2026 Fantasy Football Prep – Quarterbacks

As we all plan for the 2026 fantasy draft season, every fantasy “talking head” will give you their ranks by position. I will eventually present you with my preseason rankings, but that becomes more functional as we get into the throes of training camp.

Others like me may also offer more interesting QB’s you should consider in each of your leagues. Keep in mind, every league is different, as are the rules in each, so prepare your team for success by starting here. For instance, drafting Lamar Jackson, perennial QB rushing touchdown champ, isn’t quite as important in leagues that reward more for passing TD’s than rushing scores.

With all of that out of the way, I present to you part one of a six-part series starting with the most intriguing QB’s and continuing with WR’s, RB’s, TE’s, Offensive systems, and finishing with Defensive schemes:

Joe Burrow 3rd QB, ADP 65th

With a chip on his shoulder wider than the ¾ mile gap of the Ohio River separating Cincy from Kentucky, Burrow has it out for not just the AFC North, but the NFL at large. The biggest things stopping Burrow and the Bengals from AFC supremacy are his annual health concerns and the health concerns of his superstar wide receiver duo, his offensive line’s ability to keep him upright, and perhaps even the “frugal” nature of his owner, Mike Brown. It’s a lazy analyst who will blame the same results on the same details year after year. I, for one, think this year is different. In his six seasons in the NFL, we’ve only seen him play a full season three times.

This year, I’m hedging he plays a full season, and if he does, he does so with arguably the most primed offensive group he’s ever had. Rookie WR Colbie Young, all-world WR Ja’Marr Chase, WR Tee Higgins, TE Mike Gesicki, and shifty RB Chase Brown. Keep an eye on Colbie Young as a potential X-factor, as his ability to find soft spots in zone coverage could unlock the best version of Burrow. That’s a dangerous wealth of options for Burrow, and it could put the Bengals back at the top in the AFC North. Consider, though, Burrow serves you best in leagues that value passing scores over rushing scores.

Jayden Daniels – 4th QB, ADP 66th

Last season was thought by many to be the year where Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme and Jayden Daniels would equate into NFC East success, but unfortunately, it only added up to a 5-12 finish and a return to mediocrity for an offense with seemingly unlimited potential. Daniel’s sophomore season was derailed halfway through as he suffered a dislocated elbow in week nine.

Enter new Commanders offensive coordinator David Blough. Blough, if you recall, was a spot starter during the 2019 season for the Detroit Lions. The backup QB turned play-caller for the Washington squad has little pedigree but comes with a wealth of experience earned while under Ben Johnson in Detroit and Kingsbury in Arizona. Granted, who knows if that mounts to a hill of beans, but learning from two progressive offensive minds certainly can’t be a bad thing. According to Daniels, he said, “I love how he’s creating and designing different things, and then we’re going from there.” Apparently, Blough’s new scheme is built with balance in mind, combined with more play-action to perhaps allow Daniels to display his athleticism, all while giving defenses more to prepare for.

A few of the elements that will cost NFC defensive coordinators some sleep are WR’s Terry McLaurin, Treylon Burks, third-round rookie Antonio Williams, and newly acquired TE Chig Okonkwo. Now, the talent we’ve seen from McLaurin in his seven seasons is evident, but what about the lack of results from Burks, for example? The 2021 All-SEC standout has yet to find his groove, but what if he does? He’s on a one-year prove-it deal for 2.35 million dollars. Perhaps it’s his last chance to prove he’s worth a multi-year deal. Perhaps he’s never quite had the QB to unlock his abilities, or perhaps his injury-riddled past is simply that, the past. Let’s be real here… here is the list of distinguished gents who threw him passes while in a Titans uniform—Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis, Malik Willis, Josh Dobbs, and Mason Rudolph. Even a blind man could see that Jayden Daniels is his best shot to unlock the potential so many saw when he entered the 2022 NFL Draft. The new offensive scheme, combined with a healthy Daniels and new sure-handed pass catchers, should give Daniels a chance to be the best QB he can be.

Dak Prescott 8th QB, ADP 80th

The amount of talent surrounding Dak Prescott is at an elite level across the board. It’s no mystery that Dak has two bona fide top-15 wide receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, as well as a reliable tight end in Jake Ferguson, but he has an up-and-coming option at RB that isn’t Javonte Williams. That man is second-year RB Jaydon Blue, and his ascension into this backfield is key to Dak’s success in 2026. Coming out of Texas following his junior season in 2024, Blue was known by most as a sub-4.4 40-yard burner that profiled as a talented RB, but his size would likely limit his opportunities as a full-time starter in the NFL. The reason why he could be the X-factor for the Cowboys is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield on third down.

Last season, the Cowboys were second only to the LA Rams in total yards per game on offense (391.9). Even with those stellar offensive results, Dallas finished 7-9-1 and 13th in the league in third-down conversion. With a fine line between winning the NFC East and finishing in the cellar next to the Giants, the Cowboys must refine their game or else face a fate similar to the one they finished last year with. That’s where Blue comes in. Don’t get me wrong, Williams does have the chops to catch out of the backfield, but he’s not nearly as proficient as Blue.

