NFL teams know the best building block for lasting success is a star quarterback. That’s not quite the case in fantasy football, but having a good one certainly helps.
After topping all quarterbacks in fantasy points a year ago, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is pretty much a lock to be the first one off the board in fantasy drafts this season. His consistency and elite production are unmatched in the game today.
But how does the rest of the position shake out? And will No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza be worth a late-round pick in his rookie season? No time like the present to start digging in.
FANTASY FOOTBALL 2026:Early Top 150 overall rankings
Here’s a look at this season’s early quarterback rankings, courtesy of USA TODAY Sports’ Elisha Twerski, followed by an analysis of some emerging trends.
2026 fantasy football quarterback rankings
- Josh Allen BUF
- Lamar Jackson BAL
- Drake Maye NE
- Jayden Daniels WAS
- Joe Burrow CIN
- Trevor Lawrence JAC
- Jalen Hurts PHI
- Jaxson Dart NYG
- Justin Herbert LAC
- Caleb Williams CHI
- Dak Prescott DAL
- Bo Nix DEN
- Brock Purdy SF
- Kyler Murray MIN
- Patrick Mahomes II KC
- Matthew Stafford LAR
- Tyler Shough NO
- Malik Willis MIA
- Jared Goff DET
- Jordan Love GB
- Daniel Jones IND
- Baker Mayfield TB
- Sam Darnold SEA
- C.J. Stroud HOU
- Bryce Young CAR
- Cam Ward TEN
- Jacoby Brissett ARI
- Fernando Mendoza LV
- Deshaun Watson CLE
- Geno Smith NYJ
Fantasy football QB analysis
Some of the key takeaways from our way-too-early fantasy football rankings:
- Josh Allen narrowly edged out the Patriots’ Drake Maye for the No. 1 spot in fantasy points scored in 2025. And both of them are among the top three this season. The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson might have been in the mix as well if he hadn’t missed four games due to injury. Those three − plus Washington’s Jayden Daniels − comprise a pretty clear top tier.
- Looks like some longtime fantasy studs could be losing their mojo. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts only rates as our QB7, while Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs is 15th and − after finishing last season as the QB3 − Matthew Stafford of the Rams is all the way down at No. 16.
- These wild cards could have a wide range of outcomes in 2026. Here’s where we’re placing them in our initial rankings.
- And finally, here are the quarterbacks we like better than the early consensus rankings on FantasyPros.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 fantasy football QB rankings: Josh Allen an easy pick at No. 1