Quarterbacks may not carry the same value in fantasy football as they do in real life, but it’s still important for owners to find the right fit at the position.

Increasingly, quarterbacks are moving up fantasy draft boards. Top signal-callers in 2025 are seeing their average draft position (ADP) climb into the low-20s, putting a handful in the second- and third-round range of draft boards.

The age-old question for fantasy owners is whether to take a top-tier quarterback early or wait until the middle rounds to address the position. Is it better to pay the piper for Josh Allen, or can you load up on running backs and receivers while targeting a high-upside mid-rounder like Dak Prescott or Justin Fields?

Each owner will decide on their draft strategy, but their respective goals will be identical: to land either a high-volume passer or a dual-threat quarterback who can be a lineup anchor for a championship fantasy team.

Who are the best fantasy football quarterbacks in 2025? Here’s a look at USA TODAY’s preseason fantasy QB rankings.

Fantasy football rankings: QB

2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens. Jackson outproduced Allen in terms of total yardage (5,087) and touchdowns (45) last season. He could do so again in 2025, but he finds himself just behind the Bills signal-caller because of Derrick Henry’s presence. Jackson had just four rushing scores last season because of the bruising back’s presence.

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow led the NFL in pass attempts, completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2024, a season during which Cincinnati often played from behind thanks to a leaky defense. The Bengals didn’t markedly improve that side of the ball during the offseason, so Burrow should once again be asked to serve as a high-volume passer in an offense featuring one of the best one-two receiver punches (Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins) in the NFL.

7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys. Is this a little high for Prescott? Maybe, but Dallas had the third-worst rushing offense in the league last season in terms of EPA per play (-0.12) and didn’t discernibly upgrade its talent at the running back position. Prescott could end up being a high-volume passer as a result and will now work with George Pickens at receiver in addition to CeeDee Lamb. So long as his hamstring is back to full strength, Prescott should have a big year.

8. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield is set to work with yet another new offensive coordinator in 2025. He handled the transition from Dave Canales to Liam Coen with ease and hopes to enjoy the same success with Josh Grizzard. Mayfield once again gets to work with a loaded receiving corps, highlighted by Mike Evans, and will look to log a third consecutive 4,000-yard season for the Buccaneers.

11. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers. Speaking of Purdy, he and Nix should be neck-and-neck in any fantasy rankings. The 49ers signal-caller may not be overly exciting for fantasy owners, but after averaging 29 total touchdowns across the last two seasons, he is a steady starting option. The only question is whether he can continue to thrive with Brandon Aiyuk injured and Deebo Samuel gone.

15. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert was efficient for the Chargers last season, racking up 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions in his first year under Jim Harbaugh’s tutelage. That said, Herbert isn’t likely to be a high-volume passer since Los Angeles wants to utilize a run-heavy approach under Greg Roman. The team had the 10th-highest run play percentage last season and may see that rise again after it added Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton during the offseason.

17. Drake Maye, New England Patriots. Maye completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie despite having one of the league’s worst receiver rooms. The presence of Stefon Diggs and new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should give Maye significant upside, especially after he ran for 421 yards on a 7.8 yards per carry average last season.

21. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams. Stafford made 16 starts for the Rams last season. He recorded multiple touchdowns in just six of those games. Perhaps that will change with Davante Adams in tow, but Stafford looks more like a solid QB2 than a true fantasy starter at this stage in his career.

27. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans. Ward figures to win the Titans job out of the chute with Will Levis out for the season. The 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick will have Calvin Ridley at his disposal, but that may not be enough to make him fantasy-relevant in the early stages of his career.

29. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons. Penix improved across each of his three starts last season and plays in an offense with plenty of weapons. But with Kirk Cousins lurking on the sidelines, Penix will have little room for error as a starter. The Falcons may also lean on Bijan Robinson in the red-zone, which could limit Penix’s touchdown upside.

30. Russell Wilson, New York Giants. Wilson was a viable streamer at times with the Steelers but also had his share of fantasy clunkers. It’s hard to imagine him finding a lot of consistent success in New York, even with a top target like Malik Nabers at his disposal.

A scary moment unfolded at the San Francisco 49ers practice on Sunday, July 27 as defensive lineman Tarron Jackson collapsed on the field.

The incident happened toward the end of the practice, NBC Sports Bay Area reported. Jackson was blocked during an 11-on-11 play and then suddenly collapsed. Trainers came to Jackson’s aid quickly and were with him on the field for a few minutes before he was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for medical evaluation.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn’t see what happened on the play and it’s ‘always scary’ to see someone get taken out on a stretcher. But he got a positive sign from Jackson after practice concluded.

