3 Fantasy Football Busts to Avoid: Quarterbacks (2026)

It’s still the offseason, but we’ve already seen red flags in the world of fantasy football. And while drafts are still months away (for most), some signs are too big to ignore. Below, we look at three quarterbacks — and their expert consensus ranking (ECR) — who have issues that should hold them back from being drafted.

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks to Avoid

Patrick Mahomes II (QB – KC) | ECR: QB13

On the surface, it may seem crazy to put Patrick Mahomes II on any ‘avoid’ list. After all, he was a top-10 fantasy quarterback for his first six seasons as a starter and is widely considered to be the best quarterback playing today.

However, that facade started to fade in 2024. After years of failing to replace Tyreek Hill at receiver with multiple first- and second-round picks, the Chiefs continued to roll out an average receiver room, which coincided with Mahomes recording his first sub-4,000 passing yard season as a starter.

It also meant Mahomes finished as just the QB12 in fantasy scoring. The 2025 season was even worse. Not only was Mahomes in the midst of another disappointing statistical season, but he also suffered a torn ACL towards the end of the season.

This is exactly why Mahomes should be avoided. It’s uncertain when exactly he’ll return, but the expectation is that it won’t be until well into the season. Thus, the reason the Chiefs traded for veteran Justin Fields.

On top of that, the Chiefs have, yet again, failed to add anything to the receiver room. They will still roll with a combination of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, along with Travis Kelce, who will play most of the 2026 season as a 37-year-old.

Yes, they signed running back Kenneth Walker III to lead their rushing attack, but that could mean a greater reliance on the run game rather than the passing game and Mahomes.

Bottom line: Mahomes doesn’t look nearly as attractive to fantasy managers as he used to, so it’s best to avoid him and make him someone else’s problem.

Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI) | ECR: QB6

In what has become a regular occurrence, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will have a new offensive coordinator in 2026. And for as much turnover as there is in the NFL, it’s still an outlier that Hurts will have his fifth coordinator in five seasons.

Yet, Hurts has performed admirably, both in fantasy and in real life. Hurts has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in each of those five seasons with a different coordinator. He also famously won a Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP.

Why is Hurts on the avoid list then?

Let’s start with his new offensive coordinator. Sean Mannion comes over from the Packers, where he was the quarterbacks coach for one season, overseeing the development of Jordan Love. However, there was very little development.

Love averaged the same number of passing yards per game as he did the year before (225) and threw two fewer touchdowns (23) in the same number of games. On the season, Love finished 15th in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks, a far cry from Hurts’ QB8 finish.

Hurts will most likely not have his top receiver from the last four seasons. A.J. Brown is widely expected to be traded after June 1st to the New England Patriots in what will mercifully bring to an end one of the longer-running dramas in the NFL.

All Brown has done during his tenure in Philly is average over 1,200 receiver yards and eight touchdowns a season. And that’s with Hurts’ limited skill set as a passer. Without Brown’s ability to boost Hurt’s stat line, the latter could suffer.

The Eagles did add some pieces in the offseason — veteran receivers Marquise Brown and Dontayvion Wicks, and rookies Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers. But none of them, at the moment, are on Brown’s level, nor are they guaranteed to pan out. There’s more uncertainty around Hurts than ever before, so it’s best to avoid him.

Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) | ECR: QB14

It may seem odd to put Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on this list, but here we are. Yes, he’s the reigning MVP. Yes, he threw a career-high 46 touchdowns last season. Yes, he finished with his highest fantasy ranking of the season. But many red flags are looming ahead of the 2026 season.

For starters, Stafford is old, by NFL standards. This will be his age-38 season. Needless to say, he hasn’t been the picture of health the last few seasons. Stafford hasn’t missed significant time since 2022, but every season after was a crapshoot on how well Stafford felt heading into the season.

The Rams — and Stafford fantasy managers — avoided that in 2025 and reaped the rewards, but it isn’t a given that it will hold up for another year. The bell curve starts dropping dramatically as players get older, and it gets riskier every year to roll with one for your fantasy team.

The other concern is the Rams’ proactive draft strategy this year. Picking higher than they have in a long time, the Rams used the 13th overall pick on quarterback Ty Simpson. Not expected to be drafted that high, if in the first round at all, Simpson is now the heir apparent in Los Angeles.

Granted, Simpson has very little experience, having started just one full season over his four-year college career. Sitting on the bench for at least one season is presumably part of the plan. However, if Stafford gets hurt or the season goes off the rails, we could see Simpson sooner rather than later.