Good to have, but bad to start

Welcome back to Part Two of the 2023 Fantasy QB Tiers. If you haven’t read it yet, head back to the Belly Up Fantasy page and check out my QB Tiers Pt. 1. In that article, we go through the ‘S’ tier, ‘A’ tier, and the ‘B’ tier. They are essentially your top-ten performers each week. Going after a high-scoring quarterback is important, as they have one of the highest ceilings on your roster. This article will show you which quarterbacks you definitely don’t want to reach on, but want to let fall to you in your draft, so they can sit on your bench as QB insurance.

‘C’ Tier

Kirk Cousins

I love it. Let’s start the ‘C’ tier off right by getting super-controversial. In fact, this whole tier is controversial. Kirk Cousins was the QB6 last year. However, he will be 35 this year and averaged less than 18 points a game in 2022. Nothing wows me about having Cousins as my quarterback. And he definitely shouldn’t be someone you reach for. But hey, he gets the job done. “C’s get degrees,” right?

Dak Prescott

I could just copy and paste the previous paragraph and put it here. Prescott threw a career-high in interceptions last year (15) and only played 12 games. He is the definition of average. Yet, people tend to think they can wait on drafting a quarterback and unfortunately become satisfied with these guys in the ‘C’ tier. Don’t be satisfied with guys in the ‘C’ tier unless they’re the second quarterback on your team.

Daniel Jones

Good news for Daniel Jones: he wouldn’t have been on my QB Tiers list at all last year, so this is a huge improvement. Rightfully so, as he finished as a top-10 quarterback last year thanks to his rushing ability. The Giants continue to have a crowded, below-average wide receiver room. Until Jones gets a reliable wide receiver to throw to, he will remain in this tier. I do not think Darren Waller will be enough to move Jones into the ‘B’ tier.

Tua Tagovailoa

This one hurts. He was putting up ‘A’ tier numbers at the beginning of last season, but finished the season with ‘C’ tier numbers. He’s got to stay in this tier until he proves he can play a full season (yes, I know he “only” missed four games) and learns how to take a hit. People are starting to get very nervous about how much longer Tua can play in the NFL.

Geno Smith

The Seahawks are the toughest offense to predict for the 2023 fantasy season. So many options to throw to thanks to the addition of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And also a crowded running back room thanks to the addition of Zach Charbonnet. I do not think Geno will repeat as QB5 and I do believe we will see him come back down to earth as the Seahawks lean more on the running game for 2023. If I were to pick which QB I get wrong, it would be this one. As Geno once said, “They wrote me off, I ain’t write back, though.” He was probably talking about me.

‘D’ Tier

Jared Goff

Goff doesn’t seem like someone who should be in the ‘D’ Tier but he does fit the definition of a bench QB. He is that hot and cold quarterback you just never know when to start. In fact, he only scored 20+ points back-to-back twice last year. Consistency is his Achilles’ heel. He is a great QB to have on your bench, however, because when he goes against “green” defenses (teams that give up the most points to opposing QBs), Goff was the QB7 or better in 2022. Did someone say, DFS king?

Anthony Richardson

I mean, we had to put a rookie in here. And why not a quarterback who has the most upside out of any of them? That’s right, we are not including C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young in our QB Tiers. Although they are probably going to have better overall fantasy seasons, Anthony Richardson should have a higher ceiling than both of them. Plus, you can get him super-late in your draft. This is a complete dart throw and would be an amazing keeper in keeper leagues if he does turn out to have a solid rookie season.

The Importance of Tiers

Placing your fantasy players in tiers rather than overall rankings is beneficial because it allows you to have more flexibility in who you pick. I try and group certain players in certain tiers that will be scoring a similar amount of points each week in fantasy. For more draft prep, you can check out our QB Tiers episode of The Eye Test, and Paul Orlando’s RB Tiers article.

About the author

Jon is the host of The Eye Test: A Fantasy Football Podcast and in 2023 became a writer for Belly Up Fantasy Sports. Jon loves to cover both dynasty and redraft leagues and the various conversations that come along with them. A reminder to find more great fantasy content at Belly Up Fantasy Sports and follow us on Twitter @BellyUpFantasy.