Now that the 2020 regular season is over, we're starting to look ahead to the 2021 campaign. It's never too early to start preparing for the upcoming Fantasy season, and we want you to be ready.
Obviously, things will change with free agency and the NFL Draft, among other things that will happen this offseason. But this is our first look at the top 12 quarterback rankings in 2021 for me, Dave Richard, Heath Cummings and Chris Towers.
These rankings will change many times between now and August. But based on what just happened in the 2020 regular season, as well as what we project to happen in the future, here's how we view the top 12 quarterbacks for next year.
Experts' 2021 Positional Rankings: RB | WR | TE
As a reference point, here are the top 12 quarterbacks in 2020 based on total Fantasy points for the season on CBS Sports. The scoring is based on six points for passing touchdowns.
1. Aaron Rodgers 467
2. Josh Allen 455
3. Patrick Mahomes 437
4. Russell Wilson 424
5. Deshaun Watson 418
6. Kyler Murray 414
7. Tom Brady 407
8. Ryan Tannehill 394
9. Justin Herbert 383
10. Lamar Jackson 371
11. Kirk Cousins 365
12. Ben Roethlisberger 325
And here are the top 12 quarterbacks in 2020 based on points per game with at least five starts:
1. Dak Prescott 29.8
2. Aaron Rodgers 29.2
3. Patrick Mahomes 29.1
4. Josh Allen 28.4
5. Russell Wilson 26.5
6. Deshaun Watson 26.1
7. Kyler Murray 25.9
8. Justin Herbert 25.5
9. Tom Brady 25.4
10. Lamar Jackson 24.7
11. Ryan Tannehill 24.6
12. Kirk Cousins 22.8
Dave and Jamey reveal their top 12 players for 2021 on the Fantasy Football Today podcast. Listen below and subscribe at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts:
The rankings
Jamey Eisenberg
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Josh Allen
3. Deshaun Watson
4. Kyler Murray
5. Lamar Jackson
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Dak Prescott
8. Russell Wilson
9. Jalen Hurts
10. Justin Herbert
11. Ryan Tannehill
12. Joe Burrow
Dave Richard
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Josh Allen
3. Kyler Murray
4. Lamar Jackson
5. Deshaun Watson
6. Dak Prescott
7. Aaron Rodgers
8. Russell Wilson
9. Justin herbert
10. Jalen Hurts
11. Ryan Tannehill
12. Joe Burrow
Heath Cummings
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Josh Allen
4. Kyler Murray
5. Dak Prescott
6. Russell Wilson
7. Deshaun Watson
8. Justin Herbert
9. Jalen Hurts
10. Aaron Rodgers
11. Tom Brady
12. Joe Burrow
Chris Towers
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Kyler Murray
3. Josh Allen
4. Russell Wilson
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Lamar Jackson
7. Dak Prescott
8. Jalen Hurts
9. DeShaun Watson
10. Taysom Hill
11. Justin Herbert
12. Tom Brady
The one constant for all of us is Mahomes at No. 1. Even though he wasn't the top quarterback in 2020, he's still been amazing over the past three years and should again be one of the best players at his position in 2021.
Murray's ranking is a bit mixed. His season was a tale of two halves in 2020 since he scored at least 28 Fantasy points in seven of his first eight starts with a low of 24 points, but he scored 21 Fantasy points or less in five of his final eight outings. Hopefully, his third year in the NFL in 2021 will keep him at a high level for an entire season.
Allen will be interesting to track. He did have five games with fewer than 20 Fantasy points, but watching his growth in his third year has been amazing, especially with the addition of Stefon Diggs. Allen could challenge Mahomes to be the best Fantasy quarterback for the next several years if both continue to play at this level.
Watson's value has tanked a bit, but this could ultimately make him a value depending on how things shake out with him this offseason. I'm excited to see what Houston does this offseason with hopefully improved weapons around him and a new coach. It will help if the Texans are able to keep Will Fuller, who is a free agent.
We'll see if Rodgers is able to replicate his amazing performance in 2020 once again, especially at 37. It helps having the No. 1 receiver in the NFL in Davante Adams, and Rodgers doesn't show any signs of slowing down. One drawback could be that he went from 20.6 Fantasy points per game in 2019 to 29.2 in 2020, and that was the first time he's been above 23.0 points per game since 2016. I'm not counting him out again.
Jackson was the No. 1 quarterback in 2019, but he struggled for most of 2020 before a strong finish. He only had three games with more than 19 Fantasy points in his first eight outings, but he scored at least 25 Fantasy points in each of his final five games. When you have a quarterback who has back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, it's hard to overlook that kind of production.
We're expecting Prescott to return to the Cowboys and be healthy following his ankle injury, which ended his season in Week 5. If those two things happen then you should be excited to draft Prescott again in 2021. With a receiving corps led by Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, Prescott could be a top-three Fantasy quarterback -- and he was No. 1 in points per game before getting hurt. Prescott will be a quarterback who I target a lot on Draft Day next season.
I'm also excited about Herbert for 2021, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next coach for the Chargers after Anthony Lynn was fired Monday. Hunter Henry could be gone as a free agent, but Herbert was excellent in his rookie campaign, and has plenty of room to grow. With the right play-caller, Herbert could be a top five Fantasy quarterback for many years to come.
Over three full starts, Hurts averaged 27.3 Fantasy points per game, and he ran for at least 63 yards in each outing. With an improved offensive line in 2021, Hurts could be a star.
In 26 starts going back to Week 7 last year, Tannehill has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in 20 games over that span. I have no problem settling for Tannehill as a No. 1 quarterback on Draft Day in 2021.
Brady's 40 passing touchdowns were the second most of his career, and this was just the fifth time he's been above 400 Fantasy points. Even though he'll be 44, it's hard to say he's slowing down yet. Hopefully, the Buccaneers can bring back one or both of Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown in 2021.
Hill could be a fun Fantasy option in 2021 if Drew Brees retires. It's not a guarantee that Hill would replace Brees, but it's clear Sean Payton loves Hill. He started four games for Brees in 2020 and scored at least 22 Fantasy points in three of those outings. I will have Hill ranked in the top 12 also if he starts for the Saints next season.
Prior to going down, Burrow scored at least 21 Fantasy points only four times in nine full games, but he did average 268.8 passing yards per game. Only six quarterbacks were better in 2020 -- Mahomes, Watson, Brady, Herbert, Matt Ryan and Allen -- and Burrow could be special if he's 100 percent at the start of the season.
