Fantasy Football Quarterback Sleepers: Malik Willis Could Be a League-Winner In A Backfield With De'Von Achane

One of the best ways to find value in your fantasy football drafts is to wait on a quarterback and find a sleeper later in drafts. However, this is a dangerous game because no position scored more points, so if you wait until the later rounds to grab your quarterback, you have to nail it. These are the quarterback sleepers who you should target late in drafts.

2026 Quarterback Sleepers

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

Willis comes with a ton of upside, but also comes with great risk. His ability to run is tantalizing and could make him one of the best fantasy quarterback options in the league; we just don't know how good he is as a passer. This reminds us a lot of Justin Fields last season; however, he has a much smaller sample size, so at least we don't know that he's a bad passer.

Last season he looked like a capable passer, but he is far from a lock to repeat that production, especially given that he is projected to have one of the worst WR corps in the league. Nevertheless, with Willis and Achane in that backfield, they could be unstoppable. His potential upside is matched by only high-end running quarterbacks.

Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings

When healthy, Murray has always been a high-level fantasy quarterback throughout his career. While it has been a rough couple of seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, a fresh start in a great system in Minnesota could go a long way in rejuvenating his fantasy football value in 2026.

His WR corps should be one of the best in the league, which can only help. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings are an impressive trio of wideouts.

As far as Murray's health goes, he should be the healthiest he has been since tearing his ACL. His rushing ability could be reinvigorated because of this, and playing for a new contract and a long-term starting job should only further motivate him.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

Ward's rookie season got off to a miserable start, but he continued to improve and develop throughout his first year with the Titans. His supporting cast in Tennessee was one of the worst in the league, yet he worked hard and still continued to get better and better.

While he threw seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his first 12 starts last year, he bounced back in his final four starts and threw eight touchdowns and one interception. With an improved supporting cast and still some unexplored rushing upside, he could make a huge leap this season just like he did every year in college.

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Shough impressed last year during his rookie season and finished strong. In his 10 starts as a rookie, he threw for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed for 186 yards and three additional touchdowns.

The sophomore quarterback will enter this season with Chris Olave and Jordan Tyson at his disposal. He is viewed by many, including us, to be a potential breakout candidate. Fantasy owners are hoping they can find this year's Drake Maye, and Shough could be that guy in 2026, even if it's not quite to the level of Maye last year, who came one vote away from being named the NFL MVP.

Shough lacks the rushing upside of Maye, but based on his rookie season, he is more than capable of rushing for 300-plus yards and about five touchdowns. If he does make the jump we expect him to make as the Saints' Week 1 starting quarterback, he should be a steal in fantasy football drafts this season.

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