Who is worth a late round Starting spot at QB?

By Martin Richardson

At quarterback, you have some people who play fantasy football and will draft those tops names early to ensure they have secured elite output at the position. You also have some who leave it until much later and at least secure a starting QB to fill up their roster. Whatever your strategy you’ll need to know who you should be looking for, whether its competition at an elite level, or some sneaky value later in your draft.
That’s where these rankings will come in and help along the way to success.

24. MALIK WILLIS

Starting at 24, this is the second positional ranking where I start with a Dolphin. Now, has Willis stepped into a good situation in Miami? Absolutely not. But he is a starting QB for an NFL team which means he will throw the ball AND run with it too, which gives him some upside as a streamer. Caleb Douglas is flashing his potential already for a third-round pick and already being labelled WR1 for the Dolphins; Greg Dulchich has the potential to be a sleeper/steal at the TE position; and RB star De’Von Achane has the chance to hit massive numbers in the catching game as well as on the ground. Keep an eye on what the Dolphins do. Sure, they may not win many games, but for fantasy football, they have some contributors.

23. TYLER SHOUGH

Having to be nice about a Saints player is never easy for a Bucs fan, but I will try my best. Shough heads into 2026 with a chance of leading his team in a division that is average at best. He now has two new pieces on his offense that will certainly help him: RB Travis Etienne and rookie WR Jordyn Tyson (who looks fantastic so far in training camp) who will add an extra dimension for Shough to work with. Coupled with Chris Olave who seems to always be fantasy relevant and productive, Shough has the chance to be a nice streamer with QB1 upside if it all clicks.

22. CAM WARD

I may be a little higher on Ward than some because of who he has around him as a supporting cast. I really liked Carnell Tate heading into the draft and he looks the part in training camp, so keep an eye on him for some big games, big targets and big fantasy games. All of which can only mean good things for Cam Ward. Add to the mix the TE Gunner Helm who I also think can be in line for a bigger role in his second year, the signs are there for Ward to have a solid year heading into 2026. I would stash him on your bench ready for those bye weeks and see how he performs. All it takes is a couple of good weeks and a QB injury for you to be scrambling on the wire to get a solid contributor, which Ward can be in my opinion.

21. SAM DARNOLD

I wonder if this the lowest a Super Bowl winning QB has appeared in fantasy rankings? Darnold lands low on this list for a few reasons. First of all, there will be some regression from star WR Jaxon Smith Njigba, which impacts Darnold and his fantasy points. He also tends to throw an interception or two (14 overall) with multiple in some games, which adds to the boom or bust nature of someone like Darnold. He has also lost his two main backs: Walker to the Chiefs and Charbonnet to injury, which means Darnold is learning to work with rookie Jadarian Price. Now add to the mix that OC Klint Kubiak has gone and Brian Fleury is in the building, some things are different for the Seahawks and worth keeping an eye on for Darnold’s fantasy value.

20. JORDAN LOVE

Love comes into his fourth year with a very clear ceiling in my opinion. He had a solid first season, but like others in this list, he just hasn’t pushed on. He has been skirting around the top 20 of fantasy QBs but no higher in his last two seasons, and I’m not sure that he will be much better, which is why I have him sat here at 20. A tendency to miss a few games with injury, coming back to a safe, run first offense doesn’t help fantasy players who need a starting or streaming QB. I would want to see more Matthew Golden heading into year 2 now that Romeo Doubs has left to the Patriots, but that will only happen if HC Matt LaFleur allows Love some more freedom.

19. BAKER MAYFIELD

Irrespective of the off the field contract stuff, the write up for Baker as a fantasy QB remains the same as it has been for the last few seasons in Tampa: new OC (this time its Zac Robinson); injury plagued offense (no Irving, Evans, Godwin at different points of the season); an O-Line that can’t stay healthy or protect Baker, not to mention Baker’s injuries too. I could go on but you get the idea. Heading into 2026, Baker has a familiar WR room with Emeka Egbuka looking to push on in year two, veteran Chris Godwin and a whole host of WR options that excite Bucs fans (Messrs. McMillian, Johnson and Hurst). Now he also has the productive Kenneth Gainwell as a solid catching back to add weapons for the offense. Baker has the chance to be a solid QB2 for someone, providing things fall into place.

18. CJ STROUD

I feel ass though this is a big year for Stroud in 2026. OC Nick Caley is entering his second year and will look to replicate the output of Stroud’s first year. One thing to consider is the fact that Stroud has not been in the top 20 for QBs for the past two years, with an average of 13 points per game, which is less than ideal. However, when you have Nico Collins, second year WR Jayden Higgins (watch, he should be great), a returning Tank Dell and new addition from free agency David Montgomery, as well as an improved O-Line, Stroud has all the components to be success in 2026.

17. KYLER MURRAY

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In the world’s least shocking news, Murray has won the starting job in Minnesota, kicking JJ ‘9’ McCarthy to the kerb. So, what does this mean for the Vikings? Well, it means they have a bit more of a dynamic playing style compared to what McCarthy brought in his limited time as the starter. Plus, Murray isn’t exactly struggling for targets to look for either: elite WR Justin Jefferson, solid WR2 Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings who arrived in free agency and TE veteran TJ Hockenson who will all give Murray the chance to end up as a potential starting fantasy QB in 2026.

16. PATRICK MAHOMES II

The Chiefs head into 2026 in a similar situation to 2025: no elite WR option for Mahomes to aim for and Kelce is year older and may have lost a step or two. But, some things are different: Mahomes is coming off an ACL injury he sustained in week 15 last year and Kenneth Walker arrives as a solid Super Bowl winning RB. Even if he comes back to start in week 1, which would be an incredible recovery, Mahomes will take time to get back into full swing again. The only issue is what that full swing will look like as last year he prior to the injury, Mahomes was scoring around 15 points per game. He has mid QB value based on his name and legacy, but he may well be someone to keep an eye on towards the end of the season or as bye weeks start to hit your roster.

15. JARED GOFF

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Jared Goff is someone who you look to once your fantasy team is set. You know the type. You’ve got the key starters in your team, maybe a sleeper who slots in at the FLEX or a player you’re high on and don’t want to miss. But you still need a dependable QB who will get you valuable fantasy points. That’s Jared Goff. With 10 games with multiple touchdowns and 6 games with over 300 yards in the air, Goff has solid QB1 numbers for when you feel as though you’ve locked in other positions of need.

14. BROCK PURDY

By the end of the season, I wonder who will be on the roster for the 49ers that hasn’t missed some game time, Purdy included. The upside is clear for all to see, with CMC, Mike Evans, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and even Christian Kirk providing Purdy with chances to be fantasy relevant. However, all the aforementioned players have missed huge chunks of time through injury over the last few years, Purdy included. This leaves Purdy sat on a the hypothetical of ‘if everyone says healthy then…’ which some fantasy players will buy into, but I am a little cautious with any of the 49ers players, let alone their star QB.

13. JAXSON DART

I’ll end part one with someone who will divide opinion going into 2026. Dart had an interesting 2025 season, with 14 games played and 15 touchdowns, some would say his numbers were solid for a rookie thrown into a tough situation. But, the elite aspects of Darts game came form his ability to rush the ball and scramble for those chunk plays. With star wideout Malik Nabers coming back from injury, but looking great in camp, and new addition Isaiah Likely looking like a TE sleeper pick for fantasy players, Dart has the chance to push into the top 10 of fantasy QBs with some quality performances under new head coach John Harbaugh and OC Matt Nagy.

MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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