In July, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and I are all releasing our Fantasy Football Tiers for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. To try to make mine a little bit different, my tiers are based almost exclusively on my 2026 projections. I say almost, because at quarterback I couldn't help tiering Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, and Baker Mayfield together in a tier that you might rightly title, "anything is possible." There are a couple of other tweaks, but for the most part, I will tell you below where these guys project and when I would draft them. Let's jump right in.
Tier 1 J. Allen BUF Josh Allen BUFAllen isn't guaranteed to finish as QB1, but he is as likely as anyone. The Bills quarterback has been top three at the position after Week 17 in each of the past four seasons. He gets his own tier because I have him projected to score 25.2 Fantasy points per game and no other quarterback projects above 24 FPPG. In recent years, Allen's passing numbers have dipped with Joe Brady calling plays and now Brady has taken over as head coach. What we don't know is whether the run-heavy approach was Brady's or Sean McDermott's. If Brady loosens the reigns then 28 FPPG is still absolutely possible, particularly with DJ Moore now on the team. I would start considering Allen in the Round of Fantasy Football drafts, right about the time the top 12 at running backs and wide receiver, as well as Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, are off the board
Tier 2 L. Jackson BAL Lamar Jackson BAL D. Maye NE Drake Maye NE J. Daniels WAS Jayden Daniels WAS J. Burrow CIN Joe Burrow CIN J. Hurts PHI Jalen Hurts PHI D. Prescott DAL Dak Prescott DAL
I think I am alone in including this many quarterbacks in Tier 2. These guys all project between 22.6 and 23.7 FPPG and I wouldn't be surprised if any of them finish as QB2 this season. Jackson has the most demonstrated upside, with a pair of seasons above 30 FPPG, but he hasn't been as reliable. Burrow and Daniels both have huge upside as well, but a checkered injury history. Hurts and Prescott are the best values in Tier 2; they are often available two to three rounds after Jackson and Maye. That's why I have a hard time pulling the trigger on the top of this tier in Round 4. I am much more comfortable with this tier in the Round 5 or Round 6 range.
Tier 3 B. Purdy SF Brock Purdy SF J. Goff DET Jared Goff DET J. Dart NYG Jaxson Dart NYG T. Lawrence JAC Trevor Lawrence JAC J. Herbert LAC Justin Herbert LAC C. Williams CHI Caleb Williams CHIAgain, I have a couple of outliers here in Purdy and Goff. Both of these have CBS ADPs outside of the top 100, which is why they made my Sleepers 2.0 column. Purdy, in particular, has more upside than most managers recognize. He was QB1 on a per-game basis after Week 17 last year and ranks as QB4 on a per-game basis over the last three weeks. Goff is very likely to finish as a top 12 option, but he doesn't have the same upside as Purdy, which means Goff holds a little more value in Superflex leagues than one-quarterback leagues. My projections for this tier range from 20.9 to 22.1 FPPG, which means you should start considering them in Round 8. But, like I said, Purdy and Goff will be available well after that in many leagues.
Tier 4 T. Shough NO Tyler Shough NO M. Stafford LAR Matthew Stafford LAR B. Nix DEN Bo Nix DEN J. Love GB Jordan Love GB P. Mahomes KC Patrick Mahomes KC
Tier 4 is where the backup QBs start in a one-QB league, but I would not be surprised if a couple of these guys sneak into the top 12. Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes probably need some explanation. Stafford is one of the most obvious touchdown regression candidates in Fantasy Football this year. He had a career-high 7.7% touchdown rate in 2025. That last time he was above 6%, he followed that up with a three-year stretch at 4.0%. Since he doesn't run at all, a big drop in passing touchdowns will cost him dearly. For Mahomes, it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I project the Chiefs to pass less because of the addition of Kenneth Walker. On the other hand, I project Mahomes to run less coming off a torn ACL. The quarterbacks in this tier project for right around 20 FPPG, which highlights just how deep the position is, that we're talking about them as QB2s. I wouldn't draft anyone in this tier before Round 10.
Tier 5 K. Murray MIN Kyler Murray MIN M. Willis MIA Malik Willis MIA B. Mayfield TB Baker Mayfield TBTier 5 is by far the most fun tier. It is also a little bit terrifying. Murray and Willis possess enormous rushing upside and big questions about their passing ability. Mayfield has been an enigma his entire career, consistently bouncing from borderline elite to borderline unrosterable in Fantasy Football. I do want to draft these guys in a one-QB league, but I definitely don't want them to be my only quarterback. They are excellent options to pair with someone like Goff, who offers a better floor but a lower ceiling than all of them.
Tier 6 T. Tagovailoa ATL Tua Tagovailoa ATL C. Stroud HOU C.J. Stroud HOU D. Jones IND Daniel Jones IND S. Darnold SEA Sam Darnold SEA C. Ward TEN Cam Ward TENWe are in Superflex territory with this group. Ward has the most upside in Tier 6, but what unites this group is my expectation that they will start all season long. That may be a surprise to hear about Tua Tagovailoa, but I actually think he's an excellent match for Kevin Stefanski's system. The one thing Tagovailoa has been able to do is drop back and get the ball out on time when he has guys open early. In Stefanski's system, with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Zachariah Branch, I expect he will often have someone open early. That doesn't make me want to draft him in a one-QB league, but it makes him a value in most Superflex drafts. Like Tier 5, these guys are projected for around 18 to 19 FPPG, but no one besides maybe Ward has the upside that Murray, Willis, and Mayfield have.
Tier 7 J. Brissett ARI Jacoby Brissett ARI A. Rodgers PIT Aaron Rodgers PIT F. Mendoza LV Fernando Mendoza LV B. Young CAR Bryce Young CAR D. Watson CLE Deshaun Watson CLE G. Smith NYJ Geno Smith NYJ S. Sanders CLE Shedeur Sanders CLE K. Cousins LV Kirk Cousins LV
Even if you are in a Superflex league, I hope you don't have to draft these guys. Rodgers and Young are the only guys I project to start 17 games, but they have given us very little reason to believe they can be even top 24 options when all the starters are healthy. Brissett was surprisingly good last year, but that was an aberration that was based mostly on garbage time volume, and I do not want to count on that again.
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