Once again, quarterback is the deepest position in Fantasy this season, and it pays to wait for a starter on Draft Day. I can make an argument for 21 quarterbacks to average at least 20 Fantasy points per game in leagues that reward six points for passing touchdowns.
Now, that doesn't mean pass on Josh Allen or any other top-tier player if the price is right. But finding value is the key, and we're here to help.
These are quarterback tiers you can follow on Draft Day, and it's a better guide than just going down a rank list. I'll tell you the round range for these quarterbacks, as well as some stats of note, and this blueprint should help you dominate your league.
Tier 1
Round 3
Josh Allen
Allen's Average Draft Position on CBS Sports in mid-July is Round 3 at No. 29 overall, but I expect him to creep into Round 2. He gets a tier by himself, and Allen has been either the No. 1 or No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in five of the past six years, with his worst finish over that span at No. 4. This should be another big season for Allen with the addition of D.J. Moore.
Tier 2
Rounds 4-5
Jackson averaged under 20 Fantasy points per game in 2025 (19.8) for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2018. He scored at least 30 Fantasy points in each of his first three outings last year before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4. I doubt he averages more than 30 Fantasy points per game this season, but he has two years on his resume at that total.
Maye (24.3 Fantasy points per game) was the No. 3 quarterback last season behind Matthew Stafford (26.1) and Allen (24.4), and the Patriots added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason. The schedule is tougher for Maye in 2026 than in 2025, but his production could still be better with his improved weapons.
Burrow missed eight games in 2025 with a toe injury, but he averaged 24.8 Fantasy points per game in his final six outings when he was healthy. He averaged 26.9 Fantasy points per game in 2024 when he played all season, and we hope Burrow can stay on the field for all 17 games in 2026.
Tier 3
Rounds 6-8
Daniels struggled with multiple injuries in 2025 and was limited to seven games, but he averaged 22.4 Fantasy points in his first five outings. He had 3,568 passing yards and 891 rushing yards as a rookie in 2024, and Jackson is likely the only other quarterback who has the potential to match those numbers this season.
Hurts has seen his Fantasy production decline for four seasons in a row from 28.1 points in 2022 to 21.8 last year, but he still remains one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, especially with his ability to score touchdowns thanks to the tush push. A.J. Brown is gone, but hopefully the combination of first-round rookie Makai Lemon, Marquise Brown and Dontayvion Wicks can help Hurts enough to keep him in the range of a top-five quarterback.
Herbert is one of my favorite quarterback targets this season, and I love Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator, as well as offensive tackles Rashawn Slater (knee) and Joe Alt (ankle) being healthy. Slater missed the entire 2025 campaign, and Alt was limited to six games in which Herbert averaged 25.1 Fantasy points per game. And McDaniel once helped Tua Tagovailoa lead the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with the Dolphins.
Prescott hasn't had back-to-back healthy seasons since 2018-19, so hopefully he can avoid any significant injuries in 2026. But when healthy, Prescott has been borderline elite, and we love his weapons with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Prescott also gives us plenty of volume since he's averaged 34.6 pass attempts per game over the past four seasons.
Tier 4
Rounds 9-10
Lawrence averaged 30.2 Fantasy points per game in his final eight outings last season, including the playoffs, and he's one of my favorite quarterbacks to target this year. It's hard to expect nine rushing touchdowns again like he scored in 2025, but this offense should be pass-friendly under Liam Coen, which gives Lawrence the potential for another top-10 finish in 2026.
Williams fell 58 yards shy of becoming the first Bears quarterback in franchise history with 4,000 passing yards in 2025. He averaged 21.9 Fantasy points per game for the season, and he was hot to end the year when he averaged 23.7 Fantasy points per game in his final six outings, including the playoffs. D.J. Moore is gone, but the trio of Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze all have breakout potential -- along with Williams.
Last season, Dart averaged 19.4 Fantasy points per game, but that's misleading. If you use his 12 starts then he averaged 22.6 Fantasy points per game. And he only played two quarters of his first start in Week 4 with Malik Nabers before he suffered a torn ACL. We'll see when Nabers will play this year, but Dart also gets new weapons in Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields. Dart will also hopefully continue to use his legs, and he averaged 40.6 rushing yards per game in his 12 starts, which was second only to Justin Fields (42.6). Dart also had nine rushing touchdowns, which tied for second with Lawrence, behind only Allen (14).
