In 2024 and 2025, I encouraged drafters to take a real good quarterback at a real good value, not purposely wait until the later rounds to take one or two. The idea was that while there were a lot of quality starter options, there was a clear difference between the ones with huge upside and the rest of the pack.
That was then. This season, there are sooo many quality quarterbacks with a bull case to finish as a top five option. Definitely enough to cover every roster in a 10- or 12-team league. So many that it isn't advantageous enough to select one at merely a real good value.
You must steal one. Steal your quarterback as long as you can only start one. Steal from right under the noses of your idiot leaguemates. The eighth commandment of Fantasy Football 2026 is that you shall steal a stud quarterback.
The way to know if you're stealing a QB? When you're up in the draft and you cannot believe that a real good one is still there, waiting to get picked. If you're in disbelief to the point where your eyes are popping out of your head like a cartoon wolf looking at a juicy steak, you've found your steal. Click draft.
That doesn't mean the steals only happen in the late rounds. It could happen in Round 4 or 5, or Round 9 or 10. It can and will happen, you just have to be aware enough to take advantage.
But before you commit to a life of petty crime, make sure you're totally fine with more than 14 quarterbacks as your potential Week 1 starter. It's easy to lock in Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, but you might consider players like Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff and Jordan Love as fringe starters. Or you might not love the Week 1 matchups for Brock Purdy (vs. the Rams in Australia), Patrick Mahomes (vs. Denver) or Bo Nix (at Kansas City), meaning you may not want to go with them as your only QB going into the year.
Not sure what to look for in a starter-worthy signal-caller? Here's what to look for when considering a quarterback. Remember, it's not just about the arm.
Look for:
- A QB who will run (rushing stats are a massive difference-maker for a QB)
- A QB with demonstrated accuracy to all areas of the field
- A QB with at least two good pass-catchers
- A QB in a pass-friendly offense, especially in the red zone
- A QB without a disastrous offensive line (average OLs are good enough)
- A QB who you believe can give you 22-plus points in six-point TD leagues and 18-plus in four-point TD leagues
Look at any quarterback rank list and you'll see guys who run a lot toward the top. You'll want those guys, be it as a starter or as a late-round sleeper. That one trait -- rushing -- could supersede several of the other things listed above. Just not all of them. And a quarterback that doesn't run but has many of the other factors can also be really great for Fantasy.
Bottom line: The more of those traits you can check off the list, the more likely you'll have a good Fantasy quarterback.
Once you've gone through a list of passers, you should have a number in mind of how many you're comfortable starting. If you don't see at least 14 quarterbacks you'd take for Week 1, you can't commit to stealing, in which case you should just try to get a quarterback at a fair value and simply not reach for one ahead of ADP.
What changes in a deeper league with 14 or more teams? Trying to steal a quarterback is still the goal. I wouldn't change a thing unless you just don't love many quarterbacks.
What changes in a four-point TD league? Rushing becomes a bigger deal because passing touchdowns don't count for as much. Matthew Stafford was nearly 5.5 points per game worse in four-point TD leagues compared to six-point, whereas Josh Allen was nearly three points worse. Jaxson Dart was barely two points worse. You get the point -- adjust accordingly, but don't reach for rushing quarterbacks. It's not like the non-rushing passers aren't draftable.
Why not take a quarterback early? They score the most points week to week. It's not just about potentially being wrong on a quarterback, it's also about missing out on another player at a different position and giving up a shot on a better quarterback value later. In other words, you could be leaving points on the board. Josh Allen's been super consistent at a high level for years, but if you take him while the rest of your league hoards top-tier RBs, WRs and TEs, you're missing out on someone at a position you'll want quality numbers from. Plus, you're also giving up on the idea of finding a quarterback later who can come relatively close to the top QB taken (Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye were mid/late-round picks who did nearly as well as early-rounder Allen last season).
I would be more open to taking a quarterback early if it's a smaller league (10 or fewer teams) since that gap in non-QB talent is smaller on Draft Day.
How bad of an idea is it to purposely wait a while for a QB?
If you like a bunch of guys to be your starter it's totally fine. But don't do it and purposely pass on a steal just because it's an early round. If Allen slides to Round 4 and you pass on him then I'm going to reach through this screen and slap you across the face. Yes really, I can do that. You'd actually be helping someone else in your league if you give up an extreme value at quarterback, so don't.
Is it a good or bad idea to draft two quarterbacks if I can only start one?
Depends on the size of your league and how many people snag multiple quarterbacks. Smaller leagues (10 or fewer teams) should always have a robust quarterback supply on the waiver wire, so use those guys as your backups instead of drafting a backup. Deeper leagues (14-plus teams) don't have nearly as many QBs on waivers, so getting a backup makes sense. A 12-team league? If a lot of managers are taking two quarterbacks, then the backup supply on waivers won't be as good, so don't be shy to get a second quarterback. If a lot of managers aren't taking two quarterbacks, then the backup supply on waivers will be plentiful like in shallower leagues and you don't have to take two.
Remember, a spot not taken by a late-round backup quarterback will be used on someone at another position, any position, and that offers a chance at finding a sleeper. You only get so many of those in your draft.
One exception: If you've already stolen one quarterback and another with generous upside happens to fall to you, don't hesitate to take the second arm. There aren't very many of those quarterbacks but one who stands out in 2026 is Patrick Mahomes. No one's taking him anywhere near his ceiling, which means if he reverts to the form we saw last season then he's the steal of the summer. I have no problem taking Mahomes with a pick after 110th overall even if I already have a locked-in starter.
You could also consider Kyler Murray and Malik Willis as late-round blue-chip quarterbacks with enormous upside.
Should I worry about bye weeks? A little. Some people don't want to take a quarterback with an early bye week because it means having to replace him soon. They prefer taking a quarterback with a late bye week for the opposite reason. And it's a definite no-no to take two quarterbacks with the same bye week.
In an effort to help you plan a step ahead, here's a look at every start-worthy quarterback and the players you may wish to pair them with as bye-week replacements.
on byebest backupWeek 5P. MahomesJared Goff (at ARI), Kyler Murray (at NO), Jordan Love (vs CHI), CJ Stroud (at TEN), Week 6J. Burrow, J. GoffMatthew Stafford (vs ARI), Brock Purdy (vs WAS), Daniel Jones (vs TEN)Week 7J. Allen, J. Daniels, J. Herbert, T. LawrenceMatthew Stafford (at LV), Brock Purdy (at ATL), Bo Nix (at ARI), Jordan Love (at DET), Malik Willis (at NYJ), Geno Smith (vs MIA), Aaron Rodgers (at NO)Week 8J. Dart, B. PurdyJordan Love (vs CAR), Baker Mayfield (vs ATL), Geno Smith (vs LV)Week 10J. Hurts, C. WilliamsTrevor Lawrence (at TEN), Jaxson Dart (vs WAS), Matthew Stafford (at ARI), Patrick Mahomes (at ATL), Sam Darnold (at LV)Week 11D. Maye, M. StaffordPatrick Mahomes (vs ARI), Bo Nix (vs LV), Jared Goff (vs TB)Week 13L. JacksonBo Nix (vs MIA), Jared Goff (at ATL), Jordan Love (at NO)Week 14D. PrescottBo Nix (at NYJ), Jared Goff (vs TEN)What if I have more questions? You can always reach out on X (@daverichard), or drop the Fantasy Football Today Podcast a line ([email protected]). Our rankings are updated daily and can always be found here.
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