Dynasty QB1 Candidates: 5 Quarterbacks Who Could Dethrone Josh Allen in Fantasy Football (2026)

July 14, 2026

Ryan Kirksey's five fantasy football quarterbacks who could dethrone Josh Allen as the dynasty QB1 in 2026. His list includes Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and more.

Managing a dynasty roster means you are playing fantasy football all year long. Offseason just means it's time to evaluate your roster, plan for rookie drafts, and anticipate where your team is going in the near future, including at the quarterback position.

If your roster includes an elite quarterback like Josh Allen, you presently have a strong positional advantage. But since dynasty fantasy football is about much more than just the present, we need to think about what happens when a player like Allen starts to decline. Eventually, other quarterbacks will move past him in the dynasty rankings.

Here are five quarterbacks who could dethrone Josh Allen for the dynasty QB1 title. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.

Drake Maye - New England Patriots

Considering Drake Maye's age (23), there is a strong argument to be made that he is the QB2 in dynasty right now. Maye is coming off a second-place finish in MVP voting during the 2025 season, where he led the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt.

Maye was top five in the NFL in passing touchdowns, yards, quarterback rating, success rate, and rushing yards. Now, he gets a leveled-up wide receiver room with A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to go along with Hunter Henry and the two-headed monster at the running back position in TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson.

Last year on tight window throws, Drake Maye ranked:

1st in precision pass rate
1st in QBR
1st in completion over expected

Over the last 3 years, AJ Brown ranked:

1st in yds/route run
1st in catches
1st in first downs

Seems good! pic.twitter.com/t0EOzqjcRU

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 3, 2026

The knock against Maye is that he had all this success against weak competition in 2025. If he can repeat his success with a first-place schedule and with a target on his back now, we might be talking about Maye being the dynasty QB1 in six months.

Jayden Daniels - Washington Commanders

As a rookie in 2024, Jayden Daniels cooked up 3,568 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns with a 69% completion rate. That by itself would have been very impressive, but the LSU product added 891 rushing yards, which was the second most by a quarterback that year.

Daniels suffered two elbow injuries in 2025, which tanked his season, but he is ready for a bounce-back this year, and nothing should slow down his rushing ability. The Commanders added Rachaad White and Chig Okonkwo to bolster the offense and also added some offensive line pieces.

Assuming full health for Daniels this season, look for him to return to his rookie form and be one of the best fantasy quarterbacks.

Caleb Williams - Chicago Bears

An upgraded offensive line and the additions of Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland allowed Caleb Williams to make the second-year leap in 2025. At just 24 years old, Williams threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns while only throwing seven picks in 17 games.

A look at how every Caleb Williams dropback went down in 2025.

He made a massive improvement avoiding sacks, going from a staggering 68 taken in 2024 to just 24 in 2025 pic.twitter.com/aByXqwp9qF

— Nutshell Sports (@NutshellSportz) May 29, 2026

However, his ability to remain upright in 2025 was his greatest skill. His sacks taken dropped from 68 (most in the league) in 2024 to 24 last year. If his line can protect him like that every year, Williams will have the time to complete those big-money throws on which he is so accurate.

Williams also contributed more with his legs last year, piling up 388 yards and three rushing scores. Considering the leap he took last year, Williams could be on a QB1 trajectory soon.

Jaxson Dart - New York Giants

Jaxson Dart only started 12 games as a rookie, played just two quarters with his best offensive weapon (Malik Nabers), and lost running back Cam Skattebo in Week 8. However, Dart still finished third in fantasy points per dropback and compiled 24 total touchdowns (nine rushing scores) in his 12 starts. Dart's YOLO style of passing and rushing might be risky, but it also could send him to the top of the quarterback ranks.

With the addition of Isaiah Likely this season and improving health for Nabers and Skattebo, Dart could take a step up in his second NFL season. New head coach John Harbaugh is no stranger to quarterbacks who like to run (after seven years with Lamar Jackson), and he will look to build an offense around Dart's strengths.

Durability will always be the issue with Dart if he continues his aggressive play style, but the Giants have plans to mitigate that and keep him protected behind the line, and when he runs. In terms of an Allen replacement, he almost reminds us of a very young Allen, unafraid to run at any time, but who eventually developed into a strong pocket passer and picked the right spots to run, especially in the red zone.

Justin Herbert - Los Angeles Chargers

In a year when the Chargers' offensive line, running backs, and receivers were plagued by injuries, Justin Herbert threw for his fewest yards in any season he played at least 15 games (3,727). However, he still threw for 26 touchdowns and had the highest rushing yards total of his career. Herbert is still just 28 years old and now has several factors working in his favor for 2026 and beyond.

Herbert will get his offensive line and skill-position players back healthy. With three offensive line members missing for much of the year, Herbert was sacked a career-high 54 times. That should change in 2026. The other massive change to the offense is new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel is known for his creative, big-play focus, which should boost Herbert this year.

The Chargers have one of the most talented wide receiver trios in the league with Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre' Harris. Oronde Gadsden II is an explosive tight end, and Omarion Hampton is fully healthy and ready to take a year-two leap. With this combination of weapons and rushing upside, no one should be surprised if Herbert vaults back into being a top fantasy quarterback.

Honorable Mentions

Tyler Shough: After starting his rookie year on the bench, Tyler Shough took over the high-octane New Orleans Saints offense in Week 8 and didn't look back. Shough threw for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns in just half a season, while rushing for another 186 yards and three scores. From Week 13 to Week 18 in 2025, Shough was eighth in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks, averaging over 20 points per game.

Bo Nix: Assuming Bo Nix returns from a broken ankle with no repercussions, his first two seasons could be harbingers for bigger things to come in the years ahead. He has back-to-back seasons with more than 3,700 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air. He also has 786 combined yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in two seasons.

Cam Ward:  If we are placing odds on these quarterbacks to replace Josh Allen, Cam Ward would likely have the longest odds after an abysmal rookie season. However, he really improved at the end of the year (averaging 16 fantasy points per game in Weeks 15-17) and now has a new offensive coordinator and a new cache of weapons at his disposal in Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate.

Cam Ward Ready to Bloom in Year 2 in New Offense? https://t.co/lqELIQvltv

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) July 2, 2026

Malik Willis: Fresh off a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins, Malik Willis now has a starting job to call his own. Last year with Green Bay, Willis had an 85.7% completion percentage and threw three touchdowns in 35 attempts. He also rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns in very limited duty, including a number of scrambles when a play broke down. He has the dual-threat ability that you need to be the QB1.

Dante Moore: Oregon quarterback is very likely to be one of the top two quarterbacks taken in the 2027 NFL Draft, along with Texas quarterback Arch Manning. That means a team like the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, or New York Jets is likely to land the talented passer. He passed for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns, and also added two scores on the ground in his last college season.

Moore is also battle-tested after playing Texas Tech and Indiana in the College Football Playoff earlier this year.

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