Outlook: After watching the likes of Aidan O'Connell, Gardner Minshew, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Brian Hoyer start games for the franchise over the last two seasons, incoming head coach Pete Carroll looked to his past to acquire Geno Smith, who started for Carroll during his final two years on the job in Seattle. Whatever you may think of Smith, he's a notch or three above O'Connell, Minshew, and Hoyer, and though Garoppolo had some good years with the 49ers, he was always more of a game manager, and that was before age and injury took their toll.

As for Smith, he resurrected his career with the Seahawks, taking over when they moved on from Russell Wilson before the 2022 season and throwing for 4,282 yards, 30 TDs, and 11 INTs. In two seasons since, he averaged 3,972 yards, 20 TDs, and 12 INTs. That's decent production but bear in mind that came with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at his disposal. There's nobody in Las Vegas on JSN or Metcalf's level, and expectations are the offense will lean heavily on the running game.

Already a fringe fantasy reserve last year, Smith again finds himself on the borders of ownability heading into 2025. He has one dynamic threat in Brock Bowers, and first-round pick Ashton Jeanty could do some damage as a receiver out of the backfield, but this isn't an offense built to air it out. At best, Smith looks like a low-end QB2, likely someone you'd pair with a risky QB1 as a parachute in case your starting quarterback didn't pan out.

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Outlook: Tua Tagovailoa's 2024 season saw him go for 2,867 yards, 19 TDs, 7 INTs in 11 starts, including an impressive 72.9% completion rate. This helped prove that Tua is still capable of being efficient, particularly in Mike McDaniels' offense. The unfortunate reality is that his injury history -- missing 3+ games in four of five seasons, including six in 2024 -- makes him a high-risk QB2 heading into 2025.

Tagovailoa's complete lack of rushing production caps his fantasy ceiling, but what's worse is that a weak offensive line adds constant pressure to a player who already has serious injury concerns. Worse yet, with Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers as backups, there's even a possibility that Tua could hit the bench if his efficiency declines.

Thankfully, Tua's low ADP reflects the risks associated with drafting him and a healthy Tua in this pass-heavy system has the potential to return a low-level QB1 result.

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Outlook: Upon joining the Rams in 2021, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. In three seasons since, the veteran has averaged 3,271 yards, 18 TDs, and 9 INTs while missing a combined 11 games. Not all of that can be blamed on Stafford, though, as former All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp had his own run of injury woes and barely resembled the player he'd been for most of 2024. TE Tyler Higbee, another reliable outlet in the passing game, missed all but three games last year while recovering from a torn ACL. WR Puka Nacua missed six games. That left guys like WRs Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson to fill important roles, and the offense suffered for it.

Following the offseason acquisition of WR Davante Adams, the Rams hope they'll be more dynamic in the passing game, though both Stafford (37 years old) and Adams (32) are on the downside of their careers, so don't hold your breath for a second coming of the 2021 Rams offense. On paper, the pairing of Nacua and Adams should be better than what we saw from Nacua and Kupp last year, and that's good news for Stafford, an experienced field general with plenty of juice left in his right arm. He doesn't run, which undercuts his fantasy appeal, but he remains a borderline top-20 option and serviceable QB2.

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Outlook: Unable to find a long-term solution to the QB position, Pittsburgh has once again turned to a fading veteran to plug a hole that's been leaking since Big Ben retired. Exit Russell Wilson, and enter Aaron Rodgers, who after a disastrous two-year stint with the Jets, looks to close out his enigmatic career in black and gold.

Despite being a 41-year-old coming off an Achilles injury, and playing for a dysfunctional franchise, Rodgers had a strong statistical season in 2024. His yardage and touchdown totals were his best since 2021, and his throws still had plenty of zip and accuracy. Unfortunately, he never seemed to get his timing right, and the Jets thoroughly lacked any offensive identity, which negatively affected the outcome of games.

