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2024 Fantasy Football Tiers

Why Fantasy Football Tiers Are Better Than Rankings

You've seen our fantasy football rankings for your format.

But rankings paint an incomplete picture. Just because two players sit back to back doesn't mean they're separated by the same amount as each successive set of players.

Sometimes there's basically no difference between those two guys in your rankings. And sometimes that gap is wide.

Fantasy Football Tiers

Fantasy football tiers help you see those gaps in the rankings. The result: A more complete understanding of the draft landscape. And a better chance to capture maximum value with each of your picks.

Let's dive into 2024 fantasy football tiers ...

QB Tiers (Quarterback)

QB Tier 1

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

A combination of big passing and rushing upside give Hurts and Allen unrivaled ceiling plus floor. Both guys scored as top-5 fantasy QBs in nine weeks last season. No other QB did that more than seven times.

QB Tier 2

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

An influx of weapons -- namely Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy -- have Mahomes in a tier of his own. He's coming off an underwhelming 2023 season but led all QBs in total fantasy points in 2022.

QB Tier 3

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

The size of this tier means that you should likely wait on drafting a QB once those top three are off the board.

This tier includes a big range of archetypes, from pocket passers like C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love to dual-threats such as Jayden Daniels and Anthony Richardson.

Daniels and Dak Prescott are typically the best values in this tier.

QB Tier 4

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

If you miss out on the top three tiers, make sure you land at least one QB from this tier. All four of these guys have the potential to finish top 10 at the position in fantasy points.

QB Tier 5

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

You might be surprised to find Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa in this tier.

But Herbert finished outside the top 10 QBs in fantasy points per game each of the past two seasons. Now he finds himself in a run-heavier offense under HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman with questionable weaponry.

Tagovailoa is simply too inconsistent from week to week to land inside Tier 4. Last year, for example, he scored as a top-three fantasy QB three times but failed to crack the top 12 in 11 different weeks.

QB Tier 6

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

These guys have the potential to provide QB1 scoring weeks but should only be drafted as QB2s. You don't want to be relying on them every week.

QB Tier 7

Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

These guys aren't worth drafting in 1-QB redraft leagues and are just QB3s in best ball.

RB Tiers (Running Back)

RB Tier 1

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

McCaffrey stands alone after a monster 2023 season. He scored 3.3 more PPR points per game than any other RB.

RB Tier 2

Breece Hall, New York Jets
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

These two dual-threat RBs have the potential to challenge McCaffrey for the top spot among RBs if things break right. They're both worth considering in the middle of Round 1.

RB Tier 3

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

These guys don't quite have the combination of rushing and receiving upside as Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson. But they're solid RB1s and make nice picks in the second round of PPR drafts.

RB Tier 4

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

This is a nice value tier. Etienne and Williams' projected workloads aren't much different than Taylor's and Barkley's -- but they're typically available a full round later in fantasy drafts.

RB Tier 5

Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ken Walker, Seattle Seahawks

The RBs in this big tier have questions in terms of workload, offensive environment, and/or durability. But they all have the potential for low-end RB1 production. Good targets for Rounds 4 and 5.

RB Tier 6

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders

Most of these RBs are leaders of committee backfields -- although Brooks and Conner stand out for their potential to dominate work.

These guys are fine RB2s and nice RB3s. Just don't reach for them in your draft.

RB Tier 7

Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals
Devin Singletary, New York Giants
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

These guys lack difference-making upside for a variety of reasons. But they all make for solid RB3s with RB2 potential.

RB Tier 8

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

A hodgepodge of injured, aging veterans, youngsters with breakout potential, and secondary backs with handcuff upside.

Kendre Miller is a top target in this range and one of our favorite fantasy football sleepers.

WR Tiers (Wide Receiver)

WR Tier 1

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

WR Tier 2

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

Why is Hill a tier below Lamb, despite averaging just 0.1 fewer PPR points per game last year?

Because Hill is 30 now, an age at which even elite WRs start to see a dip in production. He also dealt with multiple nagging injuries last season.