‘He is conscious, inside communicating with us, can feel all his extremities, and they’re taking him down to Stanford now just for further testing,’ Shanahan said. ‘Hopefully, we cleared the real scary stuff, and hopefully we’ll get some good news on his neck.”

The 49ers coach added that they could hear Jackson talking and moving while he was being assisted on the field, which helped the team relax and finish practice in what was a tense situation. It was a non-padded practice that took place.

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said it’s hard to see a fellow defensive player go down like that and ‘you kind of like put yourself there.’

‘We’re praying for him, and we hope everything’s going to be all right and he gets back to us safe and sound,’ Lenior said.

A sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson has appeared in 24 games and registered 17 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in his career. The former Coastal Carolina player played in three games with the Carolina Panthers in 2024 before he was waived.

Jackson signed with San Francisco in January to the team’s practice squad. Jackson is competing for a roster spot for the 2025 season.

The first-ever Athletes Unlimited Softball League championship goes to the top-seeded Talons.

After winning a rain-delayed Game 1 in the AUSL championship series, the Talons completed the two-game sweep of the Bandits on Sunday, July 27 with another delayed victory at Rhoads Softball Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Sydney Romero’s solo home run with one out in the top of the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie and provided the winning margin in a 1-0 championship-clinching victory. It was the former Oklahoma star’s first homer of the postseason and just her second of the season.

The first game in the best-of-three series was postponed a day earlier in the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday as the Talons led the Bandits 3-1. `

With the skies clear on Sunday morning, the Talons closed out the victory to put themselves on the brink of a title.

Romero, Fouts star in Game 2

Game 2 was a classic pitcher’s duel between the Talons’ Montana Fouts and the Bandits’ Taylor McQuillin. They matched zeroes through the first four frames before the rain forced another delay in the top of the fifth inning.

Once the skies cleared, Fouts – playing on the same field where she starred collegiately at Alabama – returned to the mound for the Talons. Meanwhile, the Bandits turned to their ace Lexi Kilfoyl, who took the loss in Game 1.

With the game still scoreless in the sixth, Romero caught up with a fastball at the top of the strike zone and deposited it over the wall in left field to break the scoreless tie.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Bandits’ Bubba Nickles-Camarena nearly tied the game with a long drive that hit just a few inches away from clearing the wall in left-center field. But she was erased one batter later on a line drive that was snagged by Talons first baseman Tori Vidalis, who dove back to the bag and beat Nickles-Camarena for the double play.

Fouts then struck out Bella Dayton to complete the shutout and the championship-clinching 1-0 victory.

Kitayama started the final day in third place, overcoming Sam Stevens. 

Thorbjørn Olesen held at least a share of the lead after the second and third rounds, but stumbled in the final round, dropping 13 spots to finish in a tie for 14th. Akshay Bhatia also entered Sunday with a share of the lead after the first three rounds but finished tied for 25th.

The major drop in the leaderboard for players such a Olesen and Bhatia also means they missed out on a significantly larger payout.

While the winner does take home the top prize, every player manages to go home with some money in their pocket. Here’s a breakdown of how the 3M Open purse in 2025 will be divided up:

What is the total purse for the 3M Open 2025?

The total purse for the 2025 3M Open was $8.4 million. Kurt Kitayama won just over $1.5 million.

3M Open 2025 prize money payouts

The Los Angeles Chargers were one of the surprises of the AFC in 2024. The team had its first 11-win season in six years and made the wild-card round of the playoffs in its first year under coach Jim Harbaugh.

As they head into year two under the new regime, the franchise is handsomely rewarding one of its top young players.

The Chargers announced they have agreed to a four-year, $114 million extension that includes $92 million guaranteed with left tackle Rashawn Slater. This makes Slater the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.

Slater was entering the final year of his rookie contract and this keeps him with the team through the 2029 NFL season.

Los Angeles drafted Slater in the first round, No. 13 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was the second offensive lineman selected in the draft after the Detroit Lions selected Penei Sewell at No. 7 overall.

Slater was one of the best tackles in the NFL as a rookie. He started 16 games, made the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors.

A biceps injury ended his 2022 season in Week 3. He returned for a full year of action in 2023 and, in 2024, was one of the top tackles in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl once again.

Tight end Jake Ferguson and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $52 million extension with $30 million guaranteed. This deal makes Ferguson the highest-paid tight end in Cowboys history.

Dallas drafted Ferguson in the fourth round, No. 129 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started eight games as a rookie and took on a larger role in his second season.

In 2023, Ferguson set career-highs in catches (71), receiving yards (761) and receiving touchdowns (five) and made his first Pro Bowl.

He was held scoreless in 2024 as the Cowboys offense struggled without franchise quarterback Dak Prescott in the lineup for much of the season.

