Late-round quarterback strategy has become one of the most reliable ways to build a fantasy roster, and the track record backs it up — Drake Maye, Javonte Williams-style breakouts, and even a UDFA-turned-starter like Jacoby Brissett have all delivered league-winning stretches from well outside the early rounds in recent years. With that in mind, here are 10 quarterbacks going outside the top-12 or so at the position who have real paths to a QB1-caliber, outlier-type season in 2026.
Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Murray is finally out of Arizona and into what might be the best situation of his career. Kevin O’Connell has a track record of maximizing quarterbacks — just look at what he did for Sam Darnold — and Murray steps into a receiving corps of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings that’s arguably the most complete group he’s ever played with. He’s finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback in every season he’s played at least 14 games, and his rushing floor alone gives him a shot at QB1 numbers even if the passing volume is modest. The one catch: he still has to hold off J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, though he’s currently the heavy favorite.
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Ward’s rookie stat line wasn’t pretty, but the tape showed a big arm, an aggressive mindset, and underrated athleticism. Tennessee hired Brian Daboll — the coach who helped shape Josh Allen’s early development in Buffalo — as offensive coordinator, and added real weapons this offseason in fourth-overall pick Carnell Tate and free-agent signing Wan’Dale Robinson. Ward closed his rookie year on a high note, throwing multiple touchdowns in each of his final four full games. The typical Year 1-to-Year 2 leap, paired with better coaching and better weapons, makes him one of the more popular late-round sleepers in the industry this summer.
Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Shough enters the season as New Orleans’ unquestioned starter after leading all rookie quarterbacks in passing yards per game, completion percentage, and passer rating a year ago. Kellen Moore’s offenses have consistently produced fantasy-friendly quarterback numbers thanks to their tempo, and the Saints upgraded Shough’s supporting cast this offseason, adding rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson to a group that already includes Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, and Travis Etienne. He also chips in enough rushing to boost his fantasy floor. Currently going as a low-end QB2 in most drafts, he’s one of the better value plays at the position.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Jones quietly finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback last season in his first year with Indianapolis, completing 68% of his passes with a career-high 8.1 yards per attempt before a season-ending Achilles injury. Shane Steichen’s offense and an improved offensive line gave him clean pockets to operate from, and if he’s fully recovered, there’s no reason that formula stops working. His added rushing juice makes him a sneaky value as a late-round starter or superflex option.
Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
Willis impressed in relief of an injured Jordan Love last season, running for 44 yards on 64% of the snaps in one appearance and flashing real rushing upside all year. Miami projects to trail in a lot of games in 2026, which tends to mean garbage-time volume, and Willis pairing his legs with checkdowns to De’Von Achane — who ranked second in the league in yards per touch last year — gives him a real path to usable weekly production. The receiving room around him is thin, but as a pure rushing-floor QB2, he’s a comfortable late pick.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield finished as the QB4 as recently as 2024, and a similar scheme under Zac Robinson keeps that ceiling in play. He opened last season hot before fading badly in the back half, which has knocked his price down — but the talent and rushing floor that produced a top-five finish two years ago haven’t gone anywhere.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Goff isn’t the typical rushing-upside sleeper, but he’s strung together four straight 4,000-yard seasons and hasn’t missed a game since 2021 while throwing to one of the league’s best supporting casts in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta. He’s finished outside the top 12 in three of the last four years despite the weapons, which has quietly deflated his draft price — making him a high-floor value who could easily crack the top 10 if touchdown luck normalizes.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Two uneven seasons following a spectacular rookie year have driven Stroud’s cost way down, but the talent and connection with Nico Collins are both still there. Houston has continued investing in the offensive line, and better protection could let Stroud get back to attacking downfield instead of managing constant pressure. His rushing output is minimal, which caps the ceiling somewhat, but a bounce-back in efficiency alone could make him a QB1-caliber matchup play most weeks.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers
It sounds strange to call a 43-year-old a sleeper, but Rodgers quietly playing another season in the same offense, with Arthur Smith calling plays, keeps his floor higher than his draft price suggests. Don’t be shocked if he sneaks into the top 15 at the position by season’s end in a superflex or best-ball format.
Justin Fields, New York Jets
Fields is genuinely polarizing — rankings for him range from QB7 to QB20 depending on the source — but strip out an ugly rookie season for context and he’s shown he can score over 19 fantasy points per game in his better stretches, which would’ve ranked as a top-seven finish last year. With the Jets lacking a clear alternative at the position, his rushing floor alone gives him one of the highest weekly ceilings of any quarterback available in the double-digit rounds.
The bigger picture
The common denominator across nearly all 10 of these names is rushing equity — Murray, Ward, Jones, Willis, Mayfield, and Fields all bring real legs to the position, which raises the floor even on a bad passing day and is exactly the kind of trait that turns a late-round dart throw into a league-winner. For the pure passers in the group — Goff and Stroud especially — the bet is really on touchdown regression and better protection rather than a new skill unlocking, which is a lower-variance but still very real path to outperforming ADP.
