Quarterbacks kick off this familiar series in which I compare my rankings that notably vary from the “expert consensus.” One note – if I didn’t bake the market into my own ranks, some of these discrepancies would be more extreme.
Quarterbacks I like more
Lamar Jackson (DDD = QB1 vs ECR = QB2)
Josh Allen has been taken an average of 40 picks higher in NFFC drafts over the last week, and he’s unquestionably a safer pick. But Jackson was far and away fantasy’s QB1 over the first three weeks last season (27.6 fpg vs. 24.5 by Allen) before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4 (he also outscored Allen in 2024 by 12%). Jackson was nowhere near the same player after returning, when he experienced major drop offs in passing accuracy and rushing production while continuing to battle various injuries. Jackson averaged 41.5 rushing yards before the injury but just 20.3 afterward. The Ravens and Jackson are both due for major regression in 2026, when new OC Declan Doyle will install more cheat codes.
Doyle comes from the Sean Payton and Ben Johnson coaching tree, so more motion and play action is expected. Jackson ranks first in EPA per drop back on under-center play action over the last two seasons. Jackson had massive play action splits last year, yet Baltimore used it less than ever. The Ravens could also implement a faster pace for the first time in Jackson’s career. He’s embraced the challenge and has called Doyle’s methods “mind-blowing.”
Jackson remained a fantasy monster when healthy last season despite having a WR2 who’s now out of the league (DeAndre Hopkins), and he’ll get a big coaching upgrade in 2026. Allen has the higher floor, but Jackson has an even higher ceiling while going multiple rounds later.
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