Biggest Potential Winners and Losers in the 2026 NFL Draft - Quarterback

Quarterback is the most important position in football. Everyone knows that. But it’s also quietly become one of the most popular in fantasy football thanks to superflex and two-quarterback formats. The dynasty fantasy football community has especially embraced the format in recent years, making the 2026 NFL Draft that much more important for the fantasy football landscape.

And football also happens to be the most dangerous position in fantasy football when it comes to the offseason. This isn’t wide receiver, where each team is rolling out two or three for the majority of snaps. Quarterback is a linear position where you either start, or you don’t - your value can go to zero at the drop of a hat.

So that’s what we’ll look at today. We’re hitting on each position in this series, but we’ll start with quarterback. This NFL Draft could be kind to these three quarterbacks, delivering weapons and safety. Or it could be painful, setting them up for failure and possibly even replacement. If you have one of these quarterbacks, it’s time to cross your fingers and do some fantasy wishing. 

Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

Geno Smith is already a winner to some degree this offseason. Anytime you can have a season like he just had and still come out with a potential starting gig has to be counted as a big win. He now inherits an offense with Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and Mason Taylor, which is actually better overall than the weapons he had last year with an injured Brock Bowers and company. 

And it could potentially get even better. The Jets have picks 2, 16, 33, and 44, where they could add to that weapon group. Even one more wide receiver to go with Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell would actually make for a pretty interesting group. We’ve seen Geno put up decent numbers in Seattle, so a bounce back isn’t entirely crazy.  

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

On the flip side, the Jets could also easily use one of those picks on a quarterback. As we saw with Russell Wilson last year, the leash gets a lot shorter when everyone is collectively rooting for the rookie to get a shot. And those changes usually occur when it matters most for fantasy football - down the stretch. 

The rumor mill out there suggests that the Jets are likely to use pick 2 on an edge rusher. This draft is pretty thin at the top for elite pass-catchers, so if they do use one of those picks on a QB, the odds of them also getting another weapon end up pretty slim. This draft could go pretty dramatically one way or the other for Geno Smith.

Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

Malik Willis already has one thing going for him - rushing. Every quarterback over the last decade to run five times a game and start at least 16 games has finished in the top 10 for fantasy football. Based on what Willis was doing in his short stint last year, 85 rushing attempts in a 17-game season is pretty easily done. That’s certainly intriguing.

What’s even more interesting is that the Dolphins have three picks in the top 50 at 11, 30, and 43. They are also one of the most widely mocked destinations for a pass-catcher. They could potentially take one of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordan Tyson, then also circle back for a tight end or another receiver. That would be a massive boost for Willis.

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

As it stands right now, however, the Miami Dolphins have the worst group of pass-catchers in the league. They basically have an incumbent sixth-round pick in Malik Washington, then they’re giving a second chance to a group of castoffs in Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, Terrace Marshall, and Greg Dulcich. Not ideal.

There’s really no guarantee that the Dolphins will add weapons in this draft either. Most sportsbooks have Miami set with an over/under win total of 4.5, which is the worst in the entire league. They could focus this draft on the trenches, then grab some weapons next year when the draft class is better, and they have equally high picks. So Malik Willis could find himself in a bridge year, which could be painful. 

Jacoby Brissett, TE, Arizona Cardinals

Fantasy Football Draft Winner Scenario

Was Jacoby Brissett good last year? That’s debatable. Was he good for fantasy football? Absolutely. He was averaging a little over 280 pass yards a game with multiple 300+ yard games along the way - and a 400+ yard game. He also supported multiple fantasy-relevant players for us.

Last time I checked, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr, and Michael Wilson will all be back. They also brought back James Conner and added Tyler Allgeier at running back. New head coach Mike Lafleur seems to like him for his scheme, going as far as to say he “looks the part” back there.

Fantasy Football Draft Loser Scenario

Say what you will about fantasy football production - Brissett was not winning games last year. They went 1-11 with him starting. And some of those games could be directly tied to his mistakes, like the two fumbles for touchdowns in the Seahawks game. So holding onto this job isn’t a given.

In fact, it’s not a 100% that he gets the job. He needs to beat out crafty veteran Gardner Minshew. And they also have to hope that there isn’t a quarterback draft prospect that the Cardinals like. They probably aren’t taking one at three overall, but trading back and also trading back into the first round are on the table. As we mentioned, your margins for era are a lot smaller when the fans are clamoring to see the young kid take over.