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Updated quarterback (QB) draft rankings for fantasy football. These tiered QB rankings for 2026 include Justin Herbert, Daniel Jones, Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins, and Fernando Mendoza.
It's an exciting time for NFL fans as Week 1 is a few days away. At RotoBaller HQ, we have been generating rankings every day to help fantasy managers prepare for their upcoming fantasy football drafts. One of the biggest strategies in single quarterback fantasy football leagues is to wait until the later rounds to draft their first starting quarterback. Whether you are looking for that middle-round gem or need a late-round QB pick for Superflex leagues, we've got you covered with our updated fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2026.
These 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 Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, Jordan Love, Tyler Shough, Cam Ward, and Fernando Mendoza are listed in our updated QB ranks.
In addition to these quarterback rankings, in our 2026 fantasy football rankings dashboard, you will also find our team's rankings below for all different league types. Bookmark those pages, and use them to prepare for all of your 2026 fantasy football drafts.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!PPR rankings | Half-PPR rankings | Non-PPR (Standard) rankings | Rookie rankings | Superflex rankings | Best Ball rankings | Underdog rankings | Dynasty rankings | IDP rankings | Injuries
2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
| QB Tier |
QB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Allen | QB |
| 1 | 2 | Lamar Jackson | QB |
| 1 | 3 | Jalen Hurts | QB |
| 2 | 4 | Jayden Daniels | QB |
| 2 | 5 | Joe Burrow | QB |
| 2 | 6 | Drake Maye | QB |
| 2 | 7 | Justin Herbert | QB |
| 3 | 8 | Caleb Williams | QB |
| 3 | 9 | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 3 | 10 | Dak Prescott | QB |
| 3 | 11 | Brock Purdy | QB |
| 3 | 12 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
| 4 | 13 | Patrick Mahomes II | QB |
| 4 | 14 | Jaxson Dart | QB |
| 4 | 15 | Jared Goff | QB |
| 4 | 16 | Baker Mayfield | QB |
| 4 | 17 | Jordan Love | QB |
| 5 | 18 | Bo Nix | QB |
| 5 | 19 | Kyler Murray | QB |
| 5 | 20 | Malik Willis | QB |
| 5 | 21 | Daniel Jones | QB |
| 5 | 22 | Tyler Shough | QB |
| 5 | 23 | Sam Darnold | QB |
| 5 | 24 | C.J. Stroud | QB |
| 6 | 25 | Cam Ward | QB |
| 6 | 26 | Bryce Young | QB |
| 6 | 27 | Aaron Rodgers | QB |
| 6 | 28 | Jacoby Brissett | QB |
| 6 | 29 | Fernando Mendoza | QB |
| 6 | 30 | Geno Smith | QB |
| 6 | 31 | Tua Tagovailoa | QB |
| 6 | 32 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB |
| 6 | 33 | Kirk Cousins | QB |
| 6 | 34 | Deshaun Watson | QB |
| 6 | 35 | Shedeur Sanders | QB |
| 7 | 36 | J.J. McCarthy | QB |
| 7 | 37 | Haynes King | QB |
| 7 | 38 | Ty Simpson | QB |
2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback News
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has fully recovered from last season's Achilles injury, but it doesn't look like his ADP has completely adjusted yet. As it stands, Jones has an ADP of 174.7, which corresponds to the 15th round and makes him the 23rd quarterback off the board. That seems to be a slightly pessimistic evaluation of the 29-year-old, who ranked as the QB7 in total points before getting injured last year.
Even if Jones doesn't quite replicate his QB7 ranking this year, he's still a reasonable candidate to finish among the top 12 quarterbacks in fantasy football. Therefore, now that he's fully healthy, he's somewhat of a steal at his current price tag. He stands to benefit from a strong supporting cast, including Keenan Allen, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Tyler Warren, and Jonathan Taylor.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said on Wednesday that he is "optimistic" about reaching a contract extension with quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. "We would love to get a deal done as soon as possible," DeCosta said. The 29-year-old signed a five-year, $260 million extension with Baltimore in April of 2023, but with an $84.3 million salary-cap number for 2027, the Ravens want to get an extension done with the star QB so that they can spread that cap hit out over multiple seasons.
The four-time Pro Bowler and two-time MVP battled nagging injuries for much of last year, which led to a disappointing 2025 campaign in which he threw for only 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in a career-low 13 starts. Jackson also ran the ball a career-low 67 times for 349 yards and two touchdowns. With better health, Jackson should rebound as an elite, high-end QB1 for fantasy purposes because of his dual-threat abilities at the position.
Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders named veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as their Week 1 starter on Wednesday, and while some late training camp rumblings hinted at Fernando Mendoza potentially starting his career as the third quarterback behind Aidan O'Connell, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft will serve as the team's primary backup, according to The Athletic's Sam Warren. Mendoza appeared in all three of the Raiders' preseason games, turning in a mixed bag on his way to a 56.5% completion percentage and two interceptions to his one touchdown.
The Raiders face a daunting schedule to begin the year, a fact that could lead to early calls from fans to put the rookie on the field, but also a landmine that the coaching staff must navigate with the ultimate goal of setting Mendoza up for long-term success. Equipped with the tools and mindset to eventually become the face of the franchise, Mendoza is RotoBaller's QB29 and not a player who needs to be drafted as anything more than a third quarterback in 2026 superflex leagues.
Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has officially named veteran Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. Despite a training-camp push by first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders have decided to let the 38-year-old veteran open the 2026 campaign as the starter under center. The expectation all along was that Cousins would open the year as the starter to give Mendoza more time to adapt to the NFL game and get used to playing under center.
In 30 offensive snaps during the preseason, Cousins went 13-for-17 for 101 yards with one touchdown. Cousins could have some low-end QB2 sleeper appeal in the season opener against Miami in what should be an improved Raiders offense, but with Mendoza looming as the long-term option at the position, he makes for an unintriguing two-QB superflex option in season-long formats as he heads into his 15th NFL season.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart feels "in command" for Week 1 despite going nearly a month without live game action, according to Patricia Traina of Sports Illustrated. Dart attempted four passes in the Giants' preseason opener Aug. 15, but then head coach John Harbaugh kept him sidelined for the final two preseason contests. As a result, nearly a month will separate his last live game action from the Giants' season opener Sept. 13. While that long absence may raise some question marks, especially in a new offensive system, Harbaugh explained the decision was rooted in minimizing injury risk and the confidence he has in the quarterback's work ethic during practice.
Dart himself added that he felt like he has been able to prepare for the regular season by playing against the Giants' starting defense in practice. "I feel so much better," Dart said. "I feel in command. I feel confident. In this offense, there's a lot that's put on the quarterback's plate, but it's exactly how I want it. It's exactly how I viewed this coming together." All signs point to Dart making a Year 2 leap. He was the overall QB14 despite making just 12 starts last season, so he has legitimate top-eight fantasy upside in 2026 if he can stay healthy for the full year. As it stands, he has an ADP of 103, which makes him the 11th quarterback off the board.
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, Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza, Jaxson Dart, and Daniel Jones:
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