2026 Fantasy Football QB Breakouts: High-Upside Passers to Target (May Update)

As we move further into the NFL offseason, there’s the temptation to just sit back, relax, and not keep up on any of the latest news or research.

This is where fantasy managers can fall behind to the rest of their league. It’s imperative that the research begins now as some incredible values can be found and identified!

With that in mind, here are the top players that can take a step forward in production this season at the QB position for fantasy football. It’s time to talk some breakouts!

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2026 Fantasy Football QB Breakouts

Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins

After his time in Tennessee as the backup, it seemed like Malik Willis’ opportunity to be a solid fantasy football asset was behind him.

However, an injury to Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love late in the season this past year opened the door for the dynamic athlete to prove what he was capable of – and he absolutely delivered.

He parlayed his success in his limited game action into a three-year, $67,000,000 contract in free agency with the Miami Dolphins and he is now very much on the minds of fantasy managers as they begin their research and prep going into 2026.

Willis’ athleticism has never been in question, going back to his pre-draft process coming out of Liberty University, but his passing game chops needed significant refinement.

Apparently his time with Matt LaFleur helped immensely though because Willis was accurate with his ball placement and showed that aspect of his game is not a liability in 2025.

For fantasy football purposes, a QBs rushing ability can be a cheat code. Even if the environment they’re in – from a pass catchers standpoint – isn’t great, the points boost from the ground game can more than make up for any deficiencies through the air.

In Miami this season, Willis’ passing stats may not jump off the page. He’s throwing to a WR room that features names like Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington, Caleb Douglas, and Chris Bell, which leaves a lot to be desired.

However, if he’s going to see north of six or seven rush attempts per game this year, he’s going to be in the top 12 fantasy QB conversation weekly due to his ability.

Looking for more fantasy football breakouts? Find our full list here.

Additionally, the threat that a mobile QB provides in the red zone should be leaned into heavily this year with questionable WR play. In his two games where he played the majority of the action in 2025, Malik Willis had five red zone rush attempts.

A 17-game pace would have been 43, which was 12 more than Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen had in 2025 as the next closest QB.

If Willis can push for the league lead in terms of red zone rush attempts, he’s going to be a steal at his current ADP. He’s going to be a top target of mine at the QB position as we head into fantasy football drafts this year.

Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans

Last year, we saw massive strides from two QBs going into their sophomore season who struggled mightily in their rookie campaigns in bad situations: Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams and New England Patriots QB Drake Maye.

They each had coaching staff changes from year one to year two and subsequently got massive upgrades at the offensive coordinator spot. For Maye, that looked like going from Jerod Mayo to Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels.

For Williams, that looked like going from Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron to Ben Johnson.

This same path could easily be followed by Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward in 2026. He was thrown to the wolves in his rookie season with a horrible coaching situation and no receiving weapons, to now a new coaching staff with an innovative play caller named Brian Daboll.

While this is enticing, along with the additions of Wan’Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate at the WR position, it’s important to recognize that Ward’s profile has more holes than Williams and Maye’s did in their rookie seasons.

Ward ended his rookie year with a -143.2 Pass EPA. The only QBs with a LOWER Pass EPA since 2018 were:

Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young – 2023 (-184.3)
Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell – 2023 (-149.3)
Arizona Cardinals QB Josh Rosen – 2018 (-165.4)

This shouldn’t mean that we completely write off Ward from a fantasy standpoint, or make grand claims that he’s already a bust, but it is just something to be aware of and concerned about heading into 2026.

As long as his ADP stays in a respectable range, Ward’s an intriguing target in fantasy drafts as he’s likely to take a massive step forward this year in a much better situation.

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

There weren’t many QBs that finished on a hotter run last season than New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough.

From Weeks 13-18, Shough was the overall QB4 and averaged 20.1 fantasy points per contest. And this was with an offense that essentially featured Chris Olave…and not a whole lot else.

Now, going into 2026, the offense has been revamped under Kellen Moore and it features some impressive playmakers that should make life even easier on the second-year QB.

Travis Etienne was brought in on a large contract in free agency, while Alvin Kamara is also still in the picture. Additionally, the Saints added Jordyn Tyson with the No. 8 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and brought in speedster Bryce Lance as well in the fourth round.

All of this signals that Shough should only continue to build on the foundation he laid in his rookie season. The offensive system clearly works for his skillset, he has added playmakers to make life easier on him, and he’s heading into his second year paired with his play caller.

Shough’s ADP is currently at a spot where an investment in him doesn’t have to break the bank. If he falters and shows that the end of last year was a fluke, cut him and move on.

If he does breakout though, you have a solid weekly contributor at QB that you got in the later rounds of your draft.

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