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2016 Fantasy Football Tiered Rookie Quarterback (QB) and Tight End (TE) Rankings

There have been some amazing transitions throughout the evolution of fantasy football, and it likely isn’t going to stop now. First, there were standard season-long leagues. Eventually, PPR leagues developed, but most leagues continued to be only for one season. The dynasty league was the next development, but it was more of a limited dynasty league, as many leagues had a maximum number of keepers. The dynasty league is shifting to allow as many keepers as the teams would like, while only having a rookie draft.

Generally, dynasty leagues allow as many keepers as each team pleases, while having a draft that is filled with rookies and free agents. It’s impossible to know what free agents will be available in everyone’s leagues, so these rankings are only for rookies. If you want to see where I have ranked other players ranked, be sure to check out my Dynasty League Rankings.

Editor's Note: Purchase a full season NFL Premium Pass (including Draft Kit + DFS Premium), and also get MLB Premium + DFS for free through October. Premium DFS lineup picks, expert lineups, tools and more - seven days a week. You can see screenshots of our NFL Premium and MLB Premium and DFS tools. What are you waiting for?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Tier 1 – Rookie Quarterback Rankings

  1. Carson Wentz
  2. Jared Goff
  3. Paxton Lynch

These are the three first round quarterbacks taken in the draft. They all have legitimate upside, and they have their paths to a starting job set. None are all that high in the overall rankings because they will likely come off the bench to start their careers, but at some point they will be starters.

Wentz is the most intriguing prospect in this group. He is coming from the FCS, so it will be interesting to see if he can make the jump to the NFL level of competition. He has all the physical tools that would make him a good dynasty hold, especially since he can be had for cheap right now.

 

Tier 2 – Rookie Quarterback Rankings 

  1. Cardale Jones
  2. Dak Prescott
  3. Connor Cook
  4. Cody Kessler
  5. Christian Hackenberg
  6. Jeff Driskel
  7. Jacoby Brissett

These are the quarterbacks that could potentially see the field in their careers. It’s far from a guarantee that any of these players are named a starter at any point, but it could happen.

Hackenberg and Kessler were fairly high draft picks, but they haven’t displayed the skills and mentality needed to have confidence in them. Keep in mind, this is a group of players that are essentially long holds that may never turn into good fantasy options.

 

Tier 3 – Rookie Quarterback Rankings

  1. Kevin Hogan
  2. Nate Sudfeld
  3. Brandon Allen
  4. Jake Rudock
  5. Brandon Doughty
  6. Trevone Boykin

This is the tier of quarterbacks that will likely never become starters, but could have value at some point in their careers. They could all become backups, but even that isn’t guaranteed. Overall, these guys will likely be avoided, unless you have the deepest bench in dynasty league history.

 

Tier 1 – Rookie Tight End Rankings

  1. Hunter Henry

Henry is in a tier of his own. He’s the best tight end prospect coming out of this group, and he is in the best situation. He likely won’t play all that much this season, but he will become the starter once Antonio Gates retires, and he will be filling his shoes. In a couple years, he’ll make a great tight end option.

 

Tier 2 – Rookie Tight End Rankings 

  1. Austin Hooper
  2. Tyler Higbee
  3. Jerell Adams

These three players have potential oozing out of them, which is why they were put in this tier. Hooper and Adams are good receiving tight ends, but they can also block extremely well. They will be in position battles in camp, but could work their way to a starting job this season.

Higbee is arguably the most intriguing. He fell in the draft because he was in a bar fight and teams questioned his character. They shouldn’t be questioning his talent, though, as he was nicknamed “Baby Gronk” because no one could cover him. With that being said, he is a bit injury-prone, so he does come with some risk.

 

Tier 3 – Rookie Tight End Rankings

  1. Nick Vannett
  2. Thomas Duarte
  3. Seth DeValve

Tier 3 has players that could find the field at some point in their career, and if they do, they should be able to produce. They all are high upside holds, but none of them are safe options by any means.

 

Tier 4 – Rookie Tight End Rankings

  1. Temarrick Hemmingway
  2. Rico Gathers
  3. Beau Sandland
  4. David Morgan
  5. Bryce Williams

This is the final tier of tight ends, and they likely won’t see the field in their careers. They are high-risk options that don’t come with a lot of upside. Similarly to the last quarterback tier, they should only be drafted in the deepest of dynasty leagues.

 

19 Carson Wentz QB
20 Jared Goff QB
27 Paxton Lynch QB
42 Cardale Jones QB
46 Dak Prescott QB
48 Connor Cooker QB
49 Cody Kessler QB
53 Christian Hackenberg QB
54 Jeff Driskel QB
58 Jacoby Brissett QB
59 Kevin Hogan QB
78 Nate Sudfeld QB
79 Brandon Allen QB
87 Jake Rudock QB
88 Brandon Doughty QB
91 Trevone Boykin QB

 

18 Hunter Henry TE
31 Austin Hooper TE
34 Tyler Higbee TE
40 Jerell Adams TE
51 Nick Vannett TE
52 Thomas Duarte TE
57 Seth DeValve TE
73 Temarrick Hemmingway TE
74 Rico Gathers TE
84 Beau Sandland TE
85 David Morgan TE
90 Bryce Williams TE

 

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Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




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RANKINGS

QB
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WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP