If you’re planning to wait on quarterback, or you just want to know your options for bye weeks and streaming matchups, this is your pool. These are the Tier 4 quarterbacks in our 2026 expert consensus rankings. It’s a mix of low-end starters, rushing-upside plays, and veteran game managers who can all realistically be had after your league has filled out their starting QB. None of these are must-start Week 1 options in shallow leagues, but several carry real weekly ceiling in the right matchup. Here are 2026 fantasy football outlooks for these streaming options. And you can leverage our Bye Week Cheat Sheet and Quarterback-by-Committee Tool to map out your 2026 fantasy football draft startegy for QBs.
2026 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Streaming Quarterbacks
Let’s take a look at your late-round quarterback options for 2026.
Tier 4: The Streaming Pool
The bulk of your late-round and streaming options live here. Rushing floor, a soft matchup, or a favorable offensive scheme can turn any of these names into a usable weekly starter.
17. Kyler Murray (MIN) — Bye: 6
After seven topsy-turvy seasons with the Cardinals, Kyler Murray will make a fresh start with the Vikings in 2026. Murray may or may not be in a quarterback competition with JJ McCarthy for Minnesota’s starting job, but it’s widely expected that Murray will be taking the snaps when the Vikings face the Packers in Week 1. Murray played only five games last season before sustaining a foot sprain that eventually landed him on injured reserve. Murray’s yearly finishes in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks with at least five starts: QB11, QB4, QB4, QB7, QB9, QB12, QB20. Murray steps into a good situation with Kevin O’Connell as his playcaller, and he’ll have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings as his wide receivers. Murray has always added rushing value, having averaged at least 30 rushing per game in all seven of his NFL seasons. The perception might be that Murray is damaged goods, but he could be one of the better QB values in 2026 fantasy drafts.
18. Jordan Love (GB) — Bye: 11
It’s possible Jordan Love is simply a better real-life fantasy quarterback than fantasy quarterback. In 2025, Love ranked second among all quarterbacks in expected points added per dropback, third in defense-adjusted value over average, third in QBR and sixth in passer rating. And yet Love averaged only 16.1 fantasy points per game, which ranked QB19 among quarterbacks who made at least eight starts. Love finished QB5 in 2023, his first full season as an NFL starter, and hasn’t finished in QB1 range since. It’s partly because the Packers have been so run-heavy the last two seasons, finishing 31st in pass rate over expected in 2024, 22nd in 2025. Love hasn’t offered much rushing production either, with 282 rushing yards and one TD run over the last two seasons. Love might be a top-10 quarterback in reality, but it’s best to regard him as a high-end to midrange QB2 in 2026 fantasy drafts.
19. Baker Mayfield (TB) — Bye: 10
This is a crossroads year for Baker Mayfield, who went from QB3 in fantasy points per game in 2024 to QB19 last season. Mayfield’s completion percentage fell from 71.4% in 2024 to 63.2% in 2025. He went from 7.9 yards per pass attempt in 2024 to 6.8 yards per attempt in 2025. Injuries may have been at least partly to blame. WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin each missed about half the season. WR Emeka Egbuka started fast, then hurt his hamstring and fell off dramatically. The Buccaneers’ offensive line was banged up early in the season. Mayfield himself dealt with a shoulder injury. Mayfield had a good season with Dave Canales as his playcaller in 2023 and an even better season with Liam Coen as his playcaller in 2024. Mayfield had a disappointing 2025 season in tandem with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. Now he gets his fourth playcaller in as many seasons, new Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. A bounce-back season for the 31-year-old Mayfield is entirely possible, but we probably shouldn’t assume he’ll return to his 2023-2024 form.
20. Tyler Shough (NO) — Bye: 8
Second-round draft pick Tyler Shough was a pleasant surprise for New Orleans as a rookie. He now enters the 2026 season as the Saints’ undisputed starter, with an opportunity to prove that he can be the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. Spencer Rattler started the Saints’ first eight games in 2025, but Shough took over as the starter in Week 9 and guided the team to a 5-4 record down the stretch. Shough was QB12 in fantasy points per game from Week 9 through the end of the regular season, and he produced at least 17.1 fantasy points in each of his last six starts. The 26-year-old Shough completed 67.6% of his throws, averaged 7.3 yards per pass attempt, and had 10 TD passes and six interceptions. He also averaged 16.9 rushing yards per game and had three TD runs. It should be noted that only one of the teams Shough faced in his nine starts last season, the Rams, ranked inside the top 10 in DVOA against the pass. Still, it was an impressive half-season for Shough, and the Saints should have an easy schedule again in 2026. The Saints feathered Shough’s nest in this year’s NFL Draft by drafting WR Jordyn Tyson No. 8 overall. With Tyson and veteran Chris Olave, Shough has more than adequate pass-catching weaponry.
