Fantasy football season is here, and fantasy managers are facing an age-old question as they prepare for their drafts. Is it worth it to spend a top pick on someone like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Drake Maye, or is it better to target a mid-tier value at the position like Jared Goff?
Per usual, quarterback profiles as the deepest position in fantasy football. That could change in-season quickly as injuries impact signal-callers around the league, but for now, there are plenty of high-volume passers and dual-threat quarterbacks for fantasy managers to target in the hopes of leading their teams to championships.
Who are the best fantasy football quarterbacks in 2026? Here's a look at the top players to target, along with some quality sleeper candidates.
Fantasy football rankings: QB
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen has established himself as fantasy football's most consistent quarterback option because of his domineering role in Buffalo's offense. He was responsible for a whopping 66.3% of Buffalo's total offensive yardage in 2025 and has posted at least 500 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in three consecutive seasons, giving him the highest floor among fantasy quarterback options.
Any concerns about Allen's production being interrupted by Buffalo's coaching change will be quashed by Joe Brady being an internal, offensive-minded hire. The Bills also acquired D.J. Moore – who will be Allen's first true, No. 1 receiver since the team traded Stefon Diggs following the 2023 season – in a move that should upgrade Allen's ceiling as a passer.
Provided Allen remains healthy, it would be shocking if he isn't once again a top-three fantasy quarterback.
2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson suffered a hamstring injury in 2025, and his rushing capabilities suffered because of it. He handled a career-low 67 carries for 349 yards after averaging an impressive 882 rushing yards across his previous seven seasons.
With that in mind, it's fair to assume Jackson will bounce back as a runner if he can stay healthy in 2026. It's also fair to be excited about the 29-year-old's upside in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's offense. Doyle comes from the Ben Johnson tree and may be able to create a more explosive offense, especially if rookies Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt can provide more depth to Baltimore's receiver room.
All those factors should align to help Jackson enjoy a quality season and challenge Allen as the No. 1 fantasy quarterback.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow has played at least 16 games in a season three times in his career. In those seasons, the Bengals star has never thrown for fewer than 4,475 yards and 34 touchdowns, highlighting his status as a high-end fantasy producer.
Even last season, Burrow was elite across the eight games in which he played. His numbers across his final six starts extrapolate to impressive marks of 4,590 yards, 43 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over a 17-game slate. That type of production would make him a sure-fire top-five fantasy quarterback.
Granted, there are some concerns with Burrow. Notably, health has always been a bugaboo for him, and Cincinnati's improved defense could put a dent in his high-volume tendencies.
Nonetheless, Burrow is one of the few players with the upside to challenge for the No. 1 fantasy quarterback role. His upside should be acknowledged across all fantasy formats.
4. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye enjoyed a breakout second season with the Patriots and finished as the No. 2 quarterback in fantasy football. His combination of mobility and deep passing skills should help him remain a top-tier fantasy asset, though it's worth wondering whether he will see any regression while playing a stronger schedule in 2026.
The good news for Maye? The Patriots have significantly upgraded his supporting cast. A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will provide him more consistent options at the receiver position while free-agent signing Alijah Vera-Tucker and first-round rookie Caleb Lomu will improve the offensive line depth and talent in front of him.
5. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert finished as fantasy football's 10th-best quarterback in 2025 despite being pressured a league-high 288 times, per Pro Football Focus. The 28-year-old should have better protection in 2026, as top tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt are set to return from injuries while rookie second-round pick Jake Slaughter should be an upgrade over the Chargers' awful center situation from last season.
Herbert is also getting a chance to play in Mike McDaniel's quarterback-friendly offense. Tua Tagovailoa was routinely a fantasy threat under McDaniel's leadership, so it's fun to imagine what the Chargers' new offensive coordinator will be able to milk out of Herbert.
Perhaps Herbert will be able to toss 30-plus touchdowns for the first time since 2021.
6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
No NFL team attempted to ban the "Tush Push" play for the 2026 season. That should be good news for Hurts, who has posted 63 rushing touchdowns across his six-season NFL career to date.
