2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Post-NFL Draft

May 6, 2026

RotoBaller's updated 2026 fantasy football quarterback rankings for redraft leagues. These 2026 tiered QB rankings are for after the 2026 NFL Draft.

The early-round quarterback strategy has been gaining steam in recent years thanks to explosive seasons by the likes of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but there is still a place for finding under-the-radar later-round quarterbacks with untapped upside. Several franchises will roll new starters out in 2026, but we see similar names at the top of these updated fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2026.

These post-NFL Draft 2026 fantasy football QB rankings are put together by Nick Mariano, a top-accuracy industry ranker and the lead forecaster here at RotoBaller. Below, find out where key QBs such as Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart, Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, and more stand, among all others.

In addition to these rookie rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's Dynasty League rankings and Rookie Rankings. Bookmark those pages, and use them to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football drafts.

2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Outlooks

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield still finished as the QB12 in fantasy football last season, but it was a down year by his standards. He had been the QB10 and QB4 in the previous two seasons, and he finished 2025 with a relatively underwhelming stat line of 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. While some of the blame can be attributed to a wide receiver room that struggled to stay healthy, we would have liked to see him prevail and continue to produce, especially since it's such a talented wide receiver depth chart.

Mike Evans departed in free agency, but with Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan at his disposal, Mayfield still has plenty of targets who can help him get back to the top-eight range in fantasy football. He could also benefit from a coaching staff change, as the Bucs brought in Zac Robinson to replace offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

Furthermore, there could be some added motivation from the fact that Mayfield is heading into a contract year. If he doesn't sign an extension before the season, there's a chance he could be showcasing himself for all 32 teams. With that being said, there's also slightly less certainty about his future beyond 2026, which is why we've seen him drop to QB19 in RotoBaller's dynasty fantasy football rankings.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) is on track to participate in the team's first voluntary offseason practices, as reported by ESPN's Nate Taylor. Less than five months after tearing his ACL and LCL in a Week 15 loss to the Chargers, head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Saturday that Mahomes is on track to participate with his teammates, even if in a limited capacity.

Kansas City's first three OTA sessions are scheduled for May 26-28, and Mahomes' expected participation is a great sign for his availability for the 2026 season opener. Mahomes is RotoBaller's QB13 ahead of his 10th year in the NFL, and his status to begin the season will affect the fantasy values of Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Kenneth Walker III, and the rest of the Chiefs' offense, so his level of participation is worth monitoring when the team gathers at the end of the month.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan acknowledged on 680 The Fan that "you just don't know" where quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) is "going to be" for the start of training camp in late July. However, Ryan is confident with how Penix has approached his rehab after tearing his ACL in 2025. "Mike's in a good spot right now. As far as expectations, we don't really know what to expect at the beginning of training camp," Ryan said.

The Falcons don't plan to rush Penix back to the field, which could give new QB Tua Tagovailoa a leg up in the competition for the starting job under center in Atlanta going into Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. Penix's dynasty stock is dropping quickly after he had surgery for another torn ACL in his knee back in November.

It's the third time since college that he's suffered a torn ACL. The 25-year-old lefty signal-caller was mediocre before his injury in his first full year as the Falcons' starter, completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine starts. Penix will need to get healthy first, and then he'll need to improve his accuracy to have a chance to beat Tua out. It's looking more likely that Penix is going to enter the start of next season as Atlanta's backup.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Despite another disappointing season in 2025, the Houston Texans have had nothing but good things to say about quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason, according to Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. "C.J.'s done a really good job all offseason just continuing to be locked in, continuing to prepare the right way," head coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Proud of the work that he's putting in right now." When CEO Cal McNair was asked about Stroud, he said, "We're fully committed to C.J."

The Texans unsurprisingly picked up Stroud's fifth-year option for the 2027 season, so they now have two seasons to work out a potential long-term extension with the former second overall pick in 2023 out of Ohio State. The 24-year-old had career lows in passing yards (3,041) and passing touchdowns (19) in 14 regular-season games in 2025 in his third year in the NFL.

It's now been two straight down years after his Pro Bowl season in his rookie campaign, and fantasy managers will be wondering if Stroud can ever get back to his rookie level, when he threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 15 regular-season starts. He's going to need both Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to step up alongside Nico Collins, and having Tank Dell (knee) contribute will be big as well. For fantasy purposes, Stroud's dynasty stock is obviously down, but a bounce-back is entirely possible in 2026.

Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken wants to name a starting quarterback before the start of training camp at the end of July, but he said at the end of last week that he's not ready to name a leader in the competition, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) and Shedeur Sanders are the primary competitors for the job. Watson missed all of 2025 while recovering from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon, but reports so far have suggested that he's looking great and could have the upper hand over Sanders.

Sanders, the son of former NFL star Deion Sanders, fell to the fifth round in last year's draft. He ended up starting the final seven games for the Browns in his rookie season, and he predictably struggled. "It's my job to let it play out," Monken said of the team's QB competition.

In a minicamp practice recently, Watson was first in line as the QBs went through drills, but Monken said the practice script called for Sanders to take more total reps. The order of the QB reps will continue to change going forward. Watson's dynasty fantasy value might not be dead yet, and although he has much more experience and success in the NFL than Sanders, he has been hurt and unreliable in his time in Cleveland.

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