2025 Fantasy Football Rookie QB Rankings: (Post-NFL Draft) - Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, more

May 2, 2025

Matt's top 10 fantasy football quarterback rankings and NFL draft rookie rankings for 2025. Draft these rookie QBs in fantasy football drafts: Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, and more.

For many NFL prospects, the hard part is over. You are now in the NFL. What does that mean? It means Sleeper now has you in their database, and it's time to be selected by fantasy managers worldwide.

Here are the top 10 NFL rookie quarterbacks you need ahead of those fantasy drafts.

For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, you can check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.

Fantasy Football Rookie Quarterback Rankings

10. Riley Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis is giving Anthony Richardson another chance. However, it's not without competition, as the Colts also signed Daniel Jones and drafted Riley Leonard in the sixth round. Benjamin Solak may have put it best when he mentioned on "X" that Leonard, in terms of play style and traits, is what you get if you fuse Richardson and Jones.

I cannot stress this enough: Riley Leonard, in terms of play style and traits, is like if you fused Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones https://t.co/fgaufZS5fi

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) April 26, 2025

Leonard is a dual-threat quarterback who just brought the storied Notre Dame program back to the National Championship title game. With a bit of seasoning and some refined work on his mechanics, Leonard could be the starting quarterback in Indianapolis in a season or two, as frustration mounts with the inconsistency of Richardson and Jones over the past couple of seasons.

9. Kyle McCord, Philadelphia Eagles

Kyle McCord led the Nation in passing yards with 4,779, but still had to wait until the sixth round before hearing his name called. McCord's selection by the Philadelphia Eagles puts a bit of a cap on McCord's fantasy future as he sits behind Jalen Hurts, who has missed five contests since entering the league, with two coming due to a concussion in Week 16 of last season.

McCord is going to need things to break right for him, but there is no doubt about the production. Between his stints in Syracuse and Ohio State, McCord has accumulated 8,555 passing yards and 61 touchdowns and has completed 66.2 percent of his attempts.

8. Quinn Ewers, Miami Dolphins

Dez Bryant may already have Quinn Ewers pegged as the next Dan Marino, but that may be premature. When you get to the seventh round of the NFL Draft and have yet to hear your name called, becoming an undrafted free agent is often the best course of action. It allows you to choose your destination. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for Ewers. What did happen was that he landed in as good a spot as any, considering the incumbent's injury history.

Ewers is heading to Miami, where he will sit behind Tua Tagovailoa and wait for his number to be called. If recent history has taught us anything, it's that Ewers should make sure his helmet is nearby.

In Mike McDonald's scheme, Ewers can be a very productive quarterback. The former Longhorn played much of the 2024 season with an injury, but when he was healthy, he flashed a skill set that should have had him drafted in the second or third round.

The Quinn Ewers disrespect is insane
pic.twitter.com/o6hkwRmdSr

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) April 26, 2025

7. Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns

Sure, Dillon Gabriel was selected ahead of Shedeur Sanders, but I'm not buying it. Cleveland's quarterback situation is up in the air. The Browns will head to training camp with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the position as Gabriel, Sanders, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco all attempt to position themselves under center in Deshaun Watson's absence.

While Gabriel is the type of quarterback Kevin Stefanski likes, Gabriel's size puts him at a distinct disadvantage when looking at the quarterback competition. If Gabriel can overcome his size, he has a puncher's chance to win the job and be productive with his ability to play within Stefanski's system, make quick decisions, and get the ball out of his hands quickly, which he accomplished at Oklahoma and Oregon.

6. Will Howard, Pittsburgh Steelers

The world is waiting with anticipation as Aaron Rodgers continues to hold the Pittsburgh Steelers organization hostage, postponing his decision. Currently, the Steelers head into 2025 with Mason Rudolph penciled in as their starting quarterback, which is less than ideal. Then again, given what we saw from Rodgers in 2024, is the future Hall of Fame signal-caller even an upgrade?

With the uncertainty in Pittsburgh, Will Howard finds himself in a pretty good position. Neither quarterback option presented is particularly enticing, and we may be only a year away from watching Howard throw it up to D.K. Metcalf, George Pickens, and their teammates.

5. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

With Derek Carr's absence and the medical reports, New Orleans needed to address the quarterback position in the draft. Last season, when Carr was absent, the team turned the reins over to Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Neither resulted in the desired outcome that the team had hoped for.

Assuming Carr is parked, at least early on, Tyler Shough gives the Saints the best opportunity to be successful in 2025 and beyond. Like Carr, Shough has dealt with injuries, but in 2024, he would throw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns for Louisville. Why Shough over some other quarterback options? Shough has the prototypical quarterback build that evaluators like, especially Kellen Moore, who has worked with similar quarterbacks such as Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, and Hurts in the past and has been successful.

Sometimes, it's better to stick with the devil, you know.

4. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Other quarterbacks were selected ahead of Sanders; in fact, even the team that drafted him chose a quarterback before putting his name on the draft card. Yet KFC, yes, KFC, may have put it best when they said, "The Colonel was rejected 1,009 times before landing our famous original recipe. Sometimes all a Sanders needs is a little time to cook."

The Colonel was rejected 1,009 times before finally landing our famous original recipe. Sometimes all a Sanders needs is a little time to cook. Congrats Shedeur!!

— KFC (@kfc) April 27, 2025

The quarterback competition in Cleveland is wide open, and whoever wins the job will have plenty of offensive weapons at their disposal, with the likes of Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, Diontae Johnson, Quinshon Judkins, and Harold Fannin Jr.

Stefanski has a type. His systems favor quarterbacks who are accurate and make quick decisions. That's why Sanders and Gabriel were selected.

3. Jalen Milroe, Seattle Seahawks

Jalen Milroe entered the draft coming off the strength of back-to-back 2,800-yard passing seasons in which he also ran for more than 500 yards. Over his final two collegiate seasons, Milroe accounted for 71 touchdowns and has the highest upside of any draft prospect. Still, he will need some time, and luckily, he landed in a spot where a quarterback is already in place. Sam Darnold is coming off a career season in 2024, but he's also not that far removed from seeing ghosts.

Milroe doesn't need to come in and start off the hop; he can sit back and learn, have a specialized playbook to keep defenses honest, and work on becoming a more consistent passer before being unleashed a year or two down the road. The Konomi quarterback is king in fantasy football, even Tim Tebow had his moments.

"He's a unique, special athlete, special young man," John Schneider said. "We're going to develop him as a quarterback. With that, he can add something special as we go." 

2. Jaxon Dart, New York Giants

The future is shaping in New York after the Giants added Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart, and Cam Skattebo to last year's prized draft selection in Malik Nabers. Like Milroe, there is no rush to get Dart under center. With the previous signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, Dart will have time to get accustomed to the rigours of the NFL.

When Dart finally steps in under center, there will be an instant deep ball connection with Nabers, and Dart is one of the best deep ball throwers, throwing with both anticipation and touch. Dart also gives fantasy managers an edge thanks to his 1,498 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns over his three seasons at Ole Miss.

Jaxson Dart is a baller who has everything you want in QB. Athleticism, arm talent, toughness, accuracy and is a great leader of men.
•2024: 4,279 pass yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs
•69.3% completion rate, 10.8 YPA, 180.7 passer rating
•495 rushing yards, 3 TDs
•First-Team All-SEC… pic.twitter.com/MRZKCF1HOj

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2025

1. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

If you are going to be selected first overall, you better bring something to the table, and Cam Ward certainly does that. Over his final three college seasons, Ward casually threw for 11,281 yards and 87 touchdowns while adding 17 rushing touchdowns. Ward demonstrated a canny ability to make plays and extend the pocket.

Tennessee will need Ward to be as advertised if they want to right this ship, as their offense has been offensive, not in a good way, over the last few seasons. With Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, and Chig Okonkwo already in place, the Titans also added Elic Ayomanor and Gunnar Helm to assist in reinvigorating a once-stagnant unit. 

Just Missing: Kurtis Rourke (San Francisco), Cam Miller (Las Vegas), Graham Mertz (Houston)

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