Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings For 2026: Patrick Mahomes Headlines The QB2s

Where are all my superflex fans?

Superflex and two-QB leagues continue to not only gain more steam but also become more of the norm in the fantasy football realm. So yeah, you can bet quarterbacks 13-24 matter.

Let’s take a look at the consensus QB2 rankings from our fantasy football rankings for the 2026 campaign.

Quarterback Fantasy Football Rankings (13-24) For 2026

13) Patrick Mahomes | KC

For perhaps the first time in his career, I’m not sure what to expect from Patrick Mahomes.

Don't get me wrong. As long as he’s healthy, I still anticipate Mahomes being one of the best quarterbacks on planet Earth. However, from a fantasy perspective, he’s more of a toss-up. Following a pair of back-end QB1 finishes in 2023-24, Mahomes bounced back this past season, averaging 21.2 fantasy points per game, second-most among quarterbacks. If you drafted Mahomes, you’ll obviously take it, but it’s the way he got there that is interesting.

“We gained a yard!” It’s a quote from the classic movie Little Giants, but it also perfectly describes the Chiefs' run game last year. So, as Mahomes often does, he took matters into his own hands. Or in this case, his legs. Mahomes rushed for 422 yards and five touchdowns last year, averaging 4.5 carries per game. And with Kansas City’s pass catchers often struggling to get open, Mahomes wasn’t shy about calling his own numbers. His 3.8 scrambles per game trailed only Jayden Daniels, while his 9% scramble rate was tied for sixth among signal-callers.

Here enters the uncertainty.

Following a late-season ACL tear, how much is Mahomes going to run in 2026? Because so little of his rushing production was designed, there’s always a chance he just takes off and runs. But for the first time in forever, the Chiefs will finally have some semblance of a run game following the addition of Kenneth Walker. Mahomes belongs on the QB1/QB2 borderline, though no one should be shocked if he posts top-five status again.

14) Bo Nix | DEN

The top two spots in the QB2 rankings feature players coming off injuries. Bo Nix fractured his ankle at the end of the playoff win over the Bills, resulting in surgery and a recent minor cleanup procedure. Nix isn’t expected to be a full participant in OTAs, though there’s no concern over his Week 1 status yet.

Last year, Nix struggled with efficiency, but volume propelled him to a top-12 finish in fantasy. Despite an elite defense that always keeps the game script in their favor, the Broncos aired the ball out, ranking fifth in dropback rate (64%) and third in dropback rate over expected (+4%). Nix’s 612 attempts led the NFL, often masking his underwhelming advanced passing metrics:

6.4 Yd/Att (28th)
4.1% TD rate (27th)
0.50 FP/dropback (20th)
35.2% deep completion rate (19th)

With Sean Payton reportedly handing over play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, we’ll see how much the Broncos pass this season. A dip in volume could keep Nix in the mid-QB2 range for fantasy, though the addition of Jaylen Waddle gives him a true difference-maker at wide receiver.

15) Matthew Stafford | LAR

Drafted outside the top-15 quarterbacks, the 38-year-old Stafford not only finished as fantasy’s QB4 on a PPG basis (21.1) but also took home the NFL MVP award. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, Stafford ranked:

1st in TD passes (46)
1st in yards (4,707)
5th in dropbacks (624)
2nd in air yards per attempt (9.3)
1st in TD/ATT (7.7%)
2nd in end zone throws (54)

Entering the 2026 campaign, regression is likely to hit Stafford, but to what degree is the question. His 7.7% TD rate was easily the highest of his career (6.8% was his previous high), and over 2% higher than his 5.6% as a member of the Rams. Stafford is clearly due for regression, and when it does hit, he won’t make up for it with any rushing production.

16) Kyler Murray | MIN

Once upon a time, Nick Mullens averaged nearly 18 fantasy points per game in this offense.

Need I say more?

There’s a reason the fantasy community was so high on J.J. McCarthy (welp) when he was drafted. Kevin O’Connell’s offense is very quarterback and fantasy-friendly. Just take a look at some of the production he’s gotten out of his signal callers over the past few seasons:

Year	Player	FPPG
2022	Kirk Cousins	18.0
2023	Kirk Cousins	19.3
2023	Nick Mullens	17.8
2023	Joshua Dobbs	19.1
2024	Sam Darnold	18.8

McCarthy was obviously brutal last season, but it’s fair to say he’s the outlier here. While they’ll hold a camp competition between Murray and McCarthy, the former is all but guaranteed to start, presenting us with a high-upside late-round quarterback option. Last season in Arizona, Murray handled 11% of the designed rush attempts to go along with a nine percent scramble rate. His 34.6 rushing yards per contest ranked fifth among quarterbacks last season, while rushing for at least 25 yards in all five starts. Given his fantasy track record and an awesome offensive infrastructure around him, Murray could easily return to top-12 status.

