Should you draft Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson in 2026 fantasy football? Compare projections, ADP, upside, injury risk, and supporting casts before draft day.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen rolls out during the second quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.
| Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Few draft decisions in 2026 fantasy football will shape roster construction more than choosing between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Both quarterbacks offer elite weekly ceilings through their rushing ability, but differences in durability, supporting casts, and offensive stability make this debate much tighter than it appears on the surface. , thanks in large part to his elite rushing production.
Over the past three seasons, he has scored 41 rushing touchdowns while posting rushing lines of 111/524/15, 102/531/12, and 112/579/14, giving Buffalo a consistent red-zone advantage and fantasy managers an edge few quarterbacks can match. Allen also posted a career-best 8.0 yards per pass attempt last season, an impressive mark considering the inconsistent production from his receiving corps.
Buffalo’s wide receivers combined for just 180 catches, 2,107 yards, and 11 touchdowns on 270 targets, while the offense also dealt with increased pressure protection issues that contributed to 40 sacks, up sharply from 14 in 2024. Outside of Khalil Shakir, who led the group with 72 catches for 719 yards and four touchdowns on 95 targets, Buffalo received limited contributions from the rest of the room.finishing with 38 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns on 59 targets.
His role shifted closer to the line of scrimmage, which contributed to a decline in efficiency from 19.2 yards per catch as a rookie to 10.4 last season. Josh Palmer also struggled to make an impact, posting 22 catches for 303 yards on 37 targets without finding the end zone, while Elijah Moore contributed just nine catches for 112 yards on 17 targets.
Buffalo compensated by leaning more heavily on its tight ends, who combined for 97 receptions, 1,210 yards, and 12 touchdowns on 121 targets. That shift aligned with the Bills’ increasingly run-focused offensive identity. Allen’s consistency over the last six seasons has been remarkable. He has produced 45, 42, 42, 43, 40, and 39 combined touchdowns during that span, cementing himself as both an elite NFL quarterback and fantasy cornerstone.
While he finished last season with a career-low 3,668 passing yards and a career-low 460 pass attempts , he also posted a career-best 69.3% completion rate. His passing touchdown totals have declined in five straight seasons , but his efficiency and rushing upside have more than offset the drop in passing volume. , giving Allen a proven playmaker capable of creating after the catch and stretching defenses vertically.
Buffalo also retained Coleman and added rookie receiver Skylar Ball in the fourth round, further investing in the supporting cast around its franchise quarterback. Allen once again finished as the QB1 in four-point passing touchdown formats last season with 414.30 fantasy points, though that total was slightly below his 2024 mark and his 2023 output .
Buffalo’s offensive philosophy still revolves around a strong ground game, but Allen’s ability to convert rushing touchdowns near the goal line remains a major differentiator. Dalton Kincaid showed encouraging development when healthy last season and is positioned to play a larger role in 2026, while Moore offers clear rebound potential in Buffalo’s offense. Allen remains the safest bet to be the first quarterback selected in fantasy drafts this summer, with realistic expectations of 4,500 combined yards and 40 touchdowns.
Last season, Allen produced three monster fantasy performances at home and scored at least 25.00 fantasy points in 10 of his 18 starts. Including the playoffs, he accounted for 27 of his 45 touchdowns at home while throwing just four interceptions in those games. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reacts after a play against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium.
| Peter Casey-Imagn Images When the lights came on for the 2025 football season, Jackson looked locked in for another impact year. He gained 840 combined yards with 10 touchdowns , with an edge in his completion rate and yards per pass attempt .
An early exit in Week 4 with a hamstring injury led to three missed stats, and lost luster over his final nine games . Jackson gained only 4.0 yards per rush, with a sharp decline in his completion rate . His only other playable fantasy games came in Week 9 and Week 14 . Late in the year, he battled ankle and back issues, resulting in him missing Week 17.
Over the past five seasons, Jackson has missed at least four games three times. He came out of 2025 with no rushes gaining 20 yards , after reaching that threshold 51 times over the previous seven years. The Ravens lost TE Isiah Likely in the offseason while drafting five offensive skill players in the 2026 NFL Draft .
A new coaching staff and offensive system, added to a change in receiving options invites a learning curve for Jackson in 2026. Despite multiple question marks, he is still the second-ranked quarterback in the early draft season in the National Fantasy Football Championship with an ADP of 41 . I have no interested in investing in Jackson at his current price point.
A great player with a unique skill, so I’ll wait to see his summer reports before settling on ranking and potential this year. Allen enters 2026 with the safer floor, a more stable offensive environment, and unmatched touchdown equity near the goal line, making him the stronger choice as the QB1 in most formats. Jackson still offers league-winning upside, but his recent injury history, offensive changes, and declining rushing explosiveness introduce more risk at his current ADP.
Allen is the clearly superior pick. Matt Brandon has spent more than a decade in the fantasy sports and sports media world, with stops at Scout Media, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, DrRoto.com, Fantasy SP, FullTime Fantasy, and several other industry staples. A three-time Top-10 finisher in FantasyPros’ national rankings competition, Brandon has also captured multiple major DFS tournament wins on FanDuel and DraftKings. His true expertise lies in season-long fantasy football and fantasy basketball, along with sports betting analysis.
A lifelong New Yorker, he proudly bleeds blue for his Giants, Knicks, Rangers, and Mets. Brandon also covers Major League Baseball, with a particular focus on the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia PhilliesWith 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy.
I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions.
My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports : DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season.
In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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