5 Fantasy Football Busts At Quarterback In 2026

There’s a fantasy football hierarchy in the minds of many people for the quarterback position. Plus, here’s one player who could outshine them all. But there’s the ugly side, too. And here are five fantasy football busts at quarterback for the 2026 season.

Just so you’ll know, the trustworthy guys are the same familiar names. Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow are safe. So are younger guns like Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and Caleb Williams.

But here are five guys where you need to say “pass” during your fantasy football draft.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence

It’s asking a lot of Lawrence to repeat his 2025 success. He had 29 passing and nine rushing scores. Sure, there’s a chance he has finally unlocked the NFL secret. And that means he could be the single-team version of guys like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.

However, you have to pay Tier 2 value to get Lawrence. And that means he’s your guy for the whole season unless you get lucky with your late-round QB2. Are you willing to bank that on Lawrence?

This isn’t the year to do that, according to Bleacher Report.

“Lawrence has battled injuries in recent seasons and could easily regress in his second season with Coen,” Kristopher Knox wrote. “For one, opposing defenses will be better prepared to deal with whatever Coen dials up for his quarterback. Secondly, the Jags’ offense could be more one-dimensional after losing Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency.

“Add in the fact that Lawrence has a history of being turnover-prone (58 INTs in 5 seasons), and it’s impossible to consider Lawrence a safe pick. He should be viewed as a high-end streamer instead of a surefire starter. Yet, his ADP currently puts him ahead of QBs like Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, and Bo Nix.”

See. That’s the thing. Look at those four names. You could take any of those as your QB1, and you’re not going to blink. It may not work out in every case. But those are comfort-level names.

And I think it’s fair to include Dak Prescott in that group. I’d take Prescott 50 times out of 50 over Lawrence in terms of pure 2026 comfort. And yet, Lawrence is going before Prescott in many cases.

Saints QB Tyler Shough

There’s nothing solid to base on picking Shough as a usable fantasy QB. The Saints won’t be particularly good, and Shough didn’t light the world on fire as a rookie.

Let’s give Shough time to mellow into the league before bringing him to the fantasy forefront. But there are some positives, according to ESPN.

First, don’t listen to Drew Brees. There’s a good chance he’s expressing wishful thinking. The situation might be good from a real-football perspective, according to Fox Sports.

“I think Shough is in an unbelievable situation,” Brees told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “He showed a ton of leadership traits this offseason. Gathering the guys together, structuring offseason workouts, getting them ready for camp. First off, Tyler Shough is a guy mature beyond his years.”

See, that’s a red flag. Shough can’t be mature beyond his years because he’s already old. He’ll be 27 this year. If he’s mature beyond his years, perhaps he’s already ready for retirement. At least Brees admitted Shough has been around a while.

“I think he spent seven years in college — three at [Texas] Tech, three at Oregon and one at Louisville,” Brees said. “He battled through his own fair share of injuries and adversity. Just having to overcome.”

None of that sounds like fantasy football fun. It sounds more like, “Do Not Draft.”

Rams QB Matthew Stafford

Everybody, it seems, is picking the Rams to win the Super Bowl. What does that do for your fantasy team? Nothing. You need touchdowns in bunches from Stafford. And he ain’t running them into the end zone.

Don’t count on Stafford being fantasy relevant in 2026, according to ESPN.

“I hate to say it as a staunch Rams fan, but Matthew Stafford is screaming regression for 2026,” Tyler Fulghum wrote. “His 2025 MVP campaign was magical. At age 38, Stafford started all 17 games, led the league in passing yards (4,707) and set career highs in passing TDs (46) and TD% (7.7). It is extraordinarily likely that most, if not all, of those numbers take a dip in 2026.

“Even if he plays all 17 games again — which at his age is also going to be hard to do — it’s going to be tough to match what he did in 2025. This year we’re drafting Stafford as QB9, when in 2025 his price tag was QB20! I hate to admit this, but Stafford is likely going to disappoint fantasy managers who invest in him this season.”

Nicely said. Avoid.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert

This is a polarizing choice. Some people want to elevate Herbert to MVP status. They still think it’s a dream combination with Jim Harbaugh. And now with Mike McDaniel calling the offensive coordinator shots? Wow! Right?

Well … Herbert has been in the league for six years. How many fantasy managers would tag him as the guy who got them over the top in any of those years? Maybe in 2021, when he hit on 38 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions.

Since then, Herbert has TD passing totals of 25, 20, 23, and 26. That’s not good enough from a fantasy perspective. Unless he’s scoring with his legs? He has five as a rookie. Since then, he has 10 in five years. You see the problem. Stop chasing 2021, according to Sports Illustrated.

“It feels like we are doing this every year now,” Mark Morales-Smith wrote. “Fantasy (managers) need to stop chasing what once was. It’s a different position, but this feels like what fantasy owners did for years with Odell Beckham Jr. We know that Herbert has all the physical tools. But he’s an overrated quarterback in a system that is clearly built to pound the ball on the ground and allow the defense to help them win games.

“We have seen him being drafted as high as the QB6 this season. What are we doing? Yeah, 2021 was great, but that was a long time ago. This team is going to run over defenses with Omarion Hampton, not try to pick them apart with Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.”

Herbert is the classic example of a guy who will hit for 30 points one week, and leave you high and dry for the next three.

Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield

Mayfield indeed looked great in 2024. He threw 41 touchdown passes. But he also led the NFL with 16 interceptions.

However, he tossed only 26 TD strikes last year. And his yardage total dropped off from 4,500 to 3,693. Might he bounce back? Unlikely because he doesn’t have the same receiving group with Mike Evans out of the picture — which was part of the problem last year because of Evans’ injuries, according to Fantasy Pros.

“(Emeka) Egbuka started his rookie season hot but slowed down once defenses began to plan for him,” Michael Moore wrote. “Godwin was still recovering in 2025 from a significant leg injury in 2024 and appears healthy. He’s 30 now, though, and the team will be much more cautious with his body to help it last all season.

“Then there’s the contract dispute. Mayfield has one year left on the extension he signed after his breakout season and is looking to get a new extension. But Tampa Bay wants him to sign for much less, so we have an impasse. Mayfield may be the type that uses this slight as motivation, but it could also be a distraction, especially if the Buccaneers don’t get off to a good start.”

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