1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott hasn't only been a dominating figure on the field for the Dallas Cowboys, he's been a tremendously surprising fantasy performer. Here's a guy that heads into Week 15 as the sixth-best fantasy quarterback. He's accounted for 26 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions while putting up nearly 3,700 total yards in 14 games.
What makes Prescott's performance so surprising is the fact that he also ranks sixth among quarterbacks in fantasy consistency. That's absurd for a rookie. Also absurd is the fact that Prescott was barely even a rosterable option in 12-team leagues, even after he took over for an injury Tony Romo prior to Week 1.
2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan finished last season as the 19th-best fantasy quarterback and has finished outside of the QB1 territory in three of his past four seasons. That has to be considered somewhat of a surprise oven that Ryan has continually found himself under center and tossing the rock to the likes of Julio Jones.
Though, the surprise this season is that Ryan has exceeded all previous set expectations. With a preseason ADP outside of the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL, Ryan heads into Week 16 as the third-best fantasy quarterback. He's tallied over 4,300 yards with 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That's the best statistical output of Ryan's already stellar career. More than this, he ranks in the top four among quarterbacks in fantasy consistency. Nicely played, Mr. Ryan.
3. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
It's hard to gauge how Mariota performed as a rookie due to the fact that he played in only 12 games. Even then, the former No. 2 pick ranked outside of the top 16 in fantasy points per game. This had Mariota looking as nothing more than a mid-tier QB2 in terms of preseason ADP. Boy, how things have changed here.
In the midst of potentially leading his upstart Titans to playoff contention, Mariota also finds himself as one of the most-dynamic fantasy quarterbacks out there. Through the first 14 games of the season, this former Heisman winner has put up nearly 3,700 total yards with 27 touchdowns and nine picks. More than that, he's actually accumulated 23 touchdowns and three picks in the past 10 games. Mariota heads into Week 15 ranked seventh among quarterbacks in fantasy points and in the top 10 in consistency. Not too shabby for a preseason afterthought.
4. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Carr actually performed pretty darn well as a sophomore last season, putting up nearly 4,000 yards with 32 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions. This had him as the 15th-best fantasy quarterback by the end of the year. While Carr hasn't jumped up the levels of the three quarterbacks listed above him, he is currently the eighth-best fantasy player at his position.
The one issue we've noticed here, and the primary reason why he's not higher in this list, is that Carr ranks outside of the top-20 in consistency. In fact, he's put up 40 percent of his fantasy points in just four games. Carr will need that to change in order to become an elite-level fantasy quarterback. Still, his six picks in 529 pass attempts tells us a story of a quarterback that's progressing rapidly.
5. Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Despite not throwing a touchdown for just the second time in his past 30 starts Monday night, Cousins is still the fourth-best fantasy quarterback on the season. That's been made possible by the absurd 4,360 passing yards he's put up. Add in the better than two-to-one TD/INT ratio, and we're loving what we are seeing from this developing fantasy juggernaut. Also a good sign, Cousins ranks eighth at his position in consistency.