QB auction tiers 2026: let the room pay $40 for a position you can stream

Quarterback is where your league's early aggression can make you money. DraftCall's standard-scoring board shows only a 5.3 PPG gap from QB1 to QB12, much flatter than RB or WR. In a normal 1-QB league, that makes the opening $30-$40 quarterback a luxury unless the price is genuinely soft.

Tier map

Tier 1: Josh Allen, Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes. DraftCall has them at 20.4-22.8 PPG based on 2025 production.

Tier 2: Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams, Dak Prescott.

Tier 3: Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Jared Goff, Daniel Jones, Jaxson Dart.

Late value: Jordan Love, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Baker Mayfield and the streaming tier. Source: DraftCall QB rankings.

Auction instruction

Let someone else pay the celebrity tax on the first quarterback. Set a ceiling, then nominate a second-tier QB early enough to test the room. If the room is still bidding like quarterbacks are scarce, pass and let them carry the distortion. Spend the saved money on RB/WR tier cliffs.

Source comparison: SI recommends restraint at QB in one-QB leagues; FantasyPros recommends flexible tier-based budgeting.

These are 2025 production tiers informing a 2026 draft board, not injury-proof forecasts.