Justin Herbert ushers in the Mike McDaniel era for the Chargers, Caleb Williams begins his quest for another breakthrough campaign in Charlotte, and Jordan Love ponders his breakout odds in the Packers’ revamped offense.
Other positions: Running Back | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 9/11 at 6:00 PM ET. Removed Tua Tagovailoa.
Week 1 Quarterbacks
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | at IND |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | CIN | vs. TB |
| 3 | Josh Allen | BUF | at HOU |
| 4 | Jalen Hurts | PHI | vs. WAS |
| 5 | Justin Herbert | LAC | vs. ARI |
| 6 | Jayden Daniels | WAS | at PHI |
| 7 | Dak Prescott | DAL | at NYG |
| 8 | Drake Maye | NE | at SEA |
| 9 | Caleb Williams | CHI | at CAR |
| 10 | Jared Goff | DET | vs. NO |
| 11 | Jaxson Dart | NYG | vs. DAL |
| 12 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC | vs. CLE |
| 13 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | vs. SF |
| 14 | Baker Mayfield | TB | at CIN |
| 15 | Bo Nix | DEN | at KC |
| 16 | Brock Purdy | SF | at LAR |
| 17 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | vs. DEN |
| 18 | Kyler Murray | MIN | vs. GB |
| 19 | Jordan Love | GB | at MIN |
| 20 | Malik Willis | MIA | at LV |
| 21 | Sam Darnold | SEA | vs. NE |
| 22 | Tyler Shough | NO | at DET |
| 23 | Daniel Jones | IND | vs. BAL |
| 24 | Jacoby Brissett | ARI | at LAC |
| 25 | C.J. Stroud | HOU | vs. BUF |
| 26 | Bryce Young | CAR | vs. CHI |
| 27 | Aaron Rodgers | PIT | vs. ATL |
| 28 | Geno Smith | NYJ | at TEN |
| 29 | Kirk Cousins | LV | vs. MIA |
| 30 | Cam Ward | TEN | vs. NYJ |
| 31 | Cooper Rush | ATL | at PIT |
| 32 | Deshaun Watson | CLE | at JAC |
QB Notes: Josh Allen has finished as the QB1 overall five of the past six seasons but begins 2026 as a road ‘dog vs. the Texans’ ferocious defense. You have to look for excuses to keep Allen out of the No. 1 spot. Houston is a good one. … Justin Herbert ended last season battered and bruised behind a non-functional offensive line. LT Joe Alt and RT Rashawn Slater are now back, though this being the Chargers, splash free agent signing C Tyler Biadasz is out for the season with a torn ACL. We’ll worry about that later. Herbert’s seasons have had a knack for not going according to plan, but with most everyone healthy and OC Mike McDaniel now in the fold, it’s difficult to see being a two-score home favorite vs. one of the league’s worst defenses going wrong. … It’s pretty simple with regards to Jayden Daniels. Absolutely nothing went wrong as a rookie, and positively nothing went right as a sophomore. He hopes to “split the difference” in Year 3, though the Eagles are a poor road matchup to begin the year. There is still only so far you can fade healthy dual-threat Daniels in fantasy.
Caleb Williams contains multitudes. So deadly deep, so inaccurate in the short areas of the field. That’s a tough way to make a living in the modern NFL, but it’s an archetype that does have historical precedent. It also stands to reason Williams will continue to get better after making a massive sophomore leap. I passed on Williams in favor of other 2026 quarterback options, but the floor is solid and the upside for even more is quite real. … There are just so many questions when it comes to Jaxson Dart. Does he have enough weapons? Does his new coaching staff have enough new ideas? WIll he continue to call his own number as much as he did in 2025? That third query is by far the most important, and Dart himself has insisted he’s going to keep tucking and running. This is a highly unstable situation, but a Week 1 home date with the Cowboys’ leaky defense is a plus spot to begin the year. … Trevor Lawrence finished fifth in passing touchdowns last season (29) and tied for second in QB rushing scores (nine). Something about it didn’t feel entirely trustworthy, but he begins the year facing “not your father’s Browns defense.” Ranking Lawrence outside the top 12 is not an option even if you spent the summer fading him like I did.
The regression monster is almost certainly going to reel Matthew Stafford in this season. He’s also going straight from the runway to the stadium in Australia for one of the longest road trips an American can make. He still seems like a sensible bet on the QB1/2 borderline for what is one of the highest-totaled games of Week 1. … It’s never too early in the fantasy season to play matchups. Baker Mayfield struggled to crack the top 20 QBs in summer drafts, but this Bengals/Bucs tilt will struggle to go under 50 in Cincy. How this should-be shootout unfolds will be a telling window into whether Mayfield can successfully rehab his low-end QB1 status this season. … Bo Nix was a QB1 last season. It was no thanks to his Chiefs matchups, where he totaled two touchdowns in two games. Jaylen Waddle could make all the difference, but with Vegas wary of a defensive-minded showdown in K.C., there will be better weeks to plant your Nix flag.
Ranking Patrick Mahomes outside the top 12 feels like poor process. The only worse process right now would be ranking him inside the top 12 for an opener vs. a Broncos pass defense that remains one of the league’s best. I think we are going to see a different Chiefs offense this season, but they might as well prove it first, and the Broncos are not the best fantasy testing ground. … Jordan Love is one of my primary “funny feeling” players of 2026. The stars seem aligned for the Pack to finally cut him loose. It’s just hard to love the matchup vs. a Brian Flores Vikings defense that has traditionally held him in check. … It is important to remember Kyler Murray was benched for Jacoby Brissett last season and the Cardinals’ passing attack was all the better for it. Then again, the team was far, far worse. Murray stresses defenses in ways that are tough to measure, and he’s never had a play-caller like Kevin O’Connell. There is room for genuine 2026 optimism. I’m putting him on Week 1 probation, but he could quickly get off of it with good fantasy behavior.
It’s not entirely accurate to label Malik Willis a “dual-threat.” That’s because we don’t know if he can throw. He has never attempted more than 23 passes in a game. Willis has made six career starts. He exceeded 25 fantasy points in two of them but failed to clear 15 in the other four. That’s what you would call “boom or bust.” The Raiders are nevertheless a potential Week 1 boom spot in a domed Vegas stadium sure to be overflowing with DolFans. … I’m cribbing a stat from my own Sleepers & Spoilers article, but: Jacoby Brissett averaged more fantasy points per game than Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert during his 12 starts last season. We know Brissett was taking advantage of an unrepeatable set of circumstances, but he is very much repeating his strong skill corps, hopefully this time with an improved coaching staff and running game. The defense is scarcely improved, which should help in fantasy. Brissett could prove to be an early-season lifehack in superflex leagues. … Depending on your games played slider, Tyler Shough was a top-five fantasy QB over the final five games of the 2025 season. That’s an outcome I never expected even in a small-sample size. I would not be surprised if this was a two steps forward, one step back situation — especially with first-rounder Jordyn Tyson on the shelf to begin the year — but Shough has already earned no-brainer superflex status.
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