Here are five signal-callers who are either true breakout candidates, or could turn into draft bargains and push for a top-10 finish.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart will be a popular breakout candidate in 2026 fantasy football drafts. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images. 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. That’s some impressive company for the young quarterback. Maye was joined by Caleb Williams, who finished fifth in points at the position, as players who busted out and became high-end assets for the first time in their professional careers. They also helped fantasy managers have a successful season.
Looking ahead to 2026, finding quarterbacks who could be the next Maye or Williams is difficult. In fact, I can’t find five signal-callers who fit my parameters for a player I believe can finish in the top 10 in points after never finishing that highly in any of his previous seasons.
With that said, here are five quarterbacks who are either true breakout candidates, or could turn into draft bargains and push for a top-10 finish . Regardless, all of these players project to be positive additions in drafts. Dart is one of just two true breakout quarterbacks on this list.
He finished 13th in points as a rookie, but he averaged more than 17 fantasy points in his 14 games . A dual-threat quarterback, he rushed for 487 yards and nine touchdowns. Dart also found 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.
Purdy already has a top-10 fantasy finish on his résumé, but he’s still not being picked in the top 90 players based on early ADP data. While he finished just 23rd among quarterbacks a season ago, his 19.7 points-per-game average was sixth among quarterbacks with a minimum of nine starts. Purdy is more of a potential draft bargain than a breakout player, but he’s worth targeting nonetheless for managers who like to wait to draft a starting signal-caller.
Early reports out of Vikings camp suggest the competition between Murray and J.J. McCarthy hasn’t really been a competition at all; Murray has been the clear leader. That’s not a surprise, as McCarthy was mostly dreadful last season. Heck, he turned Justin Jefferson from an elite fantasy wideout into a risk-reward flex when he was the starter in 2025.
Murray, who has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in four of his five full years, could be a steal based on ADP . 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-best quarterback over the final five weeks of the fantasy season.
The Saints did right by him in the offseason, too, adding Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Jordyn Tyson. While he can be defined as either a breakout or sleeper candidate, Shough is certainly in the conversation as a potential fantasy draft bargain. Jones was a phenomenal sleeper last season before getting hurt, averaging 18.8 fantasy points in his 12 full games.
Reports of his return from a torn Achilles have been positive, and the fact that the Colts inked him to a two-year, $88 million extension means the starting job is his when he’s back at 100%. Early ADP data has Jones coming off the board as the QB26 in the 150s, so the veteran has all the look of a potential bargain in fantasy football drafts. Michael Fabiano is a fantasy football analyst for Sports Illustrated.
His weekly rankings and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em articles are must-reads for fantasy players. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy Dirt Podcast on SI. Before joining SI in August 2020, he worked for CBS Sports, NFL Network and SiriusXM. He also contributes to Westwood One Radio.
Fabiano was the first fantasy analyst to appear on one of the four major TV networks and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
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