Understandably, he can't avoid the rush and scramble as well as he used to, so it's imperative that Pittsburgh plays well up front, and gets a consistent running game established. Say what you will about his propensity for drama, or how he conducts himself off the field, but the grizzled vet with the salt and pepper beard should have enough left to get the Steelers into the playoffs yet again. With few passing game threats outside of DK Metcalf, it's hard to envision a scenario where Rodgers improves on his numbers from last season, making him a fringe fantasy option at the very best.

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Outlook: Russell Wilson, now 36 and turning 37 in November, signed a one-year, $21 million deal with the Giants in March 2025, positioning him as the favorite to start. His 2024 performance with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he averaged 19.6 fantasy points per start across 11 games, shows he can still manage games. He completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 TDs, and 5 INTs. However, his lack of rushing upside (just five rushing TDs over the past three years) limits his once exceptional fantasy ceiling, especially in an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league this past season and didn't make many significant changes.

The Giants' quarterback room is crowded, with Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart adding competition. Wilson's deep-ball efficiency benefits receivers like Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton, but his age and lack of mobility make him a QB3 in fantasy drafts, potentially useful as a bye week fill-in during favorable matchups. Given the Giants' offensive line struggles and middling supporting cast his fantasy value is capped, making him a player who will probably go undrafted in many traditional seasonal leagues.

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Outlook: Welcome to the league's messiest quarterback room. Veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett (hamstring) were signed prior to the draft to compete for the starting job, but things truly went off the rails when the Browns exited the draft with not one, but TWO developmental prospects. As camp kicks off, it seems like Flacco's job to lose. The 40-year-old has managed to keep several offenses afloat in brief spurts (he threw for 265 yards per game in his six starts for Indy last year.), but he's obviously not tagged as the long-term starter. If the team breaks camp with all four guys, there is a chance that they will each get a shot during the regular season, and that's simply a fantasy situation to avoid at all costs.

Cleveland has some fantasy viable skill position players, but this offense is being rebuilt with inexperienced youth. They seem like a lock to finish last in the division, and are going to skew run heavy. There's an outside chance the young guys (Sanders) give the offense a shot in the arm during the year, but I wouldn't be leaving a draft with a Cleveland quarterback on my roster.

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Outlook: Anthony Richardson was one of the more polarizing players entering last year's draft season. Proponents of Richardson pointed to his rookie production in 2023 that saw him score seven total TDs against only one interception. Critics pointed to his underdeveloped throwing ability and a playing style that lent itself to injury. Taken in most leagues as a QB1 in 2024, Richardson proceeded to have arguably the most disappointing season of any viable signal-caller in fantasy football. Eleven games played, 14 total TDs, 12 INTS and a 47.7% competition rate.

Prospects for success aren't much higher for Richardson entering 2025 than they were when the 2024 season ended. He reportedly experienced shoulder soreness earlier this summer, with coaches saying they had no timetable for his return. Those concerns seem to be diminished, as Richardson is participating in training camp.

Daniel Jones' presence is a major hindrance to Richardson's fantasy stock as well as a camp battle for the starting QB is happening. It would also seem logical that Richardson has an even shorter leash than he did last season, so any struggles he may experience in 2025 could find him on the bench. For these reasons, I would suggest leaving Richardson for others to draft. He's simply too volatile a player to rely on.

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Outlook: It's not going too far out on a limb to say the New Orleans Saints will have the NFL's least productive QB room in 2025. Between rookie Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener, the Saints have a collection of signal-callers that won't move the needle much in fantasy or the NFL. As of this writing, New Orleans has yet to name a starter. But while there's a chance that Rattler will get the nod to start the season, we should expect Shough to get the bulk of this year's playing time at QB, if for no other reason than the team has the most draft capital invested in him as a second-round pick. Besides, with this being a season of low expectations for the Saints, now's the time to play young players to see what they have.

Whoever becomes the starter, it won't matter much in fantasy football because the Saints are expected to have one of the NFL's least effective offenses. Only in the deepest of leagues or superflex leagues should a Saints QB earn consideration for a spot on your roster.

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