Quarterbacks may not be the foundational pieces of a fantasy team like they are of a real-life NFL franchise. But they’re still important, and there’s only a handful that are considered a must-have. Below are a few candidates to earn that title this season, and where they are going in drafts based on their average draft position (ADP).
- Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football ADP
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Must-Have Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL) | ADP: QB2
Seeing as this article is entitled ‘must-have quarterbacks,’ let’s start with the top fantasy quarterback to draft. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson may not have won the MVP award last year, but he was the fantasy MVP, throwing for 4,000-plus yards and 41 touchdowns, both career-highs. In addition to those crazy passing statistics, Jackson also had one of his better seasons on the ground, rushing for 915 yards and four touchdowns. The 915 rushing yards were good for the 20th-most among all players, including running backs. In all, he was the top-scoring fantasy quarterback by a wide margin over actual NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Heading into the 2025 season, there is no reason Jackson shouldn’t be able to duplicate his 2024 campaign. The entire Ravens offense is back, including the ageless Derrick Henry at running back, whose first year as a Raven in 2024 contributed to defenses being more honest with Baltimore and allowing Jackson to run wild. The pass-catchers are all the same, too, including former first-round picks Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers, All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and ascending tight end Isaiah Likely. Oh, and they added veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the crew for good measure. Typically, quarterbacks don’t need to be taken in the early rounds of your drafts. But Jackson is an exception and is one of the few to build your fantasy team around.
Kyler Murray (QB – ARI) | ADP: QB9
Did you know that for every season Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has played a full complement of games, he’s been a top-10 fantasy quarterback? It’s true. He’s never thrown for fewer than 3,600 passing yards or rushed for fewer than 400 yards outside of the two seasons that were marred by his torn ACL in 2022-2023.
At the beginning of his career, it was thought that head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s air raid offense was responsible for Murray’s fantasy production, with Murray finishing eighth, third and 10th among fantasy quarterbacks in his first three seasons. But it’s been Jonathan Gannon at the helm since 2023. In Murray’s first full season under Gannon last year, he threw for 3,851 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 572 yards and five touchdowns to finish as another top-10 fantasy quarterback.
Entering 2025, Murray should outperform those stats with the talent around him ascending. Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride is coming off his best professional season, catching 111 balls for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns. He was the best fantasy tight end not named Brock Bowers. Perhaps more exciting is the ascension of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Drafted fourth overall last year, Harrison finished as a top-30 fantasy receiver, which isn’t bad, but not what was expected after coming out of Ohio State as one of the top receiving prospects in recent memory. By all accounts, this offseason, Harrison is light years ahead of where he was last year and will only help boost Murray’s fantasy stats.
Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX) | ADP: QB19
It’s been a rough start to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s career. The 2021 first overall draft pick was destined to be the top pick for years since he led Clemson to a National Championship in his freshman year and, with it, was expected to immediately lead the Jaguars to a similar fate. But Lawrence is now on his third coach, has made one playoff appearance in four seasons, and is coming off a brutal head injury that ended his 2024 campaign short.
Despite all that, there have been glimmers of hope from Lawrence, making the Pro Bowl in 2022 and finishing as a fantasy QB1 in multiple seasons. Now, 2025 figures to be his best opportunity yet to ascend to elite status. For starters, the Jags might have finally gotten the coach right after hiring former Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen. He led the Tampa offense to finish in the top four in both yards and points before being hired by the Jaguars. Lawrence also may finally have an elite pass-catcher or two. Brian Thomas Jr. made the Pro Bowl as a rookie last season, and the Jaguars drafted Heisman winner Travis Hunter in this draft to complement him. In short, Lawrence has already been a must-have quarterback but is now making his best case yet.
J.J. McCarthy (QB – MIN) | ADP: QB20
Besides the obvious quarterbacks to draft, some others are currently flying under the radar but still should be drafted nonetheless. One of those is second-year Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota was so anxious to draft McCarthy in 2024, they traded decent draft capital to make sure they got him 10th overall. The fourth quarterback taken in the draft, McCarthy was widely expected to start the season opener before a sneaky meniscus tear ended his rookie season before it even began. It turned out not to be the disaster that Vikings fans thought it might be as Sam Darnold stepped in and played at a Pro Bowl level on their way to a playoff appearance.
But Darnold would have had to do even more to hold off McCarthy from taking over the starting job this season, and that’s exactly what happened. Darnold signed with Seattle, and McCarthy, short of suffering another major injury, will enter the season as the Vikings’ starter. It’s what Darnold did last season that makes the fantasy outlook for McCarthy so appealing this season. Darnold set career highs last year with 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns and turned in a top 10-fantasy finish after being written off as a draft bust. McCarthy enters the same situation — coaching, pass catchers, etc. — but with the luxury of potential. We don’t know if McCarthy will be good, but if Darnold, who essentially bottomed out, can succeed in Minnesota, McCarthy has a good shot.
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