That said, Hurts will need to up his rushing production a bit in 2026 after taking a step back in that regard in 2025. He posted his second-lowest career totals in carries (105), rushing yards (421) and rushing touchdowns (8) in his lone season under Kevin Patullo's offensive leadership.
Hurts should have a good chance to do that in Sean Mannion's offense, where the 28-year-old looks like a better fit. Expect him to be a top-eight fantasy quarterback for a fifth consecutive season.
7. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Daniels has big-time boom potential if he can stay healthy. He finished his rookie season in 2024 as a top-five fantasy quarterback after racking up a whopping 891 yards but was limited to just seven games in 2025 due to a variety of injuries.
Daniels could return to being an impressive, dual-threat weapon this season if he's able to stay on the field in 2026. That said, the offensive line play in front of him is suspect, so that could make it difficult for him to achieve that goal.
Daniels can still be treated as a QB1, but if you draft him, make sure you get a steady backup behind him in the later rounds of your draft.
8. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Ben Johnson has expressed a desire to blow teams out in 2026. That could point toward Williams being a high-volume passer during his second season in Johnson's quarterback-friendly offense.
Williams totaled 30 touchdowns last season and nearly became the first Bears quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season. One would presume he is taking aim at that goal in 2026, so his combination of passing volume and solid scrambling skills – he has averaged 438.5 rushing yards per season across his first two NFL campaigns – will give him a great floor-slash-ceiling combination.
9. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Goff has been one of fantasy football's most consistent quarterbacks over the last four years. Over that span, he hasn't missed a start and has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback every season.
In each of the last three years, Goff has thrown for at least 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. He's not much of a running threat, but he is an efficient, high-volume passer who proved he could perform well without Ben Johnson last season.
Add in that the Lions are set to face what is, on paper, the NFL's weakest schedule and it's hard to find a safer quarterback than Goff in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
10. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
Dart shares similarities with the aforementioned Daniels: a high ceiling and a low floor. Dart generated nine rushing touchdowns in just 14 games (12 starts) as a rookie, and his willingness to scramble – especially in the red zone, where he logged 21 carries – should make him a high-impact runner.
The issue is that Dart frequently takes big hits because of his scrambling tendencies. He was routinely checked for concussions because of his running style last season, and any sort of injury could cause him to miss time or make John Harbaugh put the kibosh on him running.
Those risks sink Dart to the latter end of the QB1 range, but he still has top-five upside thanks to his rushing floor.
11. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Nix quietly led the NFL with 612 total passing attempts during the 2025 NFL season. That is unlikely to be an aberration, as Sean Payton-coached quarterbacks have routinely been among the league's most pass-happy during his career.
Nix doesn't just have great passing volume. He also has a strong supporting cast that got better in the offseason when Denver traded for Jaylen Waddle. The former Dolphins star, Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin give Nix plenty of weapons to target and should let him be consistent and productive again for fantasy purposes.
12. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford is fresh off an MVP season with the Rams during which he tossed an NFL-high 46 touchdowns. The 38-year-old will once again benefit from playing in Sean McVay's offense and with one of the best receiver duos in the NFL, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, but there's still reason to expect Stafford to take at least a small step back in 2026.
Across the 2022 through 2024 seasons, Stafford averaged just 23 touchdowns per 17 games played. He does have two, 40-touchdown seasons with the Rams in 2021 and 2025, but there still figures to be significant touchdown regression in 2026, especially as he competes in the difficult-looking NFC West.
Stafford could still emerge as a top-10 fantasy quarterback, but it's safer to draft him as a low-end QB1 this year.
13. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
There's a lot to like about Dallas' offense in 2026. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are one of the best receiver duos in the league while Jake Ferguson has been one of the league's most consistent tight ends. That gives Prescott a high ceiling for the upcoming season.
However, a big question surrounds the 33-year-old veteran. Last season, Prescott attempted an even 600 passes. Will he get that volume again? Maybe not, as Dallas has spent considerable resources upgrading its defense this offseason, and improvements on that side of the ball could let the Cowboys control games and throw less often.
So, while it wouldn't surprise anyone to see Prescott emerge as a QB1, he's more of a fringe candidate for the role than a slam-dunk fantasy option in 2026.
14. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence enjoyed his best-ever season as a passer under Liam Coen in 2025. That will lead many to target him as a QB1, but it's worth noting Lawrence totaled nine rushing touchdowns in 2025 after combining for 14 across his first four NFL seasons.
If Lawrence regresses to the mean as a rusher, his ceiling will be lowered. It's better to target him as a high-end QB2, with that in mind.
15. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
It would hardly surprise anyone to see Mahomes re-emerge as a top-five fantasy quarterback. He's simply that talented.
That said, there's a lot working against Mahomes ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Most notably, the 30-year-old is coming off an ACL tear he suffered late in the 2025 season against the Chargers. All reports about his progress have been positive, but the Chiefs could still limit him early in the season – and lean on free agent signee Kenneth Walker III – as he gets his legs under him.
Add in concerns about Mahomes' receiving corps – which is led by the unreliable Rashee Rice and an aging Travis Kelce – and his declining production since his MVP season in 2022 and there is more risk than usual surrounding the perennial Pro Bowler.
16. Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Murray beat J.J. McCarthy quickly for Minnesota's starting job. Now, the former Cardinals starter will get a chance to play in an offense that includes Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson.
That could be the perfect opportunity for Murray to resurrect his career, though his fantasy potential may rely on how much he scrambles. He averaged just an even five rushing attempts per game across his final three seasons with the Cardinals after posting 6.7 per game across his first four seasons.
17. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Purdy had a torrid stretch during last year's fantasy playoffs, reminding fantasy managers not to discount the 49ers quarterback as a potential top-tier fantasy talent. Even so, Purdy is best targeted as a steady streamer who can be trusted when not playing elite defense, against whom he typically struggles.
The 49ers' injuries within their receiving corps, where Ricky Pearsall is out for the year and veterans Mike Evans and George Kittle figure to be recovering from maladies early in the season, could also limit his ceiling.
18. Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Willis offers a tantalizing combination of accuracy and mobility that could allow him to break out as a fantasy star in Miami. His numbers across three starts over two seasons with the Packers extrapolate to 3,468 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 986 rushing yards and an additional 17 rushing scores over a 17-game season.
Willis' main issue is that he plays for a weak-looking Dolphins team that is very young at receiver. That could cause some growing pains as the inexperienced quarterback gets his feet wet in his new role.
19. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Once again, Mayfield is set to have a new offensive coordinator coaching him. The veteran quarterback will look to prove himself in Zac Robinson's offense while also functioning without Mike Evans for the first time since he joined the Buccaneers.
Those concerns will drop him to the streamer ranks, though his gunslinger mentality will always make him a big-play threat.
20. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love has seen his touchdown total drop each season as a starter, recording 23 total across 15 games last season. It's starting to feel more and more like we won't again see a hot streak like the one he had in the second half of his 2023 season.
21. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Darnold is a good matchup-based streamer who has proven efficient in Seattle's offense and has a good rapport with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Still, he posted one or fewer touchdowns in nine of his 17 regular-season games last season, so trusting him as a season-long starter wouldn't be wise.
22. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Shough flashed in his nine starts for the Saints last season. He was a particularly strong scrambler, racking up 186 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries. That makes him an intriguing sleeper, especially after the Saints upgraded their offensive line with David Edwards and added Jordyn Tyson to boost their receiving corps.
23. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Stroud is coming off a woeful postseason during which he completed just 51.9% of his passes for 462 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions with five fumbles. Barring a return to his 2023 form, that will prevent him from being anything but a low-end QB2 or streamer.
24. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Brissett actually emerged as a surprisingly strong streamer after taking over for Kyler Murray last season, averaging 280.5 passing yards and 1.9 touchdowns over his 12 starts. Brissett figures to start for the Cardinals to open the 2026 season and will draw streaming consideration, thanks to his garbage-time potential, as long as he remains Arizona's starter.
25. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Ward got off to a slow start in 2025 before posting multiple passing touchdowns in four of his final five games. The No. 1 pick from the 2025 NFL Draft has upside, but Tennessee's preseason struggles inspire little hope of a breakout second season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football draft rankings: Top quarterbacks in 2026
