgrade all the Colts’ receiving threats by 2-3 rounds.

Carson Wentz was a huge disappointment in 2020. The massive injuries on the offensive line hurt Wentz, but he seemed to read the field poorly. There’s a chance Wentz could rebound, especially now that he’ll be playing under a superior coaching staff.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,600 passing yards. 24 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 180 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 276.

Ryan Fitzpatrick figures to start for the Redskins unless Taylor Heinicke impresses in training camp. He has talented weapons at his disposal, so he can be used in great matchups.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,000 passing yards. 26 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 280 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 272.

Baker Mayfield had an inconsistent 2020, but it’s worth noting that he didn’t have his top receiver for half the year. Mayfield, at best, is just a QB2 you can stream in good matchups.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,900 passing yards. 30 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 130 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 271.

Tua Tagovailoa was the least-impressive rookie of the three quarterbacks last year, but he was barely removed from his brutal injury. Tagovailoa has a terrific receiving corps at his disposal, which is a plus.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,300 passing yards. 25 passing TDs. 7 INTs. 130 rushing yards. 3 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 269.

Derek Carr played much better in 2020, but was still just a mediocre fantasy option overall. He’ll get worse in 2021 because his offensive line has regressed.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,050 passing yards. 25 passing TDs. 10 INTs. 110 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 259.

Tyrod Taylor can scramble around, but he’s by no means a viable fantasy quarterback. He’s not even great for 2-QB leagues because Davis Mills could overtake him as the starter at some point.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,100 passing yards. 16 passing TDs. 8 INTs. 600 rushing yards. 4 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 256.

Sam Darnold will have a much better supporting cast in Carolina, and that includes the coaching staff. He could become the quarterback everyone expected him to be coming out of USC.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,900 passing yards. 22 passing TDs. 13 INTs. 200 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 250.

Jared Goff’s yardage total is always impressive, but his touchdown totals the past two years have been lackluster. Goff used to do well in matchups versus poor defensive coordinators because that allowed Sean McVay to out-scheme the opposition. Goff is going to look much worse without McVay.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 4,200 passing yards. 21 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 80 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 240.

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.

AUG. 15 UPDATE: Taysom Hill was given the initial opportunity in the preseason opener, and his first drive was a thing of beauty. It featured a great throw to Marquez Callaway while under pressure to convert a third down. Hill led the team into the red zone, where the drive concluded with a Latavius Murray lost fumble. However, things got much worse following the first possession. Hill threw an interception on what was a horrible throw wide of Ty Montgomery. Hill was lucky he tossed just one pick because Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett jumped the route on the next drive, but dropped the ball. Hill didn’t redeem himself; he took a big sack when he held the ball way too long.

JULY 24 UPDATE: Michael Thomas could miss multiple weeks of the regular season, according to Ian Rapoport. Thomas underwent surgery to repair ankle ligaments, which could keep him out in September. This hurts Taysom Hill as well, though Hill has a high floor because of his rushing ability.

Drew Brees retired, so Taysom Hill will take over as the starter unless he has a terrible training camp. Hill is an awesome fantasy option because of his insane rushing upside.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 1,450 passing yards. 7 passing TDs. 5 INTs. 680 total yards. 5 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 224.

Cam Newton has been released in the wake of Mac Jones winning the starting quarterback job. Jones had a stellar preseason, although he did nothing but battle practice squad defenders.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 3,800 passing yards. 20 passing TDs. 15 INTs. 50 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 207.

Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t have much upside in San Francisco’s run-first scheme. He’ll lose his job to Trey Lance soon.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 2,400 passing yards. 15 passing TDs. 10 INTs. 40 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 146.

Deshaun Watson may not play this year due to 22 sexual assault allegations.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 0 passing yards. 0 passing TDs. 0 INTs. 0 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 0.

Cam Newton has been released in the wake of Mac Jones winning the starting quarterback job. Jones had a stellar preseason, although he did nothing but battle practice squad defenders.

Projected 2021 Fantasy Stats: 0 passing yards. 0 passing TDs. 0 INTs. 0 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2021 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 0.