Quarterbacks Eyeing Bounceback Fantasy Football 2026 Seasons: Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson And More

I’m with so many of you. I didn’t get that ranking either. That’s right, I couldn’t think of 68 players who were better than Lamar Jackson when NFL Network placed him at No. 69 in its top 100 NFL players.

We’re talking LAMAR JACKSON! A quick check on his resume shows he’s a two-time NFL MVP, and many thought that his banner 2024 campaign with 4,172 passing yards and 41 TDs, along with 915 yards and 4 more scores should have earned him a third. It did get him a third All-Pro nod, but just second in the MVP race.

With him appearing to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory entering his age-29 season—when many quarterbacks are entering their prime—on a team that is annually in the Super Bowl discussion, it would seem that Jackson would likely be among the top 5 players in the NFL. Maybe even top 3. Then again, those making up that ranking may have his injury-marred 2025 season impacting how they viewed him going into this season.

Jackson is one of three quarterbacks coming back from injuries who are prime candidates to bounce back and have big seasons this year. They’re all at a discount in drafts, but don’t wait too long to snap them up.

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Quarterback Bounceback Candidates for Fantasy Football 2026

Lamar Jackson | Ravens

Through the first three weeks of last season, Jackson passed for 722 yards and and 9 TDs. He added 118 yards on the ground and another score. Those numbers look like vintage Lamar. Then a litany of injuries happened.

Hamstring, knee, ankle, toe and back injuries all impacted Jackson last year, forcing him to miss four games and be on the injury report practically weekly. And when he returned to action in Week 9, he did not have the same explosiveness as in his past. But are we going to let recency bias impact how we view such an important player going into the 2026 season? And is he a candidate to outperform his current ADP and at least live up to our fantasy football rankings?

First thing I look for in a player coming back from injury is whether he had surgery. None. Rest and rehab were all he needed over the offseason. That’s a huge point in his favor in bouncing back.

Dwain McFarland is pointing toward a return of Jackson to his salad days, as the Ravens QB joins Josh Allen in Tier 1 of Dwain’s Quarterback Tiers. Looking at the projections, it’s plenty clear that Jackson is expected to have a full recovery. With 3,626 passing yards and 27 TDs, along with 656.3 yards and 3.8 TDs, we’re talking a return to production very comparable to Jackson’s 2024 MVP season.

There’s excitement about new OC Declan Doyle, who is coming over after working with Ben Johnson in Chicago. Doyle also spent time working under Sean Payton. It also cannot be understated how much better Jackson has become as a pure passer. His TD% of 7.0% last year was well ahead of the 5.3% he posted in 2024. His yards per attempt at 8.4 were right in line with his previous two seasons. He looked plenty accurate in his start to the season, hitting on 70% or better in three of his first four games.

ADP check: At his current Underdog ADP of 55.5, Jackson is being drafted alongside Bhayshul Tuten and DJ Moore. It’s mostly RB2 types and some WR1 to WR2 options with some questions. Fantasy teams with a good foundation at either RB or WR, or both, Jackson is a good home run shot at a player who can finish tops at his position.

Jayden Daniels | Commanders

Many fantasy analysts have pointed out that if Jayden Daniels swapped his Year 1 and 2 production, he’d be getting drafted before Drake Maye and possibly even going up in the range near Jackson for the QB2. Alas, injuries hit him in Week 2 and never went away, relegating him to just seven games. After Week 9, he appeared for just a half of a Week 14 game.

Like a relief pitcher who blew a save, Daniels just has to flush last season. Now he gets a new OC in former NFL QB David Blough. All the talk about maximizing Daniels' skill set has been uttered, but this is still a coach who has never called plays before in the NFL. There may be growing pains, but Daniels has the talent to gloss over any early issues coming from the sideline.

Let’s remember that Daniels completed 69% of his passes in 2024 on his way to a fantastic season that ended up with the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game. Even in a down 2025 season, Daniels still hit 20 fantasy points in two games. He also sports a rushing ability that may rival only Jackson—we’ll see if you can do it for more than a handful of games, Malik Willis. That 891 yards and 6 TDs hasn’t faded from memory just yet.

ADP check: Daniels is even with Maye in ADP at 66.5, as they are at the forefront of a cluster of eight QBs who are going in Rounds 6 and 7. This really is the sweet spot to get a QB, because those who went for Allen and Jackson earlier are picking from a group of players like Brian Thomas, Jordyn Tyson, Jadarian Price and Marvin Harrison Jr., who have plenty of questions about them. Daniels has QB1 overall upside, and may hit that one year. Could this be the year?

Baker Mayfield | Buccaneers

Coming off a 2024 season with 4,500 yards and 41 TDs, Baker Mayfield was a fun pick to click. He started to pay off right away, connecting on multiple TD passes in 5 of 6 games to start the season. The highlight was a 379-3 masterpiece that he hung on the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seahawks in a 38-35 win in Seattle. He hit on 29 of 33 passes against that Mike Macdonald defense.

Then an injury log that would rival Jackson’s started to happen. And while Mayfield was playing through it, his production fell drastically. I had him in a superflex league where he was my QB2, and I sat Sam Darnold several weeks when the Seattle QB ended up the better performer. Aside from the injuries, Mayfield was dealing with the loss of Liam Coen to the Jaguars. Now he has another OC, this time Zac Robinson brings with him some familiarity.

In 2022, Mayfield had a five-game cup of coffee with the Rams after asking for his release from the Carolina Panthers. Robinson was one of the offensive assistants for Sean McVay,  and got to work with Mayfield. Now the two are paired up again, this time with Robinson having playcalling duties.

ADP check: Even getting back to the production from the 2023 season, when Mayfield debuted with the Bucs to the tune of 4,044 passing yards and 28 TDs, would be a welcomed sight at pick 118.8 on Underdog ADP. He’s going a few picks after Kyler Murray and Jordan Love. Murray is more of a target at that point in the draft, with his having the biggest upside if things click with Kevin O’Connell. But with Mayfield as the QB19, he’s one of the last QBs to get drafted, and likely is the QB2 in a tandem with another late-round QB on rosters that got loaded up early. He will be start-worthy some weeks, especially in games against the NFC South. He has a tempting fantasy playoff schedule, too.

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