The reason I’m focusing more on Blue than on Prescott’s actual performance is simple. When Dak executes at his best, he has an RB he can trust to catch passes out of the backfield. Below are the results from Prescott’s best career offensive seasons:

2019 Most passing yards in a season in his career & 3rd most passing TDs

2021 4th highest passing yards in a season in his career & most passing TDs

2023 3rd highest passing yards in a season in his career & 2nd most passing TDs

In those same seasons, I find it no coincidence that his RB’s produced solid receiving numbers out of the backfield.

2019 Zeke Elliott 54 receptions for 420 yards

2021 Zeke Elliott 47 receptions for 287 yards

2023 Tony Pollard 55 receptions for 311 yards

The ultimate reason for the deeper dive into Prescott’s past success is to be more useful to you than most analysts would otherwise be. It’s easy to come to the conclusion that Dak would be a great fantasy QB for your squad because of Lamb and Pickens. But it’s a higher level of evaluation to not only highlight the reasons why, but give you a reason to draft Blue in the latter rounds of your draft, as he could be the most valuable handcuff at RB in the NFL.

Justin Herbert 9th QB, ADP 82nd

The time has finally come for Justin Herbert to dominate the league. All it took was for the quirky Jim Harbaugh to combine with the eccentric brilliance of Mike McDaniels. The talent surrounding Herbert, though, is the real story. Off-season additions to strengthen the leaky Offensive line (Pro-Bowl Center Tyler Biadasz and Guard Cole Strange) could prove invaluable to McDaniels ' game plan. Not only is the Chargers’ goal to keep Herbert on his feet so he can unleash the cannon of an arm he possesses, but to give their running game a much-needed boost.

Tough-as-nails fullback Alec Ingold, surehanded TE David Njoku, and blocking extraordinaire TE Charlie Kolar are the less-heralded free agent signings, but they could prove just as important as the additions of Biadasz and Strange. Ingold and Kolar are specifically known to sure up blocking for the run-scheme, and that additional support could surely unlock the dynamic skillset of second-year RB Omarion Hampton. Keep in mind, Ingold spent the last four seasons in Miami blocking for DeVon Achane, while Kolar was responsible for blocking for both Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in Baltimore. Safe to say the results of both of those running games speak for themselves, and there’s no doubt in my mind that both Ingold and Kolar significantly upgrade the Chargers ability to run the rock. And that, for Hampton, should spell massive gains.

Last season as a team, the Chargers were 12th in the league in rushing yards (2,067, 4.4 yards per carry), which doesn’t sound awful, but a deeper dive reveals deficiencies in the Chargers’ scheme under former OC Greg Roman. They ranked 25th in rushing touchdowns and 22nd in passing touchdowns and averaged just 21.6 points per game. That will undoubtedly change under McDaniels, as his offenses the last three seasons while in Miami averaged 24.4 points per game, and that was with Tua Tagovailoa under center. Imagine the possibilities with Herbert at the helm.

Cam Ward 22nd QB, ADP 138th

So, we talked about Jayden Daniels, so how about considering another similar player in terms of talent and ability? The area where drafters overlook Ward is likely because his supporting cast isn’t very sexy on the surface. Needless to say, it’s easy for Cam Ward to get lost in the shuffle after a rather lackluster rookie year in Tennessee. No one could blame you for undervaluing him for the very same reasons, but dare I implore you to see Ward through a different lens?

Recent QB’s who took leaps in their second season:

Jalen Hurts

Josh Allen

Trevor Lawrence

Jordan Love

Jayden Daniels

Last year’s stats for Ward:

17 games started / 323 completions on 540 attempts / 3,169 yards passing / 15 passing TD’s 7 INT’s / 159 yards rushing and 2 TD’s

Ward was sacked 55 times, which tied him with Geno Smith for the most in the NFL last season. Granted, the offseason additions on the offensive line are less than inspiring as the Titans signed veteran center Austin Schlottman, who, let’s be honest, sounds like a create-a-player on Madden, and fifth-round pick guard Fernando Carmona out of Arkansas. So, I’m not hanging my hat on Ward being kept upright more than last year but I am putting considerable stock in the rest of the talent the Titans added around him.

The addition of first-round pick WR Carnell Tate, free agent points-per-reception league wizard WR Wan’Dale Robinson, and up-and-coming TE Gunnar Helm should give Ward more dynamic options than he had at his disposal last season. As part of their additions, it’s evident to me that the Titans’ game plan will force Ward to throw more. I don’t find it hard to believe that his pass attempts should increase by roughly 15% (up from 540 attempts to 621), and even if his passing efficiency doesn’t improve, he completed nearly 60% of his passes last season. Doing so this season with the projection of 621 attempts, he’d likely complete 373 passes. Completing 373 passes would be exactly 50 more completions than he had last season, which equates to nearly two more games’ worth of completions. With all that considered, it’s reasonable to expect Ward to leap in production in his second season.

Here are my humble projections:

17 games started / 373 completions on 621 attempts / 3,464 yards passing / 22 passing TD’s, 11 INT’s / 311 yards rushing and 5 TD’s

Those stats would firmly place him as a top-12 fantasy QB. So, what you’re telling me is, a second-year development boost, an increase in talent, and increased passing and rushing volume could get you a top-12 QB at the price of QB 25? Sign this guy up. I always say, live fast and draft talent.