Here are the top 35 quarterbacks in my redraft rankings, sorted into tiers, with thoughts on some of the players from each tier.
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Fantasy Football 1QB Rankings & Tiers
Tier 1
Call this the Elite Tier.
Josh Allen (BUF)
Josh Allen is the Grand Pooh-Bah of the position. He’s finished QB1 in fantasy scoring in four of the last six years. The key to Allen’s value is his rushing ability. Over the last five years, Allen has averaged 640 rushing yards and 10.8 TD runs. The only gray cloud on the horizon: Allen hit six-year lows in passing yards per game (215.8), TD passes (25), and fantasy points per game (22.0) last season.
After finishing QB1 in fantasy scoring in 2024, Lamar Jackson was QB20 in fantasy scoring last year, QB16 in fantasy points per game. Jackson missed four games with hamstring and back injuries, and he also dealt with knee, ankle, and toe problems. A drop-off in rushing numbers was chiefly responsible for Jackson’s fantasy slippage. In his first six seasons as a full-time starter, Jackson averaged 63.0 rushing yards per game. In 2026, he averaged 26.8 rushing yards per game. Jackson has been an elite fantasy scorer at the position for so long that it’s reasonable to think that with better health, he’ll produce another high-end QB1 season.
Tier 2
This is the Near-Elite Tier.
Drake Maye (NE)
Drake Maye finished QB2 in fantasy scoring in his second NFL season, averaging 21.1 fantasy points per game. He led the league in completion percentage (72.0%), yards per pass attempt (8.9), and passer rating (113.5). Maye added value as a runner with 450 rushing yards and four TD runs. A favorable schedule helped, and Maye looked mortal in the playoffs against top defenses. But Maye should be a top fantasy QB for years to come.
As a rookie in 2024, Jayden Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns, ran for 891 yards and six touchdowns, and finished QB5 in fantasy scoring. In 2025, Daniels lost 10 games to elbow, knee, and ankle injuries. Even when he was healthy, Daniels was less efficient as a passer and runner than he was as a rookie. Still, Daniels’ running ability and his potential as a passer make him a top-five fantasy quarterback.
Joe Burrow is one of the best pure passers in the game, but he adds little value as a runner. With the help of WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Burrow is capable of dropping big passing numbers in any game. In 2024, he completed 70.6% of his throws and led the NFL in completions (460), passing yardage (4,918), and TD passes (43). But injuries have dogged Burrow in recent years. He missed nine games in 2025 with a turf toe injury that required surgery, and in 2023, he missed seven games with a wrist injury. Burrow also tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL as a rookie in 2020.
Tier 3
Here’s the Middle-Class Tier. Fantasy managers who believe that spending down at quarterback is the proper approach for 2026 will likely do their QB shopping in this tier.
Justin Herbert (LAC)
After being hindered by offensive line injuries last season, Justin Herbert could be poised for a big year in 2026. Herbert’s bookend tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, should be healthier after missing a combined 28 games in 2025. And new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel might be able to get the Chargers’ offense humming. It’s worth remembering that over his first three NFL seasons, Herbert averaged 287.5 passing yards and 1.9 TD passes per game.
After an uneven rookie season in 2024, Caleb Williams made significant strides in 2025 under new Bears head coach and playcaller Ben Johnson, finishing QB6 in fantasy scoring. Williams threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards, increased his TD rate from 3.6% to 4.9%, and cut his sack rate from 10.8% to 4.1%. Williams also ran for 388 yards and three touchdowns. What’s exciting is that Williams is only 24 and still has untapped potential.
There’s a case to be made that Jalen Hurts belongs at the top of this tier, or on the tier above. But Hurts’ fantasy value has long been driven by his rushing production, and he had a down year as a runner in 2025. Hurts’ 421 rushing yards last season marked a five-year low, and he had eight TD runs, snapping a four-year streak of double-digit rushing touchdowns. Since Hurts’ passing numbers have historically been ordinary, he’ll probably have to run more effectively to return to past fantasy glory.
Matthew Stafford had a monster season in 2025, leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and TD passes (46) while throwing only eight interceptions. Despite adding nothing as a runner, Stafford finished QB3 in fantasy scoring. The 38-year-old Stafford is among the best passers in the game, but he’ll have a hard time matching last year’s league-best 7.7% TD rate, so some regression may be in order.
