It's time to reflect on this season's fantasy football experience and figure out what (if anything) we learned that we can apply to improve our outcomes in the future. We'll break this down position by position, starting with quarterback.
Lesson 1: Late-Round Quarterback Was a Resounding Win
(Shout-out to JJ Zachariason, the original Mr. "Late-Round Quarterback")
In 2025, the late-round quarterback was the winning strategy, not just because of the plethora of viable options outside of the top 10 drafted and on the waiver wire. The early round quarterbacks were littered with stories of disappointment and failure. Taking two players from an unusually strong and deep group of quarterbacks who went off the board at QB10 or later gave you a good chance to land a better fantasy option than the majority of the quarterbacks who went in the top 8. Even if you missed on both of your upside swings in the later rounds, the waiver wire heroes were still there to save you at quarterback this season.
How to use this lesson in 2026
You can count on this strategy again. The supply of viable fantasy QB1 options is greater than the demand in a 12-team league. No matter how you put together your rankings, you are going to like the quarterbacks in the QB10-20 range again. Brock Purdy, Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Tyler Shough, and Malik Willis will all be available outside of the top 10. If you really want to learn from this, play in more superflex leagues where you can't take the tank to E at quarterback every season.
Lesson 2: Josh Allen Is Still the King
Even with James Cook and the running game becoming a bigger part of the weekly game plan and the passing game sometimes being held together with duct tape and baling wire, Allen was still the clear #1 fantasy quarterback. There were a few great RB/WR picks that went after him in the third round (like Cook), but if you took Allen in the third, you got what you paid for, and more.
How to use this lesson in 2026
Don't avoid Allen at or near ADP if you just aren't feeling it when you look at the RB/WR/TE options. Just make sure to take your favorite quarterback outside of the top 10, too, so you can trade Allen if that backup hits as Drake Maye did in 2025.
Lesson 3: An Uphill Battle for Most Early-Round Quarterbacks
Five of the other six quarterbacks drafted in the top 7 were waylaid by injuries or poor coaching and could not reproduce peak 2024 campaigns. Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, and Joe Burrow couldn't stay healthy after playing in all 17 games last season. Burrow at least returned to form in time to help fantasy teams. Jackson was never the same after returning from a hamstring injury, and Daniels suffered through multiple injuries before Washington shut him down in a lost season.
The downgrade from Kellen Moore to Kevin Patullo at offensive coordinator/playcaller lowered Jalen Hurts' floor and ceiling, allowing fantasy players to share in the frustration that inhabited the Eagles locker room this season. Baker Mayfield got off to a strong start with a magnificent 29 of 33 game in Seattle to win a 38-35 shootout and a hard-fought 20-19 win at Houston, but once he got pummeled and suffered multiple injuries against Detroit in Week 7, he wasn't the same. The Bucs fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard after only one season, so they think that, like Hurts, Mayfield might have been let down by coaching.
The only quarterback other than Josh Allen drafted in the top 7 to be a true fantasy asset this season was Patrick Mahomes II, who was right on Allen's heels to be the #1 fantasy quarterback before going down with a catastrophic knee injury in Week 15.
How to use this lesson in 2026
Take quarterbacks with ADPs that are down from 2025 levels because of bad injury breaks (Mayfield, Love, Herbert) and pass on the quarterback whose ADP is inflated because he encountered little resistance from outside factors (Maye).
Lesson 4: Injuries Can Have Rest-of-Season Implications
It doesn't have to be an injury that sidelines him for a significant number of games, or even an injury to the quarterback himself. Lamar Jackson looked like he was going to be worth the significant investment it took to get him in fantasy drafts before a Week 4 hamstring injury derailed his season. Jayden Daniels underperformed his ADP a bit, but was still a fantasy QB1 when he played an entire game. Unfortunately, that only happened four times this season. Baker Mayfield was a solid QB1 despite missing some key players and facing the Houston and Seattle defenses on the road through six weeks, but he wasn't the same after Detroit pummeled him in Week 7. Justin Herbert was an elite QB1 when his left tackle, Joe Alt, was on the field. Unfortunately, that only happened six times this season.
How to use this lesson in 2026
If the quarterback you're depending on gets hurt, reinforce your depth, and consider trading them away at a discount the week after they get hurt.
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