QB Stock Market Week 7: Is Baker Mayfield Unstoppable? Is Michael Penix Jr. Legit?

Baker Mayfield’s brilliance. Justin Fields’ debacle. Justin Herbert’s magic. Josh Allen’s regression. We were treated to the full experience of NFL quarterbacking this past week. 

That's why we have big risers, including a new No. 1(!), and big fallers in this week’s edition of the QB Stock Market, where we monitor the fluctuations of quarterbacks throughout the season. Our power ranking of the NFL's starting passers takes into account their most recent individual performance along with their full season and team success. 

Previous: Preseason, Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Let’s dive into the latest pecking order:   

Yes, I’ll say it: Baker Mayfield has been the NFL’s best quarterback so far this season.

An MVP frontrunner through six weeks, Mayfield put together more heroics to lead the Bucs to a 30-19 victory over the Niners this past weekend. His spectacular 15-yard scramble on a third-and-14 early in the fourth quarter set up his 45-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson that helped push the game out of reach.

Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for two scores and no interceptions with a terrific 139.0 passer rating in a game he finished without his top three wide receivers. Star rookie Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) was lost for the game in the second half, while Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (fibula) were inactive. Not to mention, standout running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) didn’t play either.

It didn’t matter for Mayfield, who elevated those around him.  

And before Sunday’s win, the 2018 No. 1 pick had led the Bucs on four game-winning drives in the last minute this season. He’s tied for third in touchdown passes (12), fourth in passing yards (1,539) and sixth in both passer rating and EPA per dropback, according to Next Gen Stats. He’s playing at an absurd level this season, which is why he sits atop the QB Stock Market for the first time.  

Mayfield played for three franchises from 2021-22 (Browns, Panthers, Rams), and now he’s becoming a truly elite quarterback. It’s an incredible story. 

Josh Allen is firmly a top-three quarterback on the planet. Some believe the reigning MVP is No. 1. But I can no longer justify keeping him atop these rankings, as he had been since Week 1, just because he’s Josh Allen. 

He had his worst game of the season in the Bills’ stunning Monday night loss to the Falcons, against whom he completed just 15 of 26 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. His first pick, in the final seconds of the first half, was just bad. And his second one, the result of a tipped pass, came with 51 seconds left, ending Buffalo’s hopes for a comeback. 

It was Allen’s first two-interception game since Week 10 of last season. His 72.6 passer rating was also his lowest in a game since Week 16 of 2024. The three-time Pro Bowler has five turnovers in the past three games, including four interceptions. And his Bills, who’ve lost two straight, are on fraud alert — their 4-0 start came against teams that are now a combined 3-21 (Ravens, Jets, Dolphins, Saints). They're 0-2 against teams with a winning record (Falcons, Patriots). 

Allen isn’t getting the help he needs around him. He’s also playing poorly right now. Both things can be true.

For a moment, the Giants version of Daniel Jones crept back in. 

In the second quarter of the Colts' victory over Arizona on Sunday, he essentially threw the ball right to Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr., who was sitting in front of the QB's intended target, tight end Mo Alie-Cox. It marked just Jones' third turnover of the season. 

Otherwise, though, he was terrific once again, leading a Colts offense that still can’t be stopped. The former No. 6 pick completed 73.3% of his passes for 212 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). He led Indianapolis to three straight scoring drives to start the second half, including back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Colts (5-1) didn’t punt in the final two quarters.

Six games into the season, this Daniel Jones remains very real.

Herbert reminded the NFL on Sunday that he’s one of the most gifted quarterbacks on the planet. 

In the final minute, he broke what appeared to be a sure sack from the Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips easily, and then fired a pass to Ladd McConkey, who had the 42-yard catch and run to set up the Chargers’ game-winning field goal.

Herbert’s pocket magic highlighted his best performance in weeks — a 76.3% completion rate for 264 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers and a 112.2 passer rating to guide L.A. to its fourth victory of the season. And Herbert didn’t have a starting receiver (Quentin Johnston) and both his offensive tackles (Joe Alt, Trey Pipikins III) in the game. 

No, the consistency hasn’t been there for Herbert this season. But shortcomings and injuries around him haven’t helped. He’s fully capable of playing at the level he did against the Dolphins on a more regular basis.

Michael Penix Jr. delivered a big-time performance in his Monday Night Football debut. 

While his superstar teammate, running back Bijan Robinson, stole the show with 238 total yards from scrimmage, the second-year quarterback showed great composure and played clean football against one of the AFC’s elite. The former No. 8 pick threw for 250 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers against the Bills. He engineered a 14-play, five-minute field goal drive down the stretch of the fourth quarter that left Buffalo facing a 10-point deficit with less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts. To add to Penix’s feat, he didn’t have left tackle Jake Matthews for most of the game. 

This is what Penix, who’s already had plenty of ups and downs in his eight career starts, can be on a more consistent basis. He has surrounding weapons that would make other quarterbacks jealous. If he can keep Atlanta on schedule offensively, the production should be there.

Tua Tagovailoa isn’t the kind of quarterback who can elevate or transcend an offense that has shortcomings. He needs the right support and talent around him. And that’s OK. 

It's just that his flaws get magnified on a team mired in dysfunction (like his Dolphins) while he’s not playing well. 

Tagovailoa's three interceptions on Sunday marked his second three-turnover game of the season. One of them wasn’t his fault — on the Dolphins’ second play from scrimmage, Jaylen Waddle bobbled a pass that was secured by the Chargers. But his sloppy play overall overshadowed the fact that he helped Miami overcome a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to have a chance down the stretch. 

Tagovailoa has had some good moments this season, but it’s hard to see the trajectory of his 2025 campaign becoming positive with Mike McDaniel on the hot seat and persistent accountability issues in-house. 

Fields entered the season with a chance to be the Jets’ long-term starting quarterback, but that opportunity is quickly dwindling. 

He’s firmly on the "potential to be benched" watch after his disastrous performance in London against the Broncos, who sacked him nine times for a loss of 55 yards. He often held the ball too long, slow to make decisions. He completed just 9 of 17 passes for 45 yards, leading a New York offense that produced a net of minus-10 passing yards, the fewest in franchise history. 

Fields is effective with his legs and has had some efficient passing performances this season, but he’s not giving the Jets enough through the air — he has just four touchdown passes in five games — and he’s not processing in the pocket quickly enough. 

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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