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RotoBaller's quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 1 (2026). Set winning fantasy lineups with our Week 1 QB rankings for fantasy football leagues.
The 2026 regular season is approaching, and it's time to start looking ahead to Week 1 fantasy football lineups! As you know, big spike weeks for quarterbacks can win matchups, and finding under-the-radar QBs with sneaky rushing upside is key. For an early look at the Week 1 pecking order, check out these Week 1 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2026.
Where do key QBs like Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, Tyler Shough, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, and Malik Willis stand, among all others, for Week 1? Dive into the rankings below to find out.
Our QB fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are assembled by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will find a summary of this week's important QB fantasy football news. There are always critical injuries and updates to track, so check back until kickoff.
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Week 1 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
Rankings are updated until kickoff. Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, and Standard rankings.
| Tier | Rank | Player Name | Pos |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Allen | QB |
| 1 | 2 | Joe Burrow | QB |
| 1 | 3 | Lamar Jackson | QB |
| 1 | 4 | Justin Herbert | QB |
| 2 | 5 | Jalen Hurts | QB |
| 2 | 6 | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 2 | 7 | Jayden Daniels | QB |
| 2 | 8 | Drake Maye | QB |
| 2 | 9 | Dak Prescott | QB |
| 2 | 10 | Jared Goff | QB |
| 3 | 11 | Baker Mayfield | QB |
| 3 | 12 | Caleb Williams | QB |
| 3 | 13 | Jaxson Dart | QB |
| 3 | 14 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
| 3 | 15 | Brock Purdy | QB |
| 3 | 16 | Tyler Shough | QB |
| 3 | 17 | Patrick Mahomes II | QB |
| 3 | 18 | Bo Nix | QB |
| 4 | 19 | Kyler Murray | QB |
| 4 | 20 | Jordan Love | QB |
| 4 | 21 | Malik Willis | QB |
| 4 | 22 | C.J. Stroud | QB |
| 4 | 23 | Daniel Jones | QB |
| 5 | 24 | Sam Darnold | QB |
| 5 | 25 | Cam Ward | QB |
| 5 | 26 | Jacoby Brissett | QB |
| 5 | 27 | Kirk Cousins | QB |
| 6 | 28 | Aaron Rodgers | QB |
| 6 | 29 | Geno Smith | QB |
| 6 | 30 | Bryce Young | QB |
| 6 | 31 | Tua Tagovailoa | QB |
| 6 | 32 | Deshaun Watson | QB |
| 7 | 33 | J.J. McCarthy | QB |
| 7 | 34 | Shedeur Sanders | QB |
| 7 | 35 | Haynes King | QB |
| 7 | 36 | Fernando Mendoza | QB |
| 7 | 37 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB |
Recent Fantasy Football Quarterback News
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) will not play in the team's preseason opener on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Andy Reid told Matt McMullen of the team's official website. With Mahomes sitting, Justin Fields, Garrett Nussmeier, and Chris Oladokun will split up the game under center. Mahomes has been participating in all 11-on-11 work in training camp as he recovers from a torn ACL and LCL in his knee last December, but the Chiefs are in no rush to throw the 30-year-old veteran into a preseason game, especially the first one.
Barring a setback with his knee, Mahomes looks to be on track to suit up for the Week 1 showdown against the division-rival Denver Broncos on Monday night on Sept. 14. It will be a pretty tough first matchup for the two-time MVP as he and the Chiefs look to bounce back from missing the postseason entirely in 2025. Mahomes and KC's offense are looking for more explosiveness, and coming off major knee surgery, Mahomes is better off drafted as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 this year, with some question marks about his mobility going forward.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady said that the plan for Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers is that if a player is healthy, they will play, according to Maddy Glab of the team's official website. Brady added that he wants quarterback Josh Allen to be competitive but mindful. If Allen actually does play this weekend, it will probably be only for a few offensive series at most. Backups Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele are fully expected to see most of the snaps against Carolina.
Allen, a four-time Pro Bowler, is the consensus No. 1 overall fantasy QB again in 2026 despite failing to throw for 4,000 yards for the second straight season in 2025 in his eighth year in the NFL. He still managed to finish as the QB1 in fantasy last year by rushing for a league-high 579 yards and 14 touchdowns on 112 rushing attempts.
In Brady's first year as Buffalo's head coach, Allen could return to the 4,000-yard passing mark after the addition of receiver DJ Moore, who should help the Bills succeed more downfield with explosive passing plays. The prospect of bigger chunk gains through the air only raises Allen's already high fantasy floor.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
In what was his first competitive work against another team since taking over as the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Malik Willis showcased some of the highs and lows that fantasy managers will likely need to endure for the 2026 season. In a joint practice with the Commanders on Wednesday, Willis found success, as he has through much of camp, when targeting rookie Caleb Douglas, who was recently named a starter and praised before practice by head coach Jeff Hafley.
Willis also threw an interception to Mike Sanristil that was returned for a touchdown. Those types of ups and downs are to be expected from a first-time starter on one of the more talent-depleted offenses in the league, but an area highlighted by team writer Travis Wingfield, and the reason Willis is worthy of a late-round selection in single-quarterback drafts, is his rushing upside.
Wingfield notes that Willis broke contain several times and scrambled for what would have been lengthy gains in a real game scenario. Willis provides one of the highest rushing floors in the league, and if he can simply keep things on track offensively while avoiding costly mistakes, he has a chance to far surpass his current ADP of QB21.
Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are facing a real quarterback battle between veteran Kirk Cousins and first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, according to Vincent Bonsignore. Bonsignore said he still believes Cousins will be the starter in 2026, "but it's not etched in stone. Fernando has a real chance to win the job." Most have speculated that the team would let Mendoza sit behind veteran Cousins and develop before throwing him into the fire. Reports from Raiders training camp indicate that Cousins has held off Mendoza in the competition and that the rookie has struggled.
While Cousins was listed as the QB1 on the team's unofficial depth chart over Mendoza, a strong preseason from the rookie could force the Raiders to start the National Championship-winning quarterback in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, Tyler Shough, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, Malik Willis:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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