First rule of the fantasy gridiron: in the real NFL, the quarterback is king. In our fake game? They just don’t matter that much.
Let’s be clear. Yes, they score the points. Yes, we watch their health like anxious parents. But roster building is about the delta. It is about the margin between the elite and the average. Since the middle tier is always packed with viable starters, you don’t need to sell your soul for a signal-caller.
Here is how I stack the board for the 2026 draft season. The dollar values are arbitrary. They represent talent clusters, not science.
The Lonely Island
$24 Josh Allen, BUF
He is a machine. He runs. He survives. His last six seasons are a joke: QB1, QB1, QB2, QB1, QB2, QB1. Now he has D.J. Moore. I still won’t draft him. Why? Because the position is too deep, and I refuse to fall behind at running back. But if you want to rank anyone else here, you are kidding yourself.
The Premium Shelf
$21 Lamar Jackson, BAL
$20 Drake Maye, NE
$20 Joe Burrow, CIN
$18 Jayden Daniels, WAS
$18 Jalen Hurts, PHI
Another tier I will gladly ignore. The value lies lower. Jackson does not run in enough touchdowns anymore. Maye had a massive sophomore year, but regression is coming, even with A.J. Brown in town. Plus, New England’s schedule is brutal. Hurts lost his goal-line monopoly and has to learn a new receiving corps. Pass.
The Sweet Spot
$16 Caleb Williams, CHI
$15 Justin Herbert, LAC
$15 Trevor Lawrence, JAX
$15 Dak Prescott, DAL
$14 Brock Purdy, SF
$12 Jaxson Dart, NYG
$11 Bo Nix, DEN
$11 Matthew Stafford, LAR
Williams is ascending. Year two looks bright. Ben Johnson is drawing up the plays, and the weapons are elite. Buy in.
Herbert gets a pass for last year’s disaster. The line broke. The coaching went stale. Now? Mike McDaniel is calling the shots. If the line stays healthy, this offense flies.
Lawrence was a league-winner last December. Liam Coen fixed him. He won’t run for nine scores again, but he has the targets to make up for it.
Dallas is still a circus. Bad defense, explosive offense. Prescott is always undervalued. He has CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. I want him everywhere.
Purdy is efficient. His weapons are old, though. McCaffrey, Evans, and Kittle are all on the wrong side of thirty. Still, watch out for Ricky Pearsall.
The Debate Club
$10 Patrick Mahomes, KC
$10 Kyler Murray, ARI
$9 Jared Goff, DET
$9 Jordan Love, GB
$7 Baker Mayfield, TB
$7 Malik Willis, MIA
Mahomes saved his fantasy floor with his legs last year. Now? He is coming off a major knee injury. That rushing upside is gone. Kansas City is a slow, methodical offense now. Stop buying the name.
Murray is struggling in Minnesota. Kevin O’Connell’s offense is tough, and the summer reports are ugly. I am out.
Goff is boring. He is also the league leader in passing touchdowns over the last four years. He plays indoors. He has weapons. He is the perfect QB2.
The Cheap Thrills
$6 Tyler Shough, NO
$6 Sam Darnold, SEA
$5 C.J. Stroud, HOU
$5 Daniel Jones, IND
$4 Cam Ward, TEN
$4 Jacoby Brissett, ARI
Shough is interesting. Kellen Moore is calling plays in New Orleans. Shough has some Baker Mayfield in him—gutsy, athletic, willing to push the ball.
Jones was rolling before his Achilles tore. The rehab is fine, but Michael Pittman is gone and Alec Pierce is hurt. Be careful.
Ward was thrown to the wolves as a rookie but survived. Tennessee gave him Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson. He is a great Superflex target.
