Fantasy football rankings: Matt Bowen's quarterback tiers for 2026 - ESPN

My fantasy football draft philosophy at quarterback has always been to target the dual-threat players. Give me the signal-callers who can throw with efficiency and create explosive plays in the pass game, and add rushing numbers to boost my weekly scoring. Designed carries, scramble attempts, especially in the red zone or near the goal line — it all adds up.

Create a league and customize league size, scoring and rules to play in the league you want to play in.

Create a league today!

Last season, Josh Allen, the top-scoring fantasy QB, rushed for 14 touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence, who finished as the No. 4 fantasy QB, had nine rushing scores. In all, four of the top five scorers at the position rushed for at least 350 yards on the season.

That being said, we also saw the return of the pocket throwers last season.

Matthew Stafford finished as the No. 3 QB — while rushing for 1 yard. That's it. Dak Prescott (QB6) topped 4,500 yards passing, and Jared Goff (QB9) had only 19 rushing attempts. Sure, I still focus on the rushing upside at the position, but you don't have to draft a specific fantasy profile to have success as a manager.

The key when setting your fantasy draft board is to separate players by tiers. It can give you a blueprint to follow and keep you from reaching on a player. Plus, it tells you when to act before there is a major drop-off in projected numbers.

Here is my breakdown of the QB position heading into the 2026 season, divided into six tiers.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Drake Maye, New England Patriots

The top four features multiple dual-threat quarterbacks, plus the league's best pocket thrower. Allen paces the group, using his arm talent and