Quarterback is deeper (and stranger) than it’s been in years, and that makes drafting the position for fantasy trickier than just ranking real-life talent. A quarterback can be excellent for his NFL team and mediocre for your fantasy roster if he doesn’t run, doesn’t throw touchdowns in bunches, or plays in a run-first offense.
These 2026 fantasy football quarterback tiers break the position into nine groups, from the true unicorn at 1 down to the deep-league dart throws and superflex stashes. Whether you’re setting a rankings sheet for a 1QB redraft league, building a superflex or 2QB cheat sheet, or just trying to figure out where the position fits into your fantasy football draft strategy, here’s the full breakdown.
Tier 1: Superman
Josh Allen, BUF
For fantasy purposes, Josh Allen stands alone. Rushing production is still the biggest difference-maker at quarterback, and nobody combines passing upside with rushing touchdown equity the way Allen does. Now the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, he offers both the highest weekly floor and the highest weekly ceiling because he’s capable of scoring through the air or on the ground every time Buffalo has the ball. Allen should be the first quarterback selected in both single-quarterback and Superflex formats, and as long as he stays healthy, nothing is getting in the way of another elite fantasy season.
Tier 2: Upside at the Top
Lamar Jackson, BAL
Drake Maye, NE
Lamar Jackson‘s is the most prolific rushing quarterback in NFL history, and that rushing production gives him one of the safest weekly floors in fantasy football. What often gets overlooked is just how effective he’s become as a passer. That combination of rushing volume and passing efficiency makes him one of the few quarterbacks you never think twice about starting, regardless of the matchup.
Drake Maye doesn’t bring the same rushing upside as Jackson, but he more than makes up for it with elite efficiency. He completed 72% of his passes, averaged nearly 9 yards per attempt and posted an outstanding touchdown rate while finishing as the MVP runner-up and leading New England to the Super Bowl in his breakout 2025 campaign. The Patriots doubled down on building around him this offseason, adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to the receiving corps, giving Maye even more firepower and boosting his touchdown upside heading into 2026.
Tier 3: High-Floor Weekly Starters
Jayden Daniels, WAS
Joe Burrow, CIN
Jalen Hurts, PHI
Caleb Williams, CHI
Justin Herbert, LAC
Trevor Lawrence, JAC
Dak Prescott, DAL
This tier offers a little bit of everything. Some of these quarterbacks bring elite rushing upside, while others make their fantasy living through sheer passing volume. Regardless of how they get there, all seven are dependable weekly starters in 1QB leagues. Jayden Daniels has legitimate dual-threat ability, combining dynamic rushing production with a big arm that gives him one of the highest fantasy ceilings in this tier. Assuming he’s fully behind the injuries that limited him last season, he has the upside to finish right alongside the elite quarterbacks. Joe Burrow isn’t going to add a ton with his legs, but he doesn’t have to. When healthy, he’s one of the league’s premier touchdown passers in Cincinnati’s aggressive passing attack, making him a reliable QB1 with an elite ceiling.
Jalen Hurts continues to separate himself with his rushing touchdown production. Philadelphia’s quarterback sneak package remains one of the league’s most unstoppable plays, consistently giving Hurts easy rushing scores that traditional pocket passers simply don’t have access to. Caleb Williams also brings plenty of fantasy upside thanks to his mobility and ability to create outside the structure of the offense as he enters his third season. Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence are more traditional pocket passers who rely on passing volume and touchdown production to deliver their biggest fantasy weeks, though Lawrence should benefit from an upgraded group of pass catchers in 2026. Dak Prescott rounds out the tier as one of the safest bets for steady passing production. He won’t contribute much as a runner, but Dallas’s pass-heavy offense continues to give him one of the highest fantasy floors at the position.
Tier 4: QB1 Upside Without QB1 Price Tags
Brock Purdy, SF
Jaxson Dart, NYG
Patrick Mahomes, KC
Bo Nix, DEN
Every quarterback here has weekly QB1 upside but comes with a health-related asterisk that should push down your draft capital. Brock Purdy plays in one of the league’s most efficient offenses, but his QB1 fantasy weeks depend entirely on him staying on the field, something he hasn’t done consistently the past two seasons. Jaxson Dart adds rushing production to his profile, which raises his fantasy ceiling above a pure pocket passer’s, but his willingness to take hits is exactly what limits his floor.
Patrick Mahomes comes with more risk than we’re used to seeing after tearing both his ACL and LCL, injuries that ended his 2025 season. If he’s back to full strength, he still belongs comfortably in the QB1 conversation thanks to his elite passing ability and massive touchdown upside. Bo Nix offers a nice floor-to-ceiling combination as a passer with some rushing chops, provided he’s fully healthy after last season’s ankle injury in the playoffs. Treat all four of these guys as high-variance QB1/low-end-QB1 picks rather than locks.