Tier 5
Rounds 11-13
Matthew Stafford
Last year, Stafford set a career-high with 46 passing touchdowns, and he also added 4,707 passing yards, which was the fourth best of his career, and just eight interceptions. There's going to be regression, especially since he's 38, and this was Stafford's first time over 20 Fantasy points since 2021. But he still has the benefit of throwing to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in an offense led by Sean McVay, and that, along with his value, makes Stafford someone to covet at this cost.
Purdy struggled with injuries in 2025, missing eight games due to toe and shoulder injuries. But when he played, he was fantastic with at least 20.7 Fantasy points in seven of 11 games, including the playoffs. He averaged a career-best 24.2 Fantasy points per game for the season, and he's averaged at least 20.5 Fantasy points per game in each of the past three years. He's an incredible late-round quarterback in 2026.
Mahomes is coming off last year's torn ACL and LCL in his knee, and he's hopeful to be ready in Week 1. Prior to getting injured, Mahomes was having his best Fantasy season since 2022 at 23.6 points per game. Part of that was due to him setting a career high for rushing yards (422) and rushing touchdowns (five) in just 14 games, but it's hard to imagine him relying on his legs this season due to the injury. Still, it's Mahomes, and the later you can draft him the better. The Chiefs also have Eric Bieniemy back as the offensive coordinator, and Mahomes averaged 28.4 Fantasy points per game when Bieniemy was the OC from 2018-22.
Murray should beat out J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, and Murray has top-12 upside this season. He will hopefully benefit from Kevin O'Connell's tutelage, and it will be great if Murray continues to use his legs. He averaged 36.7 rushing yards per game in his career, with 32 rushing touchdowns. Murray should also benefit from throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings and T.J. Hockenson, which is the best receiving corps of his career.
You might not know that Nix averaged 22.1 Fantasy points as a rookie in 2024 and 22.6 Fantasy points last year. He now gets Jaylen Waddle, and we hope Nix will continue to run coming off last year's ankle injury in the postseason, as he had at least 356 yards and four rushing touchdowns in each of the past two years. If healthy, this could be Nix's best season to date. He's an incredible value with a late-round pick.
Goff has averaged at least 20.1 Fantasy points per game in each of the past four seasons with the Lions -- with a high of 23.4 points per game in 2024 -- and he's passed for at least 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns in each year. The problem is he's rushed for a combined 59 yards over that span, so his upside is limited. But if you're looking for a solid floor, Goff is a great low-end starter in all leagues.
Tier 6
Late-round fliers
Shough took over as the Saints starter in Week 9 last year as a rookie, and he scored at least 20.1 Fantasy points in six of his final eight games while averaging 20.3 points over that span. Saints coach Kellen Moore's history is a plus for Shough. As an offensive coordinator for Dallas (2019-22), the Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia (2024), Moore's quarterbacks (Prescott, Herbert and Hurts) have scored at least 20.4 Fantasy points in each season and averaged 24.2 points over that span. Adding Jordyn Tyson to Chris Olave is also a huge plus for Shough.
The weapons in Miami are terrible for Willis, but he might be a tremendous weapon all by himself. In two appearances late in 2025 with Green Bay against Chicago in Week 16 and Baltimore in Week 17, Willis combined for 19 carries for 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns. And in two starts in 2024, he had 12 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. If any of the receivers for the Dolphins can help Willis this year then he might challenge to be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback.
Love is better in reality than Fantasy, and he's been held to under 19 Fantasy points per game in each of the past two seasons. We'd love to see Love get more volume since he averages just 26.8 pass attempts per game for his career. Hopefully, Matt LaFleur can let Love do more in 2026.
Mayfield said he played through knee, biceps and shoulder injuries during the 2025 season, which helps explain why he averaged just 19.1 Fantasy points per game compared to 26.3 in 2024. Losing Mike Evans doesn't help, but we're counting on Emeka Egbuka to have a breakout season, as well as a bounce-back campaign from Chris Godwin. Mayfield is the last quarterback on this list that I want to target as a starter this year.
Tier 7
Superflex and two-quarterback league options only
Tua Tagovailoa
