Fab's Way-Too-Early 2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

The NFL offseason has been far more active in recent years for signal-callers, so we’re in for a treat with future trades and player movement via free agency.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson ranks in the top five in Michael Fabiano's initial rankings for 2026. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The 2025 quarterback position kept us guessing in fantasy leagues all season long. Several big-name players faltered, as the likes of Lamar Jackson (QB20), Joe Burrow (QB34), Jayden Daniels (QB33), Kyler Murray (QB38), and Brock Purdy (QB24) all finished 20th or worse at the position despite having loftier average draft positions.

We also had five quarterbacks finish in the top 12 at the position despite being drafted at 124.8 or lower (Caleb Williams). Drake Maye (124.8), Matthew Stafford (222.2), Trevor Lawrence (148.3) and Justin Herbert (140.8) all turned into draft-day bargains. We also had some solid waiver-wire adds like Jacoby Brissett and Tyler Shough, who came out of nowhere to become potential league winners down the stretch. 

Looking ahead to 2026, there are plenty of questions that need to be answered at the position. The NFL offseason has been far more active in recent years, so we’re in for a treat with future trades and player movement via free agency. (You will see an asterisk next to the quarterbacks who will be free agents, at some level, during the offseason). 

Several players went down with injuries whose recoveries we’ll be monitoring, none more critical than Patrick Mahomes (knee), Bo Nix (ankle) and Daniel Jones (Achilles). And, of course, we’ll be watching the Scouting Combine and the 2026 NFL draft to find who could be helpful to fantasy options as rookies. 

Here are my initial 2026 fantasy football quarterback rankings. I’ll be updating these throughout the offseason, so keep checking back!

2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

RK	Player	Pos	Team
1	Josh Allen	QB1	BUF
2	Lamar Jackson	QB2	BAL
3	Drake Maye	QB3	NE
4	Jalen Hurts	QB4	PHI
5	Joe Burrow	QB5	CIN
6	Patrick Mahomes	QB6	KC
7	Jayden Daniels	QB7	WAS
8	Trevor Lawrence	QB8	JAC
9	Caleb Williams	QB9	CHI
10	Matthew Stafford	QB10	LAR
11	Dak Prescott	QB11	DAL
12	Bo Nix	QB12	DEN
13	Jaxson Dart	QB13	NYG
14	Justin Herbert	QB14	LAC
15	Brock Purdy	QB15	SF
16	Baker Mayfield	QB16	TB
17	Jared Goff	QB17	DET
18	Jordan Love	QB18	GB
19	Kyler Murray	QB19	ARI
20	Daniel Jones*	QB20	IND
21	Tyler Shough	QB21	NO
22	Bryce Young	QB22	CAR
23	J.J. McCarthy	QB23	MIN
24	Cam Ward	QB24	TEN
25	C.J. Stroud	QB25	HOU
26	Sam Darnold	QB26	SEA
27	Tua Tagovailoa	QB27	MIA
28	Michael Penix Jr.	QB28	ATL
29	Aaron Rodgers*	QB29	PIT
30	Shedeur Sanders	QB30	CLE
31	Justin Fields	QB31	NYJ
32	Geno Smith	QB32	LV
33	Malik Willis*	QB33	GB
34	Anthony Richardson	QB34	IND
35	Kirk Cousins	QB35	ATL
36	Joe Flacco*	QB36	CIN
37	Dillon Gabriel	QB37	CLE
38	Marcus Mariota*	QB38	WAS
39	Tyrod Taylor*	QB39	NYJ
40	Spencer Rattler	QB40	NO

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