Ferguson may be the highest-paid tight end in Cowboys history, but this deal makes him the seventh-highest-paid tight end in the league by average annual value (AAV). Per OverTheCap, Ferguson slots in behind Cleveland’s David Njoku ($13.68 million AAV) and ahead of Chicago’s Cole Kmet ($12.5 million).

Ferguson was entering the final year of his rookie deal prior to this extension. The Cowboys state this extension will free up $1.8 million in salary cap space for 2025.

Jake Ferguson stats

Ferguson assumed a larger role in the Cowboys’ offense in 2023 following Dalton Schultz’s departure. Here’s a look at his stats year-over-year:

2022 (16 games): 19 receptions, 174 yards, two touchdowns
2023 (17 games): 71 receptions, 761 yards, five touchdowns
2022 (14 games): 59 receptions, 494 yards

Micah Parsons contract latest

Cowboys fans are hoping the team’s top young star gets an extension done soon as well in edge rusher Micah Parsons. They voiced their displeasure during Dallas’ ‘Opening Day Ceremony’ at training camp, shouting ‘Pay Micah!’ to owner Jerry Jones as he took the stage to address the crowd.

Like Ferguson before his extension, Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He’s been one of the best defenders in the league since his rookie season in 2021 and has been at least a second-team All-Pro in three of his first four seasons.

Parsons has reported to training camp but previously spoke about his frustration with the negotiations.

He stated his representation tried to get an extension done last offseason but the franchise said they were focusing on deals for Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb instead.

Dallas hasn’t come together on a deal since the end of the 2024 season. This comes while other top edge rushers like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt all signed long-term deals.

‘I will never understand it,’ Parsons said on former WWE wrestler The Undertaker’s podcast, Six Feet Under. ‘We wanted to do the contract last year – then you go out there and perform again. You would think, ‘Alright, we’ll get it done early, we know some guys are about to get re-paid.’ There’s Myles [Garrett], Maxx [Crosby] is going, so you would think, ‘Hey, let’s get ahead of that.’

‘You can’t want us to take less (now) because you’re the one that decided to wait.’

North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver accused a Virginia Tech coach of tampering last season, and the Hokies are now looking into the matter.

Oliver raised the accusation at a media event on July 25 when he was asked about his top ‘you got to be kidding me’ story. The fifth-year coach said prior to the contest against Howard − the final home game of the season − he noticed a Virginia Tech staff member on his team’s sideline.

‘Virginia Tech was actually on my sideline recruiting our running back,’ Oliver told said, according to WRAL News.

The running back wasn’t named, but Oliver said it was a player that ended up transferring to Virginia. J’Mari Taylor was the team’s leading rusher in 2024 and is now with the Cavaliers.

Oliver recalled assistant coaches were trying to calm him down about the situation but he was agitated by seeing the Virginia Tech staff member. In that game, Taylor ran for a season-high 206 yards and three touchdowns in a victory.

After Oliver’s comments, Virginia Tech released a statement that it reviewing the accusations.

‘This is the first time the issue has been brought to our attention, and no concern has previously been shared with us through any formal channel,’ the statement read. ‘Virginia Tech takes all NCAA rules seriously and is committed to conducting our program with integrity. We are reviewing the matter internally and will address any findings appropriately.’

After the alleged incident, Oliver was glad to see his player not end up with the Hokies, and hopes Virginia ‘kick Virginia Tech’s butt.’ Taylor is expected to have a major role in Virginia’s offense.

The annual ‘Commonwealth Clash’ between the Cavaliers and Hokies will take place in the 2025 season finale on Nov. 29 in Charlottesville.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders will hold a press conference with his medical team on Monday, July 28.
The press conference will address ‘team and general updates.’
Sanders has been less involved in team activities this offseason due to an undisclosed health issue.

Much has been made about Deion Sanders’ future in Boulder due to a mysterious health issue that has limited his offseason participation with Colorado football and his sons − Shedeur and Shilo − in the NFL playing for the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.

On Monday, July 28, the college football world at large may be getting some answers on what may be on the horizon for the Colorado coach.

Sanders will be holding a press conference alongside his medical team to provide ‘team and general updates. It will be his first news conference of the 2025 fall camp for the Buffaloes.

While no one but Sanders is entitled to know his health status, rumors have swirled due to his limited involvement in Colorado’s spring and summer camps. Sanders appeared in good spirits at Big 12 media days, praising Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark for continually checking in on him, Colorado AD Rick George for taking a chance on him, and the other coaches in the Big 12.

Sanders ultimately declined to expound upon his health at media days, saying he was ‘here to talk about (his) team.’

When is Deion Sanders speaking to media?

Date: Monday, July 28
Time: 1 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. MT

Sanders and his medical team will be speaking to media Monday, July 28 at 1 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. MT (Boulder local time). It is unknown what the specific updates will be.