We are no longer in the golden age of the late-round quarterback strategy in fantasy football. The days of signal-callers with no-brainer massive upside flying completely under the radar are over. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still find some league-winners at the quarterback position late in fantasy football drafts.
Last season, Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford and Trevor Lawrence finished as top-four fantasy options despite being drafted outside of the top 12 quarterbacks in average draft position (ADP). Here are my four favorite picks to follow in their footsteps for 2026.
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Fantasy Football QB2s With Top-5 Potential
Kyler Murray (QB – MIN) | ADP: QB17
I’ve made the case for Kyler Murray multiple times this offseason, both before and after he officially landed in Minnesota. And I’m just going to keep making it. His price has risen somewhat, but Muray is still criminally undervalued in both redraft and dynasty fantasy formats.
As for evidence that Murray has top-five upside, we only have to look at his fantasy history: He was the QB3 in points per game (PPG) in 2020 and the QB4 in 2021. Those years were during the peak of the quarterback scoring boom, so he wouldn’t even need to match those heights in raw points to be a top-five option in 2026.
Of course, Murray has slowed down in recent years, struggling with injuries and effectiveness en route to eventually being benched for Jacoby Brissett to finish last season. But he wasn’t as bad as you might think.
Even at his worst, Murray never averaged fewer than 18.1 points per game in a season with at least six appearances — that would have landed him as the QB12 in PPG last season. He also never truly bottomed out as a real-life player, consistently ranking as a top-25 (often much higher) quarterback in metrics like Pro Football Focus (PFF) passing grade and expected points added (EPA) per play.
Going back to Murray’s peak seasons for a second, two factors were key to his fantasy success: An innovative offensive play-caller in Kliff Kingsbury and a dominant No. 1 WR (at least for 2020) in DeAndre Hopkins. With all due respect to Kingsbury and especially Hopkins, Murray’s new duo in those roles — Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson — is straight-up better. That’s not to mention the Vikings’ other weapons, including Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.
This excellent situation in Minnesota allowed Sam Darnold to finish as the fantasy QB9 in 2024. And, although he’s now a Super Bowl champion, Darnold’s resume heading into that season was objectively worse than Murray’s right now. This goes double on the fantasy front, where Murray’s mobility unlocks a ceiling the statuesque Darnold can only dream of. Especially given his bargain ADP, Murray is the obvious choice if you’re hunting for upside in the middle of drafts.
Brock Purdy (QB – SF) | ADP: QB13
Disclaimer: I’m wearing 49ers socks as I type this, so you may want to take the incoming Brock Purdy hype with a grain or two of salt. With that out of the way, the former Mr. Irrelevant has tantalizing fantasy upside heading into his fifth season in the NFL.
After all, Purdy was a top-five quarterback on a per-game basis last season. Injuries — which have admittedly been a problem so far in his career — limited him to nine games, but he was excellent in those nine outings. Purdy also nearly posted a legit top-five finish in 2023, finishing as the QB6 in both total points and PPG across his 16 games.
Of course, a large portion of the credit for Purdy’s fantasy success goes to Kyle Shanahan’s offensive genius, as well as the 49ers’ arsenal of offensive playmakers. But Shanahan isn’t going anywhere. And, with future Hall of Famer Mike Evans heading to the Bay, Purdy’s weapons are only trending upward.
With just 12.8 rushing yards per game for his career, Purdy’s path to elite fantasy upside is narrower than Murray’s. Like all pocket passers, he’ll have to rely on an elite touchdown rate if he wants to push for a top-five finish. It’s a good thing he has been at or above 7% in that stat in three of his four seasons.
That includes leading the league in 2023 and ranking second to only eventual MVP Matthew Stafford last season. That’s the Shanahan effect, and adding an all-time red zone weapon in Evans should only help Brock pad his touchdown total. He could certainly follow in Stafford’s footsteps and turn his new connection with an elite veteran receiver into a top-five fantasy finish (and maybe a real-life MVP award).
Malik Willis (QB – MIA) | ADP: QB21
Even if he doesn’t crack the top five, Brock Purdy should have a solid floor as a fantasy option this season. The same can’t be said for our next quarterback. Malik Willis is the ultimate boom/bust fantasy quarterback this season.
Willis’ dual-threat ability on a Miami team that will be playing from behind early and often could be a fantasy gold mine, a la 2022 Justin Fields. Or his lack of actual quarterback ability on a talent-starved roster could lead to unmitigated disaster, a la 2025 Justin Fields.
But this article isn’t called “quarterbacks with solid fantasy football floors for 2026.” We’re here for upside, and Willis undeniably has it. In his two years as Jordan Love‘s backup in Green Bay, the former Titan played over 75% of the Packers’ offensive snaps three times.
In those three games, Willis averaged 23.3 fantasy points, racking up 58 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown per contest. Even if he’s the worst passer in the league, that level of rushing production will make Willis fantasy-relevant.
And there’s at least some reason to have optimism for Willis’ ability as a passer. On an admittedly minuscule sample of 35 attempts, he led the entire NFL with an absurd 12.1 yards per attempt (YPA) last season. He also ranked third in PFF passing grade, behind only Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow.
It was a similar story the season before, too, as Willis posted a 10.2 YPA on 54 attempts. A lot of the credit for that eye-popping efficiency goes to Matt LaFleur, who whipped out some impressive (and often massively run-heavy) game plans in Willis’ starts. But Willis still had to make the throws, and he certainly delivered.
Obviously, things won’t be as easy for Willis in Miami. New Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik didn’t exactly revolutionize offensive play-calling in his tenure in Houston. And with Jaylen Waddle traded away this offseason, there isn’t a single proven NFL receiver (or tight end) on their roster. Thankfully, Willis’ fantasy appeal comes from his legs — at least playing alongside De’Von Achane should help him find running lanes.
Chances are, Willis ends up an uninspiring fantasy option during a tanking season for the Dolphins. But if not, he could be a legit league-winner as the rare true dual-threat quarterback being allowed to fall late in modern fantasy drafts.
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) | ADP: QB15
With a total of one rushing yard in his 2025 MVP campaign, Matthew Stafford couldn’t be further from a dual-threat quarterback. But he still finished as the QB3 in both total points and points per game, thanks largely to his league-leading 46 passing touchdowns.
Normally, an immobile pocket passer coming off a season like this would find themselves overvalued as a highly drafted option. But, as I alluded to in the intro, the fantasy community has gotten much smarter about how it values quarterbacks. Stafford’s current Underdog ADP of QB15 is arguably disrespectful compared to his 2025 results.
To be clear, Stafford’s ADP seems more or less fair. But we’re looking for upside, and the 38-year-old proved last year that he still has it in the right circumstances. And the same elite situation that enabled him to achieve such success remains in place.
Sean McVay is arguably the league’s best play-caller, and Puka Nacua is arguably its best receiver; the addition of Davante Adams and his absurd 11 touchdowns from within the 10-yard line elevated Stafford to fantasy-difference-maker status last year. There is also real smoke around the Rams potentially using the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft (via the Falcons) on a top-tier rookie wide receiver, which would leave Stafford with an embarrassment of options.
Stafford isn’t the only pocket-passer with a QB2 ADP who could run hot on efficiency en route to a top-five finish. The aforementioned Brock Purdy is obviously another contender, as are Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Jordan Love. But unlike those three, Stafford literally just did it. That makes him arguably the most likely candidate to do it again and earns him the final spot on this list.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
