QB Sleepers in Fantasy Football for 2026: Can Matt Stafford Do It Again?

The quarterback position is arguably the most important in all of professional sports. No player has a bigger impact on his team winning on a game-to-game basis.

However, fantasy football drafters have placed a lower premium on the position. That stems primarily from depth—there are at least 15-20 players who you’d feel “comfortable” starting at quarterback in 1QB leagues, and that number could be even higher depending on matchups.

With that in mind, waiting to address the position has become a popular strategy. Just because you’re one of the last guys in your league to select your starter doesn’t mean you can’t get excellent production at quarterback.

Let’s dive into three players who could overdeliver for their price tags in 2026-27.

Quarterback Sleepers For 2026 Fantasy Football

Jaxson Dart, NYG

Is Jaxson Dart a good quarterback? That remains to be seen. But what is definitely true is that Dart was extremely productive for fantasy football purposes after being named the Giants’ starter. He made his first start in Week 4, and in his 12 games from that point forward, he was eighth at the position in fantasy points per game. That number would be even higher if not for a 1.0 fantasy point disaster in Week 16 vs. the Vikings. He had at least 19.4 fantasy points in nine of his 12 starts, so he got the job done at a pretty high level.

Dart’s production stemmed primarily from his ability to pile up rushing stats. Rushing ability has always been a cheat code for fantasy quarterbacks, and Dart provided 40.6 yards and 0.75 touchdowns per game after taking over as the Giants’ starter.

There are reasons to believe in progression for Dart as a passer this season. For starters, he should have Malik Nabers available at his disposal. Nabers went down in Dart’s first start, leaving him without a true No. 1 option to lean on. He made the most out of guys like Wan’Dale Robinson and Theo Johnson, but a healthy Nabers could be a game-changer.

Quarterbacks also tend to see their biggest statistical growth between their first and second seasons. We just saw this phenomenon with Drake Maye. He averaged a pedestrian 6.3 adjusted yards per attempt as a rookie before jumping to a league-best 9.5 in year two. While I wouldn’t expect that level of improvement, some progression should be expected.

Ultimately, we’ve already seen that Dart can be a top-10 fantasy QB with just his legs. If he can add some better passing production? He has the potential to jump into the top five or higher.

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Matthew Stafford, LAR

I get the hesitancy to back a 38-year-old quarterback. That said, is there really that much difference between 38 and 37? Matthew Stafford is coming off the best season of his career, leading the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 passing TDs. He was rewarded with his first career MVP award, and he was QB3 in terms of fantasy scoring.

The two quarterbacks who finished ahead of Stafford—Josh Allen and Drake Maye—are both being drafted as top-four options at quarterback. Stafford? He’s all the way down at QB14, sandwiched in between Brock Purdy and Bo Nix.

Stafford clearly still has plenty of juice left in his right arm, and head coach Sean McVay was not shy about letting him sling it last year. The Rams were third in the league in Pass Rate Over Expectation, and they were 2nd in neutral game scripts. They also ranked third in PROE in the red zone, which helped Stafford get to that massive touchdown figure.

Stafford still has one of the best offensive coaches in football at the helm, and he has arguably the best 1-2 punch at receiver in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. He may not have a ton of years left—and will reportedly have his reps limited at training camp—he was still feeling good enough to sign a contract extension this offseason. I see no reason why he can’t have another big year.

Daniel Jones, IND

Don’t forget what Daniel Jones was doing before going down with an Achilles injury last year. He was QB7 for fantasy purposes through the first 12 weeks of the season, averaging just under 20 fantasy points per game.

Jones looked like a different player than he did during his final years with the Giants. He averaged a career-best 8.1 adjusted yards per attempt, and he provided 24 touchdowns between his arm and legs. Jones helped pilot the Colts to one of the best offenses in football, ranking first in the league in EPA per play through Week 12.

While it’s possible that was a mirage—Jones had already started to show signs of regression before getting hurt—he’s always had a fantasy-friendly skill set. Jones is reportedly recovering well from Achilles surgery, and he is tentatively expected to start in Week 1. He’s currently coming off the board as QB28, which is a ridiculous price tag for the type of production Jones put together last year. He’s probably best suited as a QB2 in two-quarterback leagues, but he’s a viable backup or streamer option in one-QB leagues as well.

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