5 QB2s With Top-5 Potential (2026 Fantasy Football)

Not every signal-caller drafted as a QB2 in fantasy football has to stay there. Sure, some will. Others will ascend into QB1 territory, though.

Those are the players I’m trying to target in drafts. For this list, I’ve highlighted five signal-callers being drafted outside of the top 12 who have a realistic path to finishing as a top-five producer.

Fantasy Football QB2s With Top-5 Potential

Whether it’s with rushing upside or a history of massive production, each of these players offers some upside, which could help them significantly outperform their average draft position (ADP) in 2026.

Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG)

It took a couple of weeks for the Giants’ coaching staff to come to their senses and start Jaxson Dart, but once they did, we all saw the fantasy potential.

It wasn’t his arm doing the heavy lifting — Dart topped 200 passing yards in only five of his 12 starts — but rather his legs that made him dangerous. The 25th overall pick last year racked up 487 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground, tying Trevor Lawrence for the second-most rushing touchdowns among all quarterbacks behind only Josh Allen.

Those wheels helped Dart finish third in fantasy points per dropback (0.66) for the season.

Brian Daboll is no longer in New York running the offense, but in comes John Harbaugh, who knows a thing or two about mobile quarterbacks after coaching Lamar Jackson for the past eight years.

Dart also gets a major weapons upgrade in the passing game. He only played a few snaps with Malik Nabers before the star receiver went down with a torn ACL. Nabers’ return will only help Dart’s development as a passer. He also has rookie Malachi Fields, the 6-foot-5 monster out of Notre Dame.

We’ll see how Dart looks in Year 1 of a new system, but we know the fantasy ceiling is there. As a rookie, he produced eight QB1 finishes. That doesn’t happen by accident.

If he can stay out of the blue tent, Dart has the mobility and supporting cast to push for top-five fantasy output in 2026.

Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)

One of the wildest offseason occurrences in the fantasy community has been watching them develop collective amnesia and act like Patrick Mahomes was a disappointment last year. He was in 2023 and 2024, when he finished 10th and 11th in fantasy points per game, respectively.

But not in 2025.

Before he tore his ACL in Week 14, Mahomes was the QB2 on a per-game basis, trailing Josh Allen by fewer than one fantasy point in six-point-per-passing-touchdown formats.

Now, we have to expect the rushing production (422 yards and five touchdowns) to fall drastically with Mahomes coming off a torn ACL. We can’t project anything close to that again. Also, the addition of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III gives the Chiefs a dynamic running back for the first time in years.

But would anyone be surprised if Mahomes came out guns blazing? I wouldn’t.

Count out the two-time league and three-time Super Bowl champ, who has five career top-five fantasy finishes, at your own peril.

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Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)

It’s not difficult imagining Matthew Stafford putting up a top-five fantasy season. The 38-year-old pulled that off last year en route to winning the league MVP for the first time in his career.

Stafford was brilliant, slinging it all over the yard to the tune of 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. He finished as the QB2 in leagues that awarded six points per passing score — and QB1 if you include Week 18.

It wasn’t just gaudy raw numbers, either. Stafford ranked third in explosive plays (74), third in expected points added (+180.4) and fourth in true passer rating (111.1), per PlayerProfiler.

While there will be some regression in the touchdown department, there’s no reason to expect a drastic drop-off in yardage. After all, Stafford has 10 seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards on his resume. And with the Rams being Super Bowl favorites, he will have plenty of opportunities to rack up stats and fantasy points as the offense works towards that goal.

If Stafford plays at an MVP-level once more, top-five numbers will be in play again for the Rams’ signal-caller.

Jared Goff (QB – DET)

I’ve been singing Jared Goff’s praises all offseason. It’s hard not to.

All he’s done since 2022 is lead the league with 130 touchdown passes. Over the past three years, Goff is the only quarterback to average 4,500+ passing yards and 30+ touchdowns per season.

It’s not just volume propping him up, either. Goff’s accuracy has been on point. Last season, he ranked sixth in both clean pocket (78.4%) and deep ball catchable rate (56.4%). He also finished second in true passer rating (115.3) and third in explosive rating (118.4), according to PlayerProfiler.

On a per-game basis, Goff has finished as the QB13, QB7 and QB11 over the last three seasons. But because he’s so dependable and never misses time, those finishes jump up to QB8, QB6 and QB7 in total fantasy points.

This offseason, Detroit traded David Montgomery to Houston, leaving Jahmyr Gibbs as the only threat in the backfield. Gibbs can handle a heavy workload, but there’s a world where the Lions lean on the passing game, so they don’t overwork their superstar running back.

If they do that, Goff could finally crack the top-five after years of knocking on the door.

Malik Willis (QB – MIA)

Here’s our dark horse top-five candidate.

After years of sitting on the bench in Tennessee and Green Bay — with the occasional spot start mixed in — Malik Willis finally gets his shot to be a full-time starter. He’ll lead the Dolphins’ offense in 2026, and it’s his legs that make him exciting for fantasy.

In six career starts, Willis has averaged 44.8 rushing yards per game. Over a 17-game season, that projects out to 762 rushing yards.

Since 1999, 56 quarterbacks have rushed for over 500 yards in a season. Of that group, 45 (80%) went on to finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback. Even better, 50% ended the season as a top-five producer, according to Dynatyze.

That’s good news for fantasy managers who like to wait on quarterbacks. You can scoop up a player like Willis, who ranked first in fantasy points per dropback (1.35) in 2025 and second (0.84) in 2024, late in drafts to be your backup quarterback.

We already know mobile quarterbacks are a cheat code in fantasy. Willis could lead the position in rushing this season. That makes him a 50/50 bet to finish as an elite fantasy signal-caller if he clears 500 yards on the ground.