Lamb is simply the safer bet, while matching Hill in upside.

WR Tier 3

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

Jefferson drops a tier with Minnesota's questions at QB. (Although it's certainly worth noting that he remained dominant even without Kirk Cousins late last season.)

Jefferson and Chase are still capable of pushing for the No. 1 WR crown.

St. Brown might not have that high a ceiling. But he's one of the safest picks in fantasy football.

WR Tier 4

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Three quality WR1s. Brown is the safest as the most established of the trio. But Nacua and Wilson likely still have their best football ahead of them.

All three of these guys are worth considering in the back half of Round 1.

WR Tier 5

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

The low-end WR1/high-end WR2 tier.

Kupp and Waddle -- typically available deep into Round 3 -- stand out as the best values here.

WR Tier 6

Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans
D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Tank Dell, Houston Texans

These guys are ranked as WR2s, but most have the upside to crack the top 12. Getting any of them in Round 4 or 5 would be strong value.

WR Tier 7

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears
Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

We're into a tier of guys with low probability of difference-making fantasy production. But all of these guys are good bets to at least be low-end weekly fantasy starters.

Hopkins, Brown, and Lockett stand out as the top values.

WR Tier 8

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns
Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

The WR4 with upside tier.

Watson, Addison, and the four rookies (Coleman, Odunze, McConkey, and Thomas) are particularly exciting ceiling bets in this tier.

TE Tiers (Tight End)

TE Tier 1

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, Kelce scored his fewest PPR points per game last year since 2016.

But he still led the position, despite the Chiefs scoring their fewest offensive TDs in the Patrick Mahomes era.

The gap between Kelce and the field is not nearly as big as it once was. But he remains the top dog at the position -- and is now available in Round 3 of fantasy drafts.

TE Tier 2

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

The two guys with a legitimate chance to dethrone Kelce.

Andrews' 14.6 PPR points per game in nine healthy outings last year would have trailed Kelce by just 0.2.

LaPorta just scored the most PPR points by a rookie TE in NFL history.

TE Tier 3

Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

We'd be surprised if these guys led the position in fantasy points this season. But McBride and Kincaid have considerably more upside than the TEs in the next tier. Engram resides here because of safety. He easily led all TEs with 143 targets last year and should be a volume hog again in 2024.

TE Tier 4

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

You can feel comfy if you have one of these four as your TE1. Kittle and Pitts are the upside plays. Njoku and Ferguson are good volume bets in quality offenses.

TE Tier 5

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

These two have just as much upside as the Tier 4 TEs but come with bigger question marks. Bowers is a rookie in a questionable passing game. Goedert has missed eight games over the last two seasons and checks in as one of the biggest 2024 injury risks at the position.

TE Tier 6

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

These guys land in the same tier for completely different reasons. A healthy Hockenson would be a Tier 3 TE, but he's working back from a late-December multi-ligament knee injury that will challenge his availability for the start of this season. Schultz brings a higher floor but a lower ceiling in a Texans WR corps that added Stefon Diggs to Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

TE Tier 7

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers

Kmet's fantasy value took a big hit this offseason with Chicago's additions of WRs Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

Freiermuth and Musgrave are more exciting in this tier. Ultimately, though, we're in a range of guys who are unlikely to be reliable weekly producers.

TE Tier 8

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Darren Waller, New York Giants
Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins
Ben Sinnott, Washington Commanders
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

These are pure TE2s.

Henry, Fant, Sinnott, and Gesicki are the upside shots in this tier. But you can't go into the season banking on any of these guys as your starter.

Get Customized Fantasy Football Tiers

Generic fantasy football tiers are fine. But to get a real edge in your draft, you need tiers customized to your league's rules: Both the starting requirements and scoring system.

The Draft War Room uses live-draft sync technology to provide rankings and tiers tailored to your fantasy league.

Create your Draft War Room now.

Or watch the video below to learn more.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks 1st among 133 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.