There may not be a position in all of sports that is more important than the quarterback is in football. It's pretty simple; if you have a good quarterback in the NFL, chances are your team is good. Quarterbacks are so instrumental to the success of their teams' offense that they are oftentimes the difference between winning and losing.
The same cannot be said in fantasy football, however. Quarterback production can be found in many places, and the gap between the top quarterbacks and the midlevel quarterbacks is not very large. It results in most quarterbacks not getting selected until the middle rounds, which is strange considering their importance in regular football.
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Still, it's important to have a good quarterback on your fantasy team. Let's run through the top fantasy football quarterbacks for the 2022 season and see which ones you should consider drafting as your starter.
Top 15 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks in 2022, ranked
15. Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins has been the definition of an average quarterback throughout his career. He has a lot of weapons on offense for himself on the Minnesota Vikings, but he never consistently dominates for fantasy owners. With Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen being his top two targets, Cousins remains a viable fill-in option, but he shouldn't be your starter all season long.
14. Trey Lance
Trey Lance is in a strange situation with the San Francisco 49ers, as he will be replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, despite the fact that Garoppolo led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last season. Lance has upside as a passer and a runner, and the 49ers offense is designed to win now, but relying on Lance as a starter from Week 1 is risky.
13. Derek Carr
Derek Carr has struggled to make due with a fairly limited supporting cast recently, but he finally will have a top tier wide receiver on his roster in Davante Adams in 2022. Carr has other weapons in Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, and that should help him take a step forward as a fantasy option this season.
12. Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl victory in his first season with the team, and he remains a solid fantasy option as a result. The problem is that Stafford offers virtually no production on the ground as a runner, and he's reportedly been dealing with an elbow issue during training camp, which is a bit worrying.
11. Aaron Rodgers
It seems strange to rank Aaron Rodgers this low considering he's won back-to-back MVP awards, but the Green Bay Packers offense has clearly taken a hit this offseason. Rodgers just doesn't have the pass-catching talent necessary now that Adams is in Las Vegas, and that figures to dampen his fantasy outlook quite significantly in 2022.
10. Dak Prescott
Similar to Rodgers, Dak Prescott would probably be higher if he had more help at wide receiver. Prescott lost two of his top three targets in 2021 over the offseason in Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, and that will limit his output immediately. He still has a top duo of CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, but Prescott may take a step back in 2022.
9. Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow led a high-profile Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, and he seems set to build off of his breakout 2021 campaign. With Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd catching his passes, Burrow has a plethora of top tier targets at his disposal, and he should be able to have dominant passing outings on a weekly basis.
8. Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson finally got traded this offseason after trade rumors had swirled around him for some time. The Denver Broncos offense is built to win, and he has top targets in Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy ready to help right off the bat. But Wilson struggled pretty mightily for the Seattle Seahawks last season, and he's going to have to prove he still is among the top fantasy football quarterbacks this season.
7. Tom Brady
Tom Brady's brief retirement didn't last long, and heading into his 23rd season, he's still as solid a fantasy option as he's ever been. Brady has a ton of options at his disposal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in terms of a pure passing quarterback, Brady is still at the top of the pack, even in his age 45 season.
6. Jalen Hurts
Ranking Jalen Hurts above Brady in any sort of list seems outrageous, but Hurts' dual-threat abilities make him one of the top fantasy quarterback options. Hurts has been inconsistent as a passer despite his skills as a runner, but with a new top target in A.J. Brown on his roster, Hurts could take a very big step forward as a fantasy quarterback in 2022.
Lamar Jackson is looking to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2021 campaign, and if he can stay on the field, he's going to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board. Jackson is arguably the most dangerous dual-threat quarterback in the NFL, but he doesn't have as many targets in the passing game, which could limit the Baltimore Ravens offense as a whole.
4. Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray is another lethal dual-threat quarterback who had a breakout campaign in 2020. Murray struggled with injuries in 2021, though, and ended up taking a step back. Assuming he's healthy though, Murray should reclaim his status as a top five fantasy quarterback, especially once DeAndre Hopkins returns from his six game suspension.
Justin Herbert took a massive step forward in 2021 after a solid rookie campaign in 2020. His entire core group of playmakers on offense will be returning for the 2022 season, and considering this is only his third season in the NFL, he should continue to improve. Herbert is only just beginning to realize his potential, and that makes him a scary good fantasy option at quarterback.
It wasn't always sunshine and butterflies as it had been for much of the start of Patrick Mahomes career in 2021, but at the end of the day, Mahomes was once again one of the premier quarterbacks in the league. Mahomes lost one of his top targets in Tyreek Hill, which will definitely hurt, but he's good enough to overcome that loss and remain one of the top fantasy football quarterbacks in 2022.
1. Josh Allen
Josh Allen was the top fantasy quarterback in 2021, and there's a very good chance he will reclaim the top spot again in 2022. He has a ton of weapons at his disposal on the Bills offense, and he's coming off his best season as a runner too. Allen has the combination of passing and rushing skill that no one else in the league has, making him the clear cut top fantasy quarterback option.
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