Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will be one of the more polarizing names for fantasy football in 2026. On one hand, he’s coming off an injury-riddled season in which he only played seven games. Even in those seven games, Daniels averaged just 16.7 fantasy points per game, good for a tie for QB18 overall.
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But when healthy, we know the type of player Daniels can be for fantasy — a league-winner. As a rookie, he was just that, finishing as the QB4 in total scoring in 2024. So, entering Year 3 in the NFL, what do we make of Daniels?
Matt Harmon and Justin Boone discussed the Commanders QB on the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, where the two break down Yahoo’s recent 10-round mock draft.
Boone was able to snag Daniels in the eighth round of the mock draft, but considered taking him a round earlier. QBs were dropping, given the 1QB format but Boone wanted to stack Daniels with WR Terry McLaurin. Boone grouped Daniels in with Joe Burrow and even Caleb Williams as QBs with top-five fantasy potential at the position for 2026.
There’s plenty of risk with all three of those QBs, especially Daniels, given his injury history and aggressive running style. But Boone points to the depth at the position and ability for managers to find above-average replacements if Daniels were to miss games again. His backup, Marcus Mariota, played well for most of 2026 in Daniels’ stead. Even signal-callers like Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy were available past the 10th round in this mock. If you’re that worried, you can grab some insurance for Daniels.
Boone has Daniels ranked fifth in his early 2026 fantasy football rankings for the QB position post-NFL Draft.