Bo Nix has finished QB7 in fantasy scoring in each of his first two NFL seasons, largely because of the value he has provided as a runner. Nix has delivered 786 rushing yards and nine TD runs in 34 regular-season starts. The question is whether Nix can take the next step as a passer. He averaged only 6.4 yards per pass attempt last season.
Jordan Love averaged 16.1 fantasy points per game, which ranked QB19 among QBs with at least eight starts. Part of the problem is that the Packers were extremely run-heavy, ranking 28th in percentage of pass plays (52.3%), but Love was highly efficient as a passer, ranking second in expected points added per dropback, third in defense-adjusted value over average, third in QBR, and sixth in passer rating. Since Love doesn’t run much, it would take an uptick in Green Bay’s passing volume to make Love an every-week fantasy starter.
Tier 4
This tier: Fantasy Backups With Upside.
Jared Goff (DET)
Jared Goff is the epitome of a high-floor, low-ceiling fantasy quarterback. Goff has had four straight 4,000-yard passing seasons, averaging 4,551 passing yards and 32.5 TD passes per season over that stretch. Goff is also remarkably durable. He hasn’t missed a game since 2021. But Goff has finished outside the top 12 in fantasy points per game in three of the last four years because he offers virtually zero value as a runner.
Malik Willis is a wild card in the 2026 QB picture. He’s a willing and able runner, and he seemed to make strides as a passer in Green Bay the last two seasons, but it’s hard to tell with such a small sample size. Over 11 appearances and three starts in Green Bay in 2024 and 2025, Willis completed 78.7% of his throws and averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt, with six TD passes and zero interceptions. And over six career starts between Tennessee and Green Bay, Willis has averaged 44.8 rushing yards per game and has run for four touchdowns. The question is what it will look like with Willis in a full-time gig quarterbacking the talent-poor Dolphins.
Tier 5
This is the Deep-League Backup Tier.
CJ Stroud (HOU)
CJ Stroud was terrific as a rookie in 2023, throwing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only five interceptions. He averaged 273.2 passing yards per game that season and 8.2 yards per pass attempt. In 31 regular-season starts over the last two years, Stroud has averaged 218.3 passing yards per game and 7.1 yards per attempt. Offensive line problems have been partly (but not entirely) to blame. Even if Stroud gets better protection and is a more efficient passer in 2026, his ceiling might be capped because he doesn’t run and probably won’t be involved in many shootouts, since Houston has an elite defense.
Will Daniel Jones be close to 100% this season after tearing his Achilles in early December? Daniels Jones says he expects to be ready for Week 1. Through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season, Jones was QB5 in fantasy scoring. But Jones had five rushing touchdowns over that stretch. What if he doesn’t offer much rushing value this year? It’s hard to view Jones as a worthwhile fantasy asset unless he’s giving you at least something as a runner.
Tier 6
This is the Waiver Wire Tier.
Fernando Mendoza (LV)
No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza might not start right away, and when he eventually enters the Raiders’ lineup, he’ll be working with a group of pass catchers that’s paper-thin behind star TE Brock Bowers. Mendoza is a promising asset in dynasty leagues, but he’s unlikely to be useful in 2026 redraft leagues.
The 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has said this will be his last season. His days as a prime fantasy asset are well behind him. Rodgers averaged 14.6 fantasy points per game in 2025. He averaged only 6.7 yards per pass attempt, and his average depth of throw was just 6.0 yards. This senior version of Rodgers is a check-down machine, and that’s not a great profile for fantasy.
Tier 7
Here’s the QB Competition Tier. All the players here have uncertain playing-time outlooks for 2026.
Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)
Tua Tagovailoa is likely to be the Falcons’ Week 1 starter, with incumbent starter Michael Penix Jr. working his way back from a partially torn left ACL. Tagovailoa doesn’t run and has a worrisome history of concussions, but he can be effective in an offense tailored to him. Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023, threw 29 TD passes that year, and finished QB9 in fantasy scoring.
Deshaun Watson is heading into the final year of his contract with the Browns. Watson has been an albatross for Cleveland, but he reportedly has a decent chance to open the season as the Browns’ starter. Watson was a top fantasy quarterback early in his career as a member of the Texans, but he was awful when we last saw him in 2024. Perhaps there’s a small chance that Watson can deliver at least a little of the dual run-pass value that he provided when he was at the height of his powers in Houston.
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