The “Iceman” is entering his 2nd year under HC Ben Johnson, and he’s coming off a 3.4 fantasy PPG jump from his rookie season. In 34 career games, Williams has 47 TD passes and just 13 INTs, while adding 483 and 383 rushing yards, respectively, in his two seasons, with three TDs in 2025 after zero in his rookie year, per The Athletic’s Jake Ciely. In his final six outings, including the playoffs, Williams averaged 23.7 fantasy PPG and will look to continue this upward trajectory in 2026 with one of the best combos of coach + supporting cast in the league.

You could argue last year was his breakout, but T-Law could take it up a notch even further in 2026. He only played six games with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Brenton Strange and Parker Washington all in the lineup last season. In those 6 games, he averaged 27.6 fantasy PPG, per FantasyPros’ Andrew Erickson. If Jacksonville can stay healthy, look for another leap for this offense in Year 2 of Liam Coen’s system.

Dart averaged 20.13 fantasy PPG in his 12 starts. Over the full season, that figure would have made him the QB4, per NFL.com’s Matt Okada. He's one of the most dangerous rushing QBs in the league—hitting 487 yards and nine TDs in those 12 starts—and could improve as a passer with the return of Malik Nabers and the addition of Isaiah Likely.

“In Weeks 13-18 last season, Shough had 117.5 fantasy points (QB4) and he scored at least 17 in each game. He's a timing-and-location thrower in Kellen Moore's system, plus he can create as a runner (186 yards rushing, 3 TDs). With a boost from the addition of rookie WR Jordyn Tyson (if healthy) to play opposite Chris Olave, Shough has the skill set—and the coach—to push the QB1 line.” — ESPN’s Matt Bowen

The Pats had the easiest strength of schedule in the league last season, avoided every top-10 scoring defense, and feasted on eight games against bottom-9 units, per Yahoo’s Matt De Lima. After winning the AFC East, that won’t be the case this year—New England will now carry the 5th-hardest strength of schedule for passing as they’ll go up against Pittsburgh, Seattle and the defenses of the NFC North and AFC West. This will certainly be a “prove it” year for Maye.

Injuries are always a concern for a slim, mobile QB like Daniels. But even when he was healthy last season, he produced more like a mid-tier option than an elite one. Daniels averaged 18.9 fantasy PPG (QB13) in Weeks 1 through 9 and regressed across most metrics—his completion % dropped by 8.4% compared to 2024, his TD rate also declined, in tandem with a much-reduced QB rating, and he netted 1.2 fewer yards per carry on a steep drop in rushing attempts per game, per Touchdown Wire’s B.J. Rudell.

Mahomes rushed for career highs in yards (422) and TDs (5) last season, despite missing the final three games, per SI’s Michael Fabiano. Coming off an ACL tear and with the addition of Kenneth Walker III, it’s hard to expect him to put up similar rushing totals in 2026. I’d rather not rely on outlier passing numbers from a guy coming off major knee surgery on a team that many expect to lean on the running game.

Last year’s MVP is due for some regression. His 46 TDs were more than he tossed in 2023 and 2024 combined. Outside of Stafford’s 2025 campaign, there have been seven instances in NFL history of a QB throwing for at least 46 TDs in a single season—those passers averaged 16.4 fewer TD tosses in their next full season, per FantasyPros’ Wolf Trelles-Heard. This should be especially noticeable inside the 10-yard line, where Stafford’s passing TD rate spiked to 46.6% (7th) in 2025 from just 25.6% (34th) in 2024, per Ian Hartitz, formerly of Fantasy Life.

Goff brings both a high floor and ceiling this year. First off, he’s as safe as they come, throwing for at least 4,400 yards and 29 TDs in each of the past four seasons. As for his ceiling, it comes from two factors—his schedule and his defense. Per Warren Sharp’s Strength of Schedule Analysis, the Lions have the easiest schedule in the league this year and will be playing nearly all of their late-season games either indoors or in optimal conditions. Plus, the team has lost three starters in their secondary and could find themselves in several shootouts, forcing Goff into more pass attempts (think previous Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott seasons).

Under Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have ranked 2nd > 1st > 6th > 30th in passing yards and t-3rd > t-4th > 5th > 18th in passing TDs, per Fantasy Points’ Bill O’Brien. O’Connell was able to achieve those numbers with the likes of Kirk Cousins, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens while resurrecting the career of Sam Darnold before the bottom fell out with J.J. McCarthy at the helm last season. It’s certainly within the range of outcomes that KOC can pull a Darnold-like resurrection out of Murray and return this offense to a top-5 passing offense.

In his three relief starts over the last two years with the Packers, Willis posted rushing totals of 41, 60 and 73 yards while averaging a TD per game on the ground. Unsurprisingly, he finished as a top-7 fantasy QB in two of those three contests, per Yahoo’s Justin Boone. The resume is lacking, but the upside is huge.

According to NFL Pro, Ward’s passer rating, TD rate, completion rate, EPA/dropback and several other metrics jumped significantly after Tennessee’s Week 10 bye last year. During that closing stretch, Ward threw 10 TD passes and just one INT, while nearly doubling his fantasy points per pass attempt (from 0.24 to 0.46), per Matt Bowen. New OC Brian Daboll had success in the past with Josh Allen and Jaxson Dart, and as a former 1st overall pick, Ward has the tools to follow in their footsteps.