Hello readers! Enjoying the World Cup? So am I. But like many of you, I’m counting down the days until another type of football takes center stage.
Today’s column begins my 2026 Fantasy Football redraft rankings and tiers. RB, WR, and TE will follow, and I’ll update them in August, when season-long redraft season kicks in. Hopefully, these initial looks at each major position will help as you start to consider player values and draft strategies.
You can link to all my preseason fantasy content here,
including all the rankings and tiers (once they’re posted), and much more.
Before we get to the rankings, tiers, and commentary, here are three quick observations about the quarterback position in 2026. The first two are largely copy and paste jobs from last year.
- Quarterback is loaded! I’ve been playing fantasy for 30-plus years and can’t recall this much quality and depth at the position. Look down the rankings and you’ll see what I mean. There are names well past QB12 that are very appealing starters for fantasy. All that depth means you can wait longer on QB, even in 2-QB formats like Superflex, if you choose to pass on the elite options at the position. It also means it’s not difficult to grab two good starting QBs in a Superflex format.
- Dual-threat quarterbacks are fantasy gold! I’ve written a lot in the past about the emergence of the running QB and how it’s changed fantasy. An elite dual-threat is almost like having two players in one. With a point awarded for every ten rushing yards and six points per rushing TD, mobile signal-callers can pile up points more easily than pocket passers. A QB who runs for 500 yards and 5 TDs on the season is getting on average 4-5 more fantasy points per game (FPPG) than a QB who doesn’t run. There are more mobile QBs now than at any time in the past, and you’ll see how they’re favored throughout my rankings.
- Youth is serving! There was a time not so long ago when the QB landscape was dominated by guys in their 30s. That script has flipped in the last decade. The 2018, 2020, and 2024 QB classes were special. 13 of the 32 projected opening day starters will be from just those three stellar draft classes. Nine more are from the other draft classes since 2019. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, who are inarguably two of the game’s very best, have hit 30, but still, only four projected opening-day starters are 35 or older: Aaron Rodgers (42), Matt Stafford (38), Kirk Cousins (will be 38 in August), and Geno Smith (35). QB should stay strong and deep (for fantasy, anyway) for quite a while.
I’ve arranged the QB rankings into tiers, as I do at every position. You should too. I’ve written a lot in the past on why it’s smart to use tiers for your draft board. Everyone wants to roster the best players, and sorting each position group into tiers allows fantasy managers to have a great view of (a) ranges of players who can be expected to have similar fantasy production, (b) the drop-offs between those ranges, and (c) how many players in a range remain available at any given time. Tiers help when position runs come, and facilitate more effective drafting, regardless of format.
My quarterback rankings assume four points per passing TD. Season-long rankings shown are on a FPPG basis and exclude the final week of the season.
You can link to all my preseason fantasy content here, including all the rankings and tiers (once they’re posted), and much more.
Tier I – The One of One
- Josh Allen
Josh gets his own tier. He earned that by finishing as the overall player #1 or #2 in fantasy for six straight seasons (which covers the entire 2020s), and not missing a start since his 2018 rookie season. Consistency, durability, and sustaining the elite dual-threat capability year-to-year all set him apart from the rest. Sure, others have similar ceilings, but nobody else has his floor.
Tier II – The Elites
2. Lamar Jackson
3. Drake Maye
4. Jalen Hurts
5. Joe Burrow
6. Jayden Daniels
Commentary: This group consists of the top dual-threats, for all the reasons discussed above, plus Burrow, who joins the runners because of his ceiling as a passer and his situation (two stud receivers and a bad defense). In 6-point passing TD leagues, bump him up above Hurts. Jackson and Daniels are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and mobile QBs can bring a little added injury risk. The burning question for fantasy managers (in one-QB leagues, especially) is whether any of the first six QBs is worth the high price, given the depth below them.
Tier III – Solid QB1s
7. Dak Prescott
8. Caleb Williams
9. Trevor Lawrence
10. Justin Herbert
11. Patrick Mahomes
12. Jaxson Dart
13. Jared Goff
Commentary: The quality and depth of this tier and the one below it is why it’s so tempting, and probably wise, to just wait on QB while you load up at other positions, and especially in one-QB leagues. There are ceiling plays (Williams, Lawrence) and floor plays (Goff, Prescott) and everything in-between. Fun fact: Goff has finished as the QB7 in three straight seasons. Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL, and how good he is for fantasy will depend in part on how much he’s willing to run. On the other end of the spectrum, will the Giants try to keep Dart from running too much, to protect his health?
Tier IV – Overflow QB1s
14. Matthew Stafford
15. Brock Purdy
16. Bo Nix
17. Baker Mayfield
Commentary: The only thing separating this tier from the one above is that there is a bit more of a downside case with each of these players, for various reasons. But again, just look at the depth. Any or all of these QBs could end up as Top-10 options, and it wouldn’t be a surprise. Mayfield (2024) and Stafford (2025) each finished Top-5 at the position in the last two seasons.
Tier V – The Upside Guys
18. Kyler Murray
19. Jordan Love
20. Malik Willis
21. Sam Darnold
22. Tyler Shough
Commentary: This group offers a little bit of everything. A redemption story (Murray), a completed redemption arc (Darnold), an unproven starter with major upside as a dual-threat (Willis), a second-year starter who, like Bo Nix the year before him, was much better than anticipated as a rookie (Shough), and a player who has the tools and has shown flashes but still hasn’t had that one great season for fantasy (Love). All these players are good QB2 options, with upside to a QB1 finish.
Tier V – The Rest
23. Daniel Jones
24. Bryce Young
25. Jacoby Brissett
26. Aaron Rodgers
27. Cam Ward
28. C.J. Stroud
29. Geno Smith
30. Tua Tagovailoa
31. Shedeur Sanders
32. Michael Penix, Jr.
33. Kirk Cousins
34. Fernando Mendoza
35. Deshaun Watson
Commentary: There isn’t a lot to say here. Given the depth at the position, most of these players won’t get drafted in one-QB leagues. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t value for fantasy. There are some intriguing names, who could pop if things break right. Jacoby Brissett was the QB4 over the final 8 weeks of last season, and Daniel Jones was the QB5 over the first seven weeks. I don’t expect a repeat in either case, but you never know.
Coming next: RB rankings and tiers, so keep it here!
