2026 College Fantasy Football Quarterback (QB) Rankings

July 17, 2026

Jackson's top 50 college fantasy football quarterback draft rankings for 2026. These CFB fantasy QB rankings include the top 50 players among Power 4 quarterbacks.

College fantasy football has been gaining steam in recent years thanks to the explosion of NFL fantasy football, and Yahoo just launched its all-new college fantasy football leagues for 2026! At RotoBaller, we'll be providing CFB fantasy coverage to help you crush your preseason drafts, which kick off on August 3! Let's get the ball rolling with our initial college fantasy football quarterback rankings. Much like NFL fantasy, quarterbacks earn one point per 25 passing yards, and four-point passing touchdowns is the Yahoo default.

In the rankings below, check out where big-name players and underrated signal-callers such as Arch Manning, Trinidad Chambliss, Dante Moore, Jayden Maiava, and Darian Mensah stand among the other top 50 QBs in our preseason rankings.

These rankings are put together by lead college football analyst Jackson Sparks and will be updated as fall camp developments and injury news roll in.

College Fantasy Football Quarterback Draft Rankings

2026 College Fantasy Football Quarterback News

Devon Dampier, Utah Utes

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier had a fantastic showing in his first year with the program, racking up 2,490 passing yards, 835 rushing yards, and 34 total touchdowns. He threw just five interceptions and led the Utes to 11 wins. Despite this, there isn't a ton of buzz surrounding the senior signal-caller entering 2026.

Utah has the 17th-most experienced wide receiver group in the country (total snaps) according to PuntandRally.com and should not experience significant growing pains transitioning from Kyle Whittingham to Morgan Scalley, who has been on staff at Utah since 2007. Dampier and Utah are likely being overlooked in 2026, but the Utes could remain Big 12 title contenders in Scalley's first season at the helm. In 33 career games with New Mexico and Utah, Dampier has totaled over 8,000 yards of total offense and 75 touchdowns.

Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker was voted the preseason Big-12 Newcomer of the Year, the league announced on Monday. Mestemaker was one of the nation's best freshmen last season at North Texas, exploding for 4,379 passing yards, 39 total touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

He followed head coach Eric Morris to Stillwater and is expected to be one of the conference's most productive quarterbacks right away. To help his cause, his top receiver from last year, Wyatt Young (1,264 yards), came with him to the Cowboys' program, along with several other key pieces from last year's offense. It could take a few games for Mestemaker to settle in against elevated competition, but the Oklahoma State offense should be strong immediately under Morris.

DJ Lagway, Baylor Bears

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda recently stated that he feels as if new quarterback DJ Lagway was "in a straitjacket" during his time at Florida. Aranda compared Lagway to "someone that is just all boxed in and boxed up and just wanted to be free, express himself, play free. And I think he's felt that (freedom) ... at Baylor." Lagway did struggle last season after being heralded as the future of Florida football, throwing for 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 12 games.

Lagway's father played at Baylor from 1997-2001, and he is now closer to home. He seems to be making himself at home, as Aranda stated ""He's smiling more, he's open more, he's engaging with teammates more. He's taken the O-line out to eat, he's taken the receivers off to (practice) seven-on-seven, or they're at his house watching films."

Noah Fifita, Arizona Wildcats

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita will be entering his fourth season as the Wildcats' starting quarterback, making him one of the nation's most experienced signal callers. Head coach Brent Brennan recently stated: "I think Noah can be the conference player of the year and win the Heisman Trophy."

Fifita did have a career-high 3,228 passing yards last season, throwing for 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. His season was one of the most underappreciated in college football last year, but he isn't flying under the radar for On3's Brett McMurphy. McMurphy ranked him as the top quarterback in the Big 12 for 2026, pointing out that he is due to become Arizona's all-time leading passer this season. Fifita and the Wildcats play an early Big 12 game on September 12, traveling to play projected conference champion BYU in Provo.

KJ Jackson, Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson remained with the program despite the coaching change from Sam Pittman to Ryan Silverfield, and On3 projects the redshirt sophomore to be the team's Week 1 starter. Jackson is competing with transfers AJ Hill (Memphis) and Braeden Fuller (Angelo State) for QB1 duties, but Pete Nakos says Jackson is "the name to watch exiting the spring."

Jackson appeared in six games during his first two years in Fayetteville, completing 37 of his 54 passing attempts for 500 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He added 55 yards and two scores as a runner. All that said, Silverfield says the competition between Jackson and Hill remains a "dead heat."

Avery Johnson, Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson is entering his third full season as the program's starter in 2026, and the addition of former Texas A&M offensive coordinator and Kansas State star QB Collin Klein could help him take his game to the next level. Speaking at Big 12 Media Days, Klein spoke highly of the veteran dual-threat signal-caller. "I would argue some of his best attributes are not physical," Klein said. "I know everyone sees how fast he is, everybody sees the arm talent.

He's one of the best competitors I've been around." Needless to say, that's high praise, and K-State could exceed expectations if Johnson reaches his ceiling in Klein's offense. Overall, Johnson has played in 33 career games and has totaled 5,576 passing yards, 48 passing touchdowns, 1,378 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. He led the Wildcats to a 9-4 record in 2024 before a 6-6 season last year.

Will Hamond, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond (knee), who tore his ACL in late October, is expected to be the team's primary starting quarterback after the departure of transfer Brendan Sorsby. For most of the offseason, it has been expected that Hammond would return to action in Week 3 against Houston. But recently, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said he might be ahead of schedule and is eyeing a Week 1 return against Abilene Christian.

While the Red Raiders are unlikely to need his services against the FCS foe, a tune-up game would benefit the rising sophomore coming back from a major injury. In limited action a season ago, Hammond completed 69 of his 109 passing attempts for 680 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also rushed for 299 yards and five scores. Even with Sorsby out and Hammond in, Texas Tech remains the favorite to win the Big 12 in 2026.

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