Ideal Late-Round QBs to Target in 2026 Fantasy Football Drafts

Quarterbacks may not be as important to fantasy football squads as they are to their actual NFL teams, but it's still imperative for managers identify and draft a good one.

Signal-callers generate an enormous amount of points on a weekly basis, evidenced by 11 of the top 13 and each of the top six scorers from last season playing the position.

Managers can only start a single quarterback in standard fantasy leagues, however, making it less necessary to land a top-rated option early in the draft. In fact, the smartest move is often waiting for the latter rounds to address the position.

The gap between QB1s (such as Josh Allen with 374.6 points last year) and QB10s (Justin Herbert with 299.9 points) is less significant than the gulf between No. 1 RBs (Jonathan Taylor with 316.3 points) and No. 10 RBs (Chase Brown with 213.6 points) or wideouts like WR1 Puka Nacua (246 points) and WR10 Jameson Williams (154.9 points).

There's also a trend of QBs overperforming their average draft position (ADP). While Allen helped many of his managers win championships last season—16.3 percent of league-winning ESPN fantasy teams had him—the Buffalo Bills passer cost an extremely valuable second- or third-round pick to acquire, leaving his managers bereft of a top-tier talent at a tougher to fill spot.

Drake Maye, who went into the season with a lowly ADP of 125, finished as the year's QB2 and became the most frequently found QB on championship rosters last year. The prior season, both Baker Mayfield and Jayden Daniels vastly outperformed their ADP to become two of the most common QBs on title-winning squads.

More talented QBs are flying under the radar in 2026 and look set to overachieve relative to their draft position. With that in mind, let's look at five sleeper quarterbacks worth targeting late in your upcoming fantasy draft.

Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

QB Rank: 17

ADP: 112

The Minnesota Vikings executed one of the savviest pickups of the 2026 NFL offseason when they landed Kyler Murray in free agency. The move addressed a glaring hole under center that J.J. McCarthy was unable to fill during a tumultuous 2025 season, opening the door for Murray to take the reins and lead Minnesota's offense back to respectability.

While Murray is coming off a rough campaign of his own, a change of scenery could be exactly what the two-time Pro Bowler needs to rejuvenate his career. The Arizona Cardinals cut Murray due to a series of poor performances and injury woes, but he's only a season removed from the most recent of his four career top-10 fantasy finishes.

At his best, Murray is a dynamic dual-threat weapon who can dissect defenses with his arm and rack up yardage and scores with his legs. He boasts a career 67.1 percent completion rate with 20,460 yards and 121 touchdowns through the air in 87 contests. Murray's scrambling ability is what truly separates him in fantasy football, as he's picked up 400-plus rushing yards and scored at least five touchdowns on the ground in each of the four seasons he missed three or fewer games during.

Although he's only being drafted as a backup in most leagues, Murray will have a legitimate shot at putting together his best season yet. He'll be working under a renowned quarterback whisperer in Kevin O'Connell while playing alongside some of the league's top pass-catching weapons such as Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings.

Sam Darnold proved how explosive Minnesota's offense can be during his lone season with the club in 2024, finishing as the year's QB9 while only contributing some modest rushing numbers.

If Murray can replicate something close to the 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns that Darnold tallied through the air that season while racking up the type of rushing yardage and scores he's capable of, it wouldn't be a shock to see the 28-year-old finish in the top five for his position.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

QB Rank: 19

ADP: 119

Baker Mayfield may have finished as a top-12 QB in each of the last three seasons, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' veteran signal-caller is still slipping to the latter portion of 2026 fantasy drafts.

Although Mayfield is coming off his worst season in Tampa, he still put up a solid 282.9 points on the year. He was trending towards a third consecutive top-10 finish before suffering an injury in Week 12, and while that AC joint sprain didn't cause him to miss any time, it hindered his ability to push the football down the field.

Prior to that shoulder issue popping up, Mayfield was averaging 18.5 points per game and had posted five top-10 weekly finishes—including back-to-back QB7 showings coming out of the Bucs' Week 9 bye. That average dropped over four points during the final seven games of the year, a stretch in which Mayfield failed to finish better than QB12 at any point.

Health wasn't the only problem for Tampa last year. Some of the blame for this offensive backslide can be placed on the loss of offensive coordinator Liam Coen—who accepted the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job after coaxing a career-best campaign from Mayfield in 2024—but the unit is poised for a resurgence under new play-caller Zac Robinson.

Even with Bucs legend Mike Evans defecting to the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa still has the pieces in place for Mayfield to thrive. The receiving corps features one of the NFL's brightest up-and-coming wideouts in Emeka Egbuka, while quality options in Jalen McMillan, Chris Godwin Jr. and rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst III round out the rest of the corps.

