Early 2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Redraft

January 23, 2026

RotoBaller's early 2026 fantasy football rankings for quarterbacks in redraft leagues. 2026 tiered rankings give an early look at 2026 drafts at QB.

The 2026 fantasy football season will be here before you know it, and it's never too early to take a peek at next season's pecking order at QB. Game-changing early-round QBs can carry your team to the playoffs, but hitting on mid-round signal-callers is also key if you miss out on a big-name stud. We're here to get things started with our early 2026 fantasy football quarterback rankings. Below, check out where Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Jaxson Dart, Patrick Mahomes, Travor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, and Cam Ward stand, among others.

These 2026 fantasy football QB rankings are put together by Nick Mariano, a top-accuracy industry ranker and the lead forecaster here at RotoBaller. The 2026 NFL rookies are not included in these rankings, but they will be added as updates are made constantly up until the NFL Draft, and after the draft as well.

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2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Redraft

2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Outlooks, News

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Despite a disappointing 2025 season in which they failed to reach the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens are standing behind franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "I want him to be my quarterback," owner Steve Bisciotti said on Tuesday. Baltimore's owner also said that Jackson, who is his own agent, seemed amenable to a new deal and made it clear he wants to get something done before free agency begins in March.

There were rumors late in the 2025 season that the Ravens might consider trading the 29-year-old MVP in the offseason due to a rift with head coach John Harbaugh, but that pretty much ended when the Ravens surprisingly fired Harbaugh. Jackson missed several games due to a hamstring injury early in the season and just never looked like himself, finishing as the QB20 in fantasy points with 2,549 passing yards, 21 TDs, and seven interceptions. He also only ran for two touchdowns. With better health, Jackson will be a prime bounce-back candidate in 2026.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that surgery "went well" for quarterback Bo Nix (ankle), according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Nix had surgery for a broken bone in his right ankle that he suffered at the tail end of Saturday's overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. The 25-year-old had one of his best games of the season, too, going 26-for-46 for 279 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

The Broncos haven't given a timetable for Nix's recovery, but we'd be surprised if he wasn't ready to go for the start of the 2026 campaign, where he'll easily be a top-12 fantasy QB. With Nix out for the AFC Championship this weekend against the visiting New England Patriots, the Broncos will go with backup Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't started a game in the NFL since 2023.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said he wants a competitive situation at quarterback going into next season, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. O'Connell said McCarthy "is going to be a major emphasis," but "the competition in that room will only enhance the entire team." The Vikings want McCarthy to seize the starting job, but he's going to have to earn it and play better than he did in 2026, and the Vikings are fully expected to add to their QB room to push McCarthy this offseason.

The 22-year-old former first-round signal-caller missed his entire rookie season in 2024 due to a knee injury that required surgery. McCarthy missed time with multiple injuries in 2025 and struggled with turnovers and efficiency when he was on the field, completing 57.6% of his pass attempts for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 starts. Fantasy managers will want to see improvement from the Michigan product before considering him as anything more than a low-end QB2 option with upside.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Omar Ruiz of NFL Network reports that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee) says his rehab from ACL and LCL tears in his knee is "going great." According to Ruiz, Mahomes stated that his goal is to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season, which doctors have said is possible, but there is still a long way to go. Mahomes underwent surgery in mid-December, so a Week 1 return would require less than nine months of recovery time.

Across 14 games before getting injured, the 30-year-old completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Mahomes also rushed for 422 yards and five scores, making 2025 the most productive rushing season of his career. His recovery progress will be one of the key storylines for fantasy managers to track throughout the offseason.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw four interceptions in the first half of the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, becoming just the second QB since 1991 to throw four picks in a playoff half. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft has rapidly regressed since his impressive rookie season. The Texans are expected to pick up his fifth-year option, but so far, the Texans are non-committal on a long-term contract extension for Stroud.

Under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley in 2025, Stroud completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Despite having three playoff wins in his three seasons, Stroud has just five TDs with six interceptions and seven fumbles (two lost) in the postseason. Stroud said he was still "getting adjusted" to the new offense this year. Perhaps he'll be better in 2026 if Caley sticks around as the OC, but for fantasy purposes, Stroud has become a QB2 instead of a legitimate QB1 option.

Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has multiple years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2022, as pointed out by general manager Monti Ossenfort when asked about the future of his one-time franchise player. The Cardinals fired head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday, and when asked how Murray might fit in with a new coach, Ossenfort said, "All options are on the table," and that those discussions would come at a later time.

Both Jacoby Brissett and Kedon Slovis are also under contract heading into 2026, and the Cardinals have the third overall pick in April's Rookie Draft, so the team is not without options at the position. Figuring out the most important spot on the roster will be priority number one for whoever is hired as the next head coach, following another disappointing season in which Murray started only five games.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that quarterback Josh Allen (foot) might need surgery on his right foot, but if he does, he should be ready for organized team activities in the spring, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Allen initially injured his foot in Week 16, but he played through soreness the rest of the year before being eliminated by the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The 29-year-old former MVP also battled a left-knee injury and a right-finger injury in the postseason.

Either way, Allen should be completely fine for the start of training camp this summer and the start of the 2026 regular season in the fall. He once again led all QBs in fantasy points during the regular season in 2025 with 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 17 games, adding 579 rushing yards and a league-high 14 TDs. Even with head coach Sean McDermott gone, Allen should be the first QB off the board in fantasy football drafts this fall.

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