17) Jordan Love | GB

To me, Jordan Love is the perfect example of a better real-life quarterback than fantasy. From a raw talent perspective, you’d be hard-pressed to find many more gifted throwers of the football than Love. But since his tremendous 2023 campaign (4,159 yards, 32 TDs), Love has settled in as QB16 and QB18 over the past two seasons, averaging 16.2 fantasy points per game. Volume hasn’t been on Love’s side as of late, averaging a middling 432 pass attempts over the past two seasons.

If a potential Josh Jacobs absence results in a boost in passing from Matt LaFleur and company, Love’s fantasy ceiling could rise. But for now, he’s a low-end QB2.

18) Jared Goff | DET

Jared Goff has now been in Detroit for five seasons, and by this point, you should just about know what you’re going to get. Since 2022, Goff has posted fantasy finishes of QB14, QB11, QB7 and QB13. And during that span. Goff ranks:

3rd in passing YPG (267.7)
8th in pass attempts per game (33.9)
2nd in TD per game (1.9)
11th in FPPG (17.5)

Because he hasn’t had a nuclear fantasy season, Goff remains underrated, which continues to make him a very strong value for those who wait at the quarterback position. You always have to love Goff getting eight games in the fantasy-friendly confines of Detroit’s dome, as well as an additional three road indoor games. Since 2022, Goff is averaging 274.5 passing yards, 2.2 touchdowns and 19.3 fantasy points per game indoors. He won’t give you any rushing production, but Goff’s solid floor makes him a perfect quarterback to pair with someone who does.

19) Baker Mayfield | TB

Following a 2024 campaign with a 7.2% touchdown rate, we knew Baker Mayfield was due for regression last year. Not only did regression hit hard, but so did the injury bug, as Mayfield’s touchdown rate plummeted to 4.8%, while he also fought through a shoulder issue. Mayfield sprained his shoulder in Week 12, and from that point on, his play really fell off. From Weeks 13-18, Mayfeld ranked:

24th in passer rating (85.6)
15th in completion rate (64.1%)
17th in Yd/Att (7.0)
19th in FPPG (14.6)

It wasn’t just Baker who was banged up. Tampa Bay’s wideouts missed plenty of time, while the offensive line was also a revolving door, resulting in nine different starting combinations during the second half of the season. The departure of Mike Evans hurts, but better injury luck in Tampa Bay should help Mayfield post mid-range QB2 numbers at the very worst.

20) Malik Willis | MIA

Freedman single-handedly pushed Malik Willis into the top-20 quarterbacks, ranking him above consensus at QB16.

And I have to say, I don’t blame him.

Sure, the sample size with Willis is incredibly small. But the upside is too tantalizing to overlook. On 89 pass attempts over the last two years, Willis is averaging 11.1 yards per attempt. And across three starts during that span, Willis is averaging 23.3 fantasy points, seven rush attempts and 58 rushing yards per game. The difference in environment between Green Bay and this iteration of Miami is vast, and there’s an outside chance I’ll catch one or two passes for the Dolphins this season. But when considering Willis as a fantasy signal-caller, his pass catchers shouldn’t even really be on your radar.

With Willis, we’re chasing elite rushing upside, which can provide such high floors and ceilings in fantasy. Our projections currently have Willis for 122.8 rush attempts (second-most), and if he hits that mark, it’s a tremendous sign for his fantasy prospects. Since 2020, there have been 16 seasons where a quarterback has recorded at least 120 rushes. The average fantasy points per game of that group is 21.4, which would have been good for QB2 this past season.

21) Tyler Shough | NO

I just recently wrote an in-depth breakdown of not only why I like Tyler Shough this season, but why he could become this year’s Drake Maye for fantasy football purposes. The skinny? Shough averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game from Week 8 on, good for QB14 among qualified passers. The Saints have since added Travis Etienne, Jordyn Tyson and David Edwards, while already playing in arguably the fastest-paced offense in football.

22) C.J. Stroud | HOU

C.J. Stroud has fallen off quite a bit since his impressive rookie year in 2023. After ranking seventh in fantasy points per game during that season, Stroud has ranked outside the top-20 fantasy quarterbacks in consecutive years. Over the past two years, he ranks 25th among all quarterbacks in fantasy points per game (13.8), while presenting zero in the rushing department. Playing with an elite defense, it’s unlikely Stroud is asked to do too much, giving him a very limited fantasy ceiling.

23) Sam Darnold | SEA

While playing very well and leading the Seahawks to a Super Bowl, Sam Darnold’s strong play didn’t exactly translate to a ton of fantasy relevance. Even though he finished fifth in passing yards (4,048), Darnold ranked just 23rd in fantasy points per game (13.8). 15 interceptions to 25 touchdowns and essentially no rushing production will do that to you.

24) Cam Ward | TEN

As the top pick in last year’s draft, Ward found himself throwing to arguably the worst wide receiver room in the NFL. So what did the Titans do this offseason? Signed Wan’Dale Robinson, kept Calvin Ridley and selected Carnell Tate fourth overall in the draft.

That’ll work.

Ward, who ranked 12th in the league with 54 deep pass attempts last year, is going to love Tate. Ward showed plenty of flashes as a rookie, scoring multiple touchdowns in each of his final four games. The additions Tennessee has made this offseason are only going to help him going forward.