Someone has to dethrone Josh Allen as the QB1 for Fantasy Football in 2026…right? Allen has finished as the QB1, QB2, QB1, QB3, QB1, QB1 from 2025 back to 2020. Not here praying on the guy’s downfall, but thinking about who can dethrone Allen can be beneficial to your draft day in 2026. Finding a quarterback that has Josh Allen’s ceiling for Fantasy Football, without paying the Josh Allen price on your draft day, can give you an edge in winning your league.
What!? Your fantasy football league wasn’t hosted on Fantrax last season!? Once you see how Fantrax stacks up to the competition, we think you’ll be singing a different tune next season.
Lamar Jackson and Drake Maye are too obvious to name for the potential QB1 in 2026 for Fantasy Football. I have four guys who are truly sneaky candidates to be the QB1 this season, and of course, the context for why. Let’s get it
4 Sneaky Candidates to Finish as the QB1 for Fantasy Football in 2026
1. Caleb Williams (Bears)
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears had a major shift in 2025 under Head Coach Ben Johnson, going from a 5-12 team to a 11-6 team that appeared in two playoff games. Williams took a significant step forward in his sophomore season, finishing with 568 passing attempts (#5), 330 completions (#9), 3,942 passing yards (#7), 27 passing touchdowns (#6), 383 rushing yards (#7), and three rushing touchdowns. Williams was the QB6 in total Fantasy Points and averaged 19 PPG. Williams finished five weeks with 23+ Fantasy Points and seven with 21+ Fantasy Points. Williams played two games in the NFL Playoffs, where he passed for 361/257 yards and threw four total touchdowns.
Year two in Ben Johnson’s offense could mean another step forward for Williams. While the Bears lost DJ Moore via trade to the Bills, they still have a young trio in Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland. All three of those pass-catchers are true breakout candidates for 2026 with a ton of upside. As a dual-threat, playmaking quarterback, Williams has immense upside that can mean huge Fantasy Football production this coming season. The talent is there, the coaching is there, and the playmakers are evident.
2. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
After being limited to just eight games due to injury in 2024, Dak Prescott had a major bounce-back in 2025. Dak finished the year with 600 passing attempts (#2), 404 completions (#1), 4,552 passing yards (#3), and 30 passing touchdowns (#4). Dak finished as the QB5 in total Fantasy Points and averaged 19 PPG. Dak finished eight weeks with 22+ Fantasy Points and two of those were at 28+ Fantasy Points. This was all with CeeDee Lamb missing some time while George Pickens had his breakout year.
Take what Prescott did in 2025, and then factor in a full season of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson all together on the field. The Dak to Lamb/Ferguson connection has been great over time, and the connection to Pickens can grow in their second season together. Prescott is a true candidate to lead the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns for 2026, which would have direct Fantasy Football impacts in a major way. This is a guy who has finished four seasons with 20+ Fantasy PPG through his career.
3. Jaxson Dart (Giants)
First-round rookie Jaxson Dart played in 12 games as a rookie in 2025. In those 12 games, Dart finished nine of them with 19+ Fantasy Points (75%), six of them with 23+ Fantasy Points (50%), five of them with two or more passing touchdowns (41.6%), six of them with 54+ rushing yards (50%), and scored nine rushing touchdowns. The upside was extremely evident, and this was without Malik Nabers for most of the year, who Dart played less than two full games with.
Nabers will return in 2026 from his ACL injury. John Harbaugh was hired as the Head Coach, with Matt Nagy hired as the offensive coordinator. Cam Skattebo also returns from injury. The Giants signed both Isaiah Likely and Darnell Mooney this offseason to add to Dart’s pass-catching weapons, and drafted Malachi Fields. The Giants made some offensive line improvements as well. With the upside Dart had for Fantasy Football as a rookie, with improved coaching and improved weapons for 2026, his ceiling is extremely high.
4. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
In Jim Harbaugh’s first season as the Chargers Head Coach in 2025, Justin Herbert finished the year ninth in total scrimmage yards (4,225) and posted a career-high in rushing yards with 498. Herbert finished 2025 as the QB10 in total Fantasy Points, and averaged 18.7 Fantasy PPG. Herbert finished 2021 with 5,014 passing yards and 38 passing touchdowns, and has finished seasons with 23.3 (2021) and 22.9 (2020) Fantasy PPG. So the upside for Fantasy Football is clearly there.
Mike McDaniel was hired as the new Chargers Offensive Coordinator for 2026, which should translate into an elevated Chargers offense. The Chargers also improved their Offensive Line via both Free Agency and the NFL Draft. The weapons are there in Omarion Hampton, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Oronde Gadsden II, David Njoku, Tre Harris, and rookie Brenen Thompson. Herbert’s ceiling is extremely slept on.
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