Tier 5: QB2s With Late-Round Value
Matthew Stafford, LAR
Jared Goff, DET
Kyler Murray, MIN
Jordan Love, GB
These are quarterbacks with almost no rushing value but enough passing touchdown volume in efficient offenses to matter as streamers or low-end starters. Matthew Stafford‘s MVP-caliber 2025 (46 total touchdowns) makes him a high floor option again this year, and Jared Goff‘s touchdown-heavy Detroit offense gives him a similarly high weekly floor despite zero rushing production.
Kyler Murray is the wild card of this group. When healthy, his rushing ability alone pushes him into QB1 territory, and Minnesota’s decision to bring him in over J.J. McCarthy suggests he’ll get every chance to reclaim that form. Jordan Love has enough arm talent to spike for big weeks but hasn’t been consistent enough to trust as anything more than a fringe QB1 option outside of the best matchups.
Tier 6: Streamers and Breakout Candidates
Tyler Shough, NO
Baker Mayfield, TB
Malik Willis, MIA
C.J. Stroud, HOU
This tier is full of streamer candidates who could push into weekly-starter territory with a good matchup or a step forward this year. Tyler Shough is the name to know here. He averaged over 18 fantasy points per game down the stretch of his rookie year, a mark that actually beat out several Tier 3/4 names over that span, and New Orleans added weapons (Travis Etienne Jr., Jordyn Tyson) around him this offseason. That makes him one of the top late-round QB dart throws in this year’s fantasy drafts.
Baker Mayfield has proven capable of QB1 weeks when healthy, but his extensive 2025 injury list (MCL, PCL, biceps, shoulder) makes him a streamer more than a locked-in starter until he shows he’s fully right. Malik Willis brings rushing juice to a thin Miami offense in his first shot as a full-time starter. He’s worth speculating on in deeper leagues given his big-play efficiency in spot duty last year. C.J. Stroud has the pedigree to be a weekly starter again but needs to rediscover his rookie-year form to be more than matchup-based streaming value in 2026.
Tier 7: Matchup-Based Streamers
Sam Darnold, SEA
Cam Ward, TEN
Daniel Jones, IND
Bryce Young, CAR
These four are best used as streaming options against soft pass defenses rather than every-week starters. Sam Darnold‘s efficiency carried Seattle to a title, and he’s shown he can produce fantasy-relevant weeks in the right matchup, but he’s not a lock for weekly lineups. Cam Ward‘s rushing ability gives him streamer upside, and his best fantasy stretch came late last season as Tennessee’s offense started clicking.
Daniel Jones quietly had QB1-caliber fantasy production last season before an injury cut it short, and his rushing floor makes him a sneaky option once he’s fully healthy. He’s the player in this group whose stock could move the most in August. Bryce Young adds enough rushing value to have some standalone fantasy relevance, but he’s more of a bye-week fill-in than a plan-around starter.
Tier 8: Bridge Options and Mendoza
Jacoby Brissett, ARI
Fernando Mendoza, LV
Geno Smith, NYJ
Aaron Rodgers, PIT
Jacoby Brissett won just one game as Arizona’s starter in 2025 but still posted career highs in passing yards and touchdowns, and he’s angling for a new contract after the Cardinals used a busy offseason to upgrade the pieces around him. Fernando Mendoza is the headliner of this year’s rookie class after going No. 1 overall to Las Vegas following a Heisman-winning, national-championship season at Indiana (72% completion, 41 touchdowns); he’s not expected to unseat Kirk Cousins for the Week 1 job but will likely see the field sooner rather than later.
Geno Smith and Aaron Rodgers are both best thought of as bye-week emergency options. Rodgers’ touchdown volume kept him fantasy-relevant in spurts last season, and he still has enough arm talent for the occasional spike week, but neither belongs on redraft rosters outside of superflex leagues.
Tier 9: Superflex Stashes
Tua Tagovailoa, ATL
Shedeur Sanders, CLE
Deshaun Watson, CLE
Michael Penix Jr., ATL
Kirk Cousins, LV
J.J. McCarthy, MIN
Carson Beck, ARI
Justin Fields, KC
Mac Jones, SF
This bottom tier is almost entirely unresolved quarterback competitions or clear backups, which makes weekly fantasy value nearly impossible to project heading into the season. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are fighting for the same Atlanta job, and both carry some weekly upside if they lock down the role. Same with Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Kirk Cousins will likely begin the season as the starter, but it won’t be long before Mendoza takes over. J.J. McCarthy is ticketed for backup role behind Kyler Murray, but he could carry standalone value if an injury opens the door.
Carson Beck is a name worth stashing in superflex formats given his draft capital, and opportunity to emerge as a late-season starter much like Tyler Shough last year. Justin Fields‘ rushing ability means he’d have real streaming value if he’s forced into action behind Patrick Mahomes. Mac Jones rounds out the list as insurance behind Brock Purdy. None of these nine belong on a redraft bench in a 1QB, but in deep superflex and 2QB formats, it’s worth knowing exactly who’s next in line at every one of these jobs.