As long as Tampa's offensive line can hold up and Mayfield can stay healthy, he's a shoo-in to shatter the lowly projections suggested by his current ADP.

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

QB Rank: 20

ADP: 123

Tyler Shough was one of the bright spots for the New Orleans Saints last year, quietly emerging as a potential franchise quarterback in the back half of the season. He did more than enough to lock down the QB1 job going into the 2026 campaign and could be one of the year's biggest fantasy steals if he continues to rapidly develop.

After a couple of shaky outings to open his NFL career, Shough hit his stride in Week 13—posting the first of six consecutive top-16 fantasy finishes to close out the 2025 season. He not only helped New Orleans end the year on a high note with four wins in its last five games, but also became a sneaky good pickup for managers in deeper formats, notably securing a QB6 finish in Week 14 and a career-best QB4 finish in the finale.

Shough should be even better this year, benefitting from a full offseason to prepare as the starter with better teammates around him. The Saints made it obvious they believe in their young passer during the 2026 draft, using three of their eight total selections on wideouts (including No. 8 overall on standout prospect Jordan Tyson) and another on a tight end in third-rounder Oscar Delp.

Despite being saddled with a lackluster supporting cast and getting thrust into the fire earlier than expected when he was drafted, Shough not only looked like a legitimate passer (he completed 67.6 percent of his throws for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns) but also a dangerous rusher. The signal-caller tallied 186 yards and three scores on his 45 rushing attempts, averaging 25 yards per game on the ground over the final seven games.

Those efficient metrics and decent rushing contributions could easily elevate Shough into the top-10 at his position this coming season. Considering his current ADP, it will be tough to find a better late-round value during fantasy drafts.

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

QB Rank: 21

ADP: 133

Malik Willis displayed a tantalizing amount of upside during his tenure with the Green Bay Packers, but was never able to reach his ceiling in Titletown due to his backup status and some injury issues when he did get his rare opportunities.

Now that he's slated to start for the Miami Dolphins, he could be one of the best fantasy value pickups of 2026.

There's little competition for Miami's QB1 job after longtime starter Tua Tagovailoa was released this offseason, a move that has opened the door for Willis to shine.

The Miami offense has undergone some major renovation under new head coach Jeff Hafley's regime, with free-agent additions Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell set to play large roles alongside a pair of third-round rookies in Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas.

While it's not the NFL's best supporting cast, it should be enough for Willis. The quarterback has displayed the ability to extend plays and create with his legs, assets that will help his receivers out.

It now remains to be seen if the 27-year-old can consistently play at a high level. He's only logged three combined starts over the past two seasons, but he looked incredible in those contests.

Willis shredded the Baltimore Ravens defense during his lone start of the 2025 campaign. He completed 18 of his 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown while adding another two scores and 60 yards on nine totes—finishing as the week's QB3 with a whopping 31.5 fantasy points.

That wasn't his only big fantasy outing. In Week 3 of the 2024 season, the Liberty product tallied 202 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-19 passing and chipped in another 73 yards and a TD on six totes. His 25.4 fantasy points were good for a QB6 finish that week.

It's not a surprise that Hafley, the Packers' defensive coordinator during the 2024-25 seasons, made it a priority to acquire Willis after being a firsthand witness to those contests during their shared tenure in Titletown.

If the veteran can continue to perform at that clip, Willis will finish well above his preseason ranking and return major dividends on a late-round fantasy draft pick.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/David Richard

QB Rank: 22

ADP: 138

Cam Ward may not have had a breakout rookie season after being taken No. 1 overall last year, but he at least displayed enough promise for the Tennessee Titans to feel comfortable building their roster around him. Following a series of notable offseason acquisitions, Ward finds himself in prime position to make a massive Year 2 leap.

Tennessee's most notable pickup is Carnell Tate, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 draft. The Ohio State product became the first wide receiver off the board for possessing just about everything a team could want in a true No. 1 option. With his immense natural talent, size, route-running skills, toughness and elite hands, Tate is the perfect running mate to develop alongside Ward for years to come.

The Titans also added veteran possession receiver Wan'Dale Robinson to the mix, giving Ward the chain-mover and safety valve this offense lacked last year. The presence of Robinson and Tate, along with incumbents Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, have flipped the receiver position from a weakness to a strength in the Music City.

While Ward did take a concerning 55 sacks as a rookie, his protection has improved thanks to the addition of Austin Schlottman and Cordell Volson in free agency. These two veterans bolstered the offensive trenches and should afford Ward the time he needs to pick out his open pass-catchers.

Despite these strong pickups and the hiring of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, Ward is still being slept on in most fantasy leagues. His QB22 ranking is the same spot he finished 2025 in, while his 138 ADP suggests he'll struggle. Don't read too much into these projections, however, as Ward is far more likely to emerge as a fantasy QB1 than wind up in the midrange backup tier for a second consecutive season.