21. Malik Willis (MIA) — Bye: 6
Cast aside by the Titans and rejuvenated by a stint as a backup with the Packers, Malik Willis now gets a chance to prove himself as a starter for the Dolphins, who signed him to a three-year, $67 million contract in March. Willis is an electric runner. In six career starts, Willis has averaged 44.8 rushing yards per game and has run for four touchdowns. And Willis seems to have made considerable strides as a passer. Over 11 appearances and three starts in Green Bay in 2024 and 2025, Willis completed 78.7% of his throws and averaged 10.9 yards per pass attempt, with six TD passes and zero interceptions. Willis will be hard-pressed to match that sort of passing efficiency with the Dolphins, who might have the worst collection of pass catchers in the league. But Willis’ running ability should make him fantasy-viable even if his passing numbers are mediocre.
22. C.J. Stroud (HOU) — Bye: 8
Over the last two years, CJ Stroud has been unable to match the splendor of his 2023 rookie season. Shoddy offensive line play was undoubtedly part of the problem in 2024. The Texans’ O-line outperformed expectations in 2025, but Stroud was a league-average starter at best. As a rookie, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only five interceptions. He averaged 273.2 passing yards per game and 8.2 yards per pass attempt. In 31 starts over the last two seasons, Stroud has averaged 218.3 passing yards per game and 7.1 yards per attempt. His yearly finishes in fantasy points per game among QBs with at least nine starts: QB7, QB26, QB20. The Texans have worked on upgrading Stroud’s offensive line, and Houston has a solid set of pass catchers led by WR Nico Collins. But with Houston having one of the NFL’s top defenses, Stroud probably won’t be presented with a lot of pass-happy game scripts. Consider Stroud a low-end QB in 2026 fantasy drafts.
23. Sam Darnold (SEA) — Bye: 11
It took Sam Darnold seven seasons to finally get his footing as an NFL starter, but he’s now put together two splendid seasons, culminating in a Super Bowl victory with the Seahawks. Darnold began his career with three nightmarish seasons as a Jet, fared little better in two seasons as a Panther, and spent one season as a backup with the 49ers before finally breaking through with the Vikings in 2024. He signed with the Seahawks in 2025 and guided the team to a 14-3 regular-season record and a 3-0 run through the playoffs. Over the last two regular seasons, Darnold has completed 66.9% of his throws and averaged 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 60 TD passes, 26 interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.9. He’s finished QB9 and QB13 in fantasy scoring the last two years. Darnold averaged only 28.1 pass attempts per game last season, as the Seahawks ran the ball at the third-highest rate in the league. Darnold must adjust to a new offensive coordinator, Brian Fleury, now that former Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak has taken the Raiders’ head-coaching job. But it’s possible Seattle throws at a higher rate this year, which could potentially boost Darnold’s passing numbers.
24. Cam Ward (TEN) — Bye: 9
Cam Ward struggled mightily for most of his rookie year but showed improvement late in the season, creating optimism for 2026. The No. 1 pick in last year’s NFL Draft averaged just 10.2 fantasy points per game over his first 12 starts. He averaged a paltry 5.7 yards per pass attempt over that span, with seven TD passes and six interceptions. Ward didn’t have more than one TD pass in a game until Week 14, but then he had three consecutive games with two TD passes. Over Ward’s last four starts of 2026 (not including a brief cameo appearance in Week 18), he averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game. A shortage of pass-catching weaponry was a major problem for Ward as a rookie. The Titans addressed that issue by signing WR Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency and drafting Ohio State WR Carnell Tate No. 4 overall. Hopefully Ward will get better protection from his offensive line in 2026 after taking a league-high 55 sacks last year. Ward is probably only a consideration in superflex leagues or extremely deep redraft leagues for 2026, but the talented youngster could come on quickly.
25. Daniel Jones (IND) — Bye: 13
Although he tore his Achilles in early December, Daniels Jones says he expects to be 100% ready for Week 1 of 2026. Through the first 10 weeks of the 2025 season, Jones looked like an MVP candidate while guiding the Colts to an 8-2 start. He completed 69.9% of his passes over those first 10 games, averaged 8.3 yards per pass attempt, threw 15 TD passes and seven interceptions, and added five rushing touchdowns. Jones was QB5 in fantasy scoring over that stretch. But then Jones fractured his fibula, costing him some mobility and limiting his effectiveness as a passer, before the late-season Achilles tear. It’s encouraging that Jones is upbeat about his recovery, but mobility is a big part of his game (both in real life and fantasy), and it’s fair to wonder whether Jones will have anything close to his usual mobility. Jones has also been notoriously turnover-prone during his career. Monitor Jones’ recovery closely in the run-up to the 2026 season.
Fantasy Football QB Streaming Strategy
When choosing among this group week to week, prioritize rushing floor over raw passing volume. A QB who can pick up 30-40 rushing yards on the ground offers a safer weekly floor than a pure pocket passer, even in a good matchup. Check the schedule two weeks out so you’re not scrambling on a bye week with no options left on your streaming shelf.
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Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Check out the consensus 2026 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
