I have breaking news for you—the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Sure, the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX with a signal-caller in Sam Darnold who isn't elite, but the cold, hard reality is this. There are two types of teams in the NFL—the franchises that have a viable starter under center, and the ones that don't.
That second group ain't winning squat this year.
In fantasy football, however, it's different—at least in leagues that only start one player at the position (in Superflex? All bets are off.). The position is one of the deeper in fantasy football, so a measure of patience can be exercised on draft day. As a matter of fact, if you overpay for an "elite" option that doesn't outscore the other quarterbacks by a wide enough margin, it can hurt your fantasy roster more than it helps it.
Granted, fantasy managers can't just wait forever and ever to draft a quarterback, either. While you may not need the best quarterback in the NFL to win your fantasy league, you probably aren't going to win it with the worst one, either.
Having a guy who can throw a relatively accurate forward pass is a plus.
What fantasy managers need to do at quarterback is find the sweet spot with the players who can be had at a position of value who will exceed expectations, while staying away from the passers who won't live up to their asking price.
If only there was a resource that would tell you which is which.
That would be cool.
League-Winning Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott, Dallas
Dak Prescott is the Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy quarterbacks. Seemingly every year that he's healthy, Prescott posts gaudy numbers throwing the ball, including over 4,500 passing yards a year ago on the way to a QB5 fantasy finish. As Mike Crum wrote for Cowboys Wire, a case can be made that Prescott is the NFC East's best quarterback.
"In his last two fully healthy seasons," he said, "Prescott averaged over 4,500 yards passing, 33 touchdown passes, and under 10 interceptions. He was second in the MVP race in 2023 and an All-Pro. Compared to the division quarterbacks, Prescott had the best QBR and quarterback rating, the best bad throw percentage, the most yards, the most touchdown passes, and the highest success rate."
Despite that passing success and an offense that includes wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson, Prescott's lack of rushing upside regularly leaves him available at the back end of fantasy QB1 territory. Assuming the 32-year-old stays on the field, that's drafting Prescott a lot closer to his fantasy floor than the ceiling.
Justin Herbert, LA Chargers
Given the sieve of an offensive line he played behind last year and the beating he took, it's impressive that he was able to post the numbers he did—Herbert was ninth in the league in passing yards, seventh in touchdown passes, and quietly second among all quarterbacks with 498 rushing yards. Add that all up, and you have last year's QB8 in fantasy points per game, and new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel told reporters that he thinks Herbert has only scratched the surface of what he can do in the NFL.
"We're looking to master and be elite at everything that we do and being able to own the position in a new way," McDaniel said. "Being able for him to own the position in a way he never has and ultimately, for it to be obvious to everyone around that he's playing the best football of his career."
McDaniel's tendency to be a bit kooky aside, he turned Tua Tagovailoa into the NFL's leading passer back in 2023 with the Miami Dolphins. Herbert might not have Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle at his disposal, but the cupboard is hardly bare in La-La Land. The Chargers also play a brutal schedule in arguably the NFL's toughest division. Herbert is going to have to throw more this year, and his offensive line should be exponentially better.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota
Murray's last two seasons in Arizona can best be summed up thusly—the Cardinals are paying the 28-year-old over $35 million to play for another team in 2026. But one man's trash is another man's treasure, and while Murray has to beat out J.J. McCarthy to start in the Twin Cities, SI's Thomas Carelli believes Murray could smash his asking price in drafts this summer.
It is fair to question how good Murray is," he said. "However, he finds himself in the perfect situation. Murray plays indoors for an offensive wizard and quarterback expert in Kevin O'Connell. He has Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings at his disposal. Beyond that, the Vikings roster includes TJ Hockenson at tight end and a solid 1-2 running back duo of Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason. The upside is absolutely that of a top-10 fantasy football quarterback, if not even higher."
We have already seen O'Connell pull off a reclamation project under center in the aforementioned Sam Darnold. He's a two-time Pro Bowler, former Offensive Rookie of the Year, and a dual-threat passer who has run for over 800 yards in a season. The only thing standing between Murray and potential stardom in 2026 is McCarthy, a quarterback who has essentially played one good quarter of football in two NFL seasons.