The 2026 NFL season is right around the corner, which means fantasy football drafts are in full swing.
The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in the NFL's season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the game nationally televised on NBC and available to stream on FuboTV. Leading up to that rematch of last season's Super Bowl, we will be unveiling our fantasy football sleepers at tight end, quarterback, wide receiver and running back. Today, we're taking a quick look at five sleeper quarterbacks.
For our purposes, a "sleeper" is a player we believe has a chance to significantly outperform their average draft position (ADP), making them a potential steal.
With that kind of definition, some "sleepers" could be well-known players — they're
just being drafted lower than they should be and could end up being steals at their ADP. With that context in mind, here's a look at our five sleeper quarterbacks for the 2026 NFL season, with ADP data provided courtesy of FantasyPros.com.
5 fantasy football sleeper quarterbacks
1. Jaxson Dart (QB11): Dart barely qualifies as a sleeper at this point, but it's easy to see him cracking the top ten at his position after ranking third among QBs in rushing yards per game last season. The key for Dart will be staying healthy. If he stays on the field, Dart could have a breakout fantasy season.
2. Matthew Stafford (QB12): OK, maybe Stafford won't repeat another QB3 campaign, but he's being drafted as QB12 this summer. Reality will probably end up somewhere in the middle, and that could make him a great value.
3. Patrick Mahomes (QB14): Even if Mahomes never returns to the record-breaking numbers from earlier in his career, he finished as QB11 in 2025 and should be able to match that at the very least. Mahomes has since recovered from last season's knee injury, but it remains to be seen if the QB will now scale back his running.
4. Bo Nix (QB15): Nix finished as QB7 in 2025 and the Broncos added Jaylen Waddle this offseason. So why is Nix now being drafted as QB15? Denver has one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, they improved the backfield this summer, and Waddle should provide a huge boost to the offense. Nix might be the biggest steal on this list.
5. Kyler Murray (QB17): Murray is just two years removed from a QB10 finish in 2024, and he now has a fresh start in Minnesota with Justin Jefferson as his No. 1 receiver. It's very easy to imagine Murray wildly outperforming his QB17 ADP.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Fantasy Football: 5 sleeper quarterbacks for 2026 NFL season
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