The fantasy football world saw multiple quarterbacks break out this past season, none more prominently than Drake Maye. He went from averaging fewer than 14 fantasy points per game as a rookie to a robust 20.7 points per game in 2025. What’s more, Maye’s 352 points scored were second only to Josh Allen.
Maye was joined by Caleb Williams, who finished fifth in points at the position, as players who busted out and became high-end assets (ranking in the top eight at the position) for the first time in their professional careers.
Looking ahead to 2026, finding quarterbacks who could be the next Maye or Williams is difficult. In fact, I can’t find five who fit my parameters of a player who’ll rank in the top five to eight at the position for the first time ever. I even sent out the question on X, and the options among you, the fantasy fans, were limited.
With that said, I’m going to list five quarterbacks who could turn into the best draft bargains and push for top-five-to-eight value, even if that player has reached that level in the past.
2026 Fantasy Football Quarterback Breakouts
Jaxson Dart, Giants: Dart is the only true breakout quarterback on this list. He finished 13th in points as a rookie, but he averaged more than 17 fantasy points in his 14 games (12 starts). A dual-threat quarterback, he rushed for 487 yards and nine touchdowns. Dart also found some success as a passer, and he did it without his top option, Malik Nabers. With Nabers and Cam Skattebo back in action, Dart will have plenty of weapons and a terrific shot at being this year’s Maye in fantasy leagues.
Brock Purdy, 49ers: Purdy has a top-six fantasy finish on his résumé, but he’s still not seen as a high-end quarterback. That could change next season, though, as long as the Niners acquire some talent to improve a passing game that still saw Purdy average nearly 20 points in the nine games he started in 2025. If things fall into place, the veteran quarterback could be quite the value in 2026 fantasy drafts.
Tyler Shough, Saints: Shough was great down the stretch of his rookie year, putting up 17-plus fantasy points in all but one of his final eight games. Based on total points, he was the eighth among quarterbacks over the final five weeks of the fantasy season. While I see him as more of a sleeper than a player who could be in the top five, Shough is certainly in the conversation as a potential fantasy draft bargain.
Kyler Murray, Cardinals: Murray has top-10 finishes on his fantasy résumé, but he’s coming off the worst season of his career and appears to be finished in Arizona. There will be no shortage of teams that need a quarterback, including the Vikings (sorry, J.J. McCarthy). If such a scenario became a reality and Murray were the starter for coach Kevin O’Connell, he could be a comeback player candidate.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fab’s Five Way-Too-Early Fantasy Football Quarterback Breakouts For 2026.
