Since joining the Detroit Lions, Jared Goff has elevated his play, both in real life and fantasy football. For four consecutive years, he’s been a consistent, reliable fantasy option, but one that doesn’t really move the needle. He’s there to hold serve. Should fantasy managers expect anything different in 2026?
Should You Draft Jared Goff in Fantasy Football?
Last season, there were 16 quarterbacks to average at least 16.0 fantasy points per game. Of that group, 12 of them saw at least 14% of their fantasy points come via rushing production. Of the four that didn’t, two of them were at 8.2% and 6.5%, so still offering something. There were only two who quite literally provided nothing: Matthew Stafford (-1.7%) and Goff (-1.9%). No quarterback in all of football provided less on the ground than the guy in charge of the Lions.
With that said, we’ve seen Goff post QB1 numbers before. Just two years ago, he averaged 19.1 PPG, finishing as the overall QB7. Of course, that also came with a career-high 37 passing touchdowns on a career-high 6.9% TD rate.
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Such is the life of the pure pocket passer. The only way one can compete with the modern crop of mobile quarterbacks is with outlier touchdown numbers. Goff has still been quite useful every other season, but with 29-34 passing TDs in those, he’s averaged between 16.7 and 17.5 PPG. That’s fine, but it’s not moving the needle.
Goff is now entering his 11th NFL season, and he’s yet to hit 20 PPG. It’s probably not coming this year (or ever). But that doesn’t mean Goff isn’t worth something in fantasy. He remains a steady, reliable option with a strong supporting cast on a very good offense.
Goff’s Redraft Fantasy Football Value
In recent seasons, it’s been more viable to spent premium draft capital on a quarterback than during the 2010s. The rise of the mobile QB has resulted in the elite fantasy quarterbacks not only having higher ceilings, but being more predictable year over year.
Ironically, Goff has been pretty consistent year over year despite the reliance entirely on passing numbers. He’s thrown for at least 4,400 passing yards and 29 touchdowns in each of his past four seasons. You know what you’re getting with Goff.
At his QB16 ADP, Goff is not quite a lock to even be drafted in every league. However, there is quite literally a 100% chance he will end up on a roster at some point in a standard-sized 12-team league. That’s just how it goes. Fantasy managers seldom draft a bunch of fantasy backup quarterbacks. But during the season, there is always a time and place for a guy who can reliably throw for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
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In 2026, we have a deep quarterback group. There are several quarterbacks with QB1 upside and even legitimate top-five upside going outside the top 12. Unfortunately, Goff is not one of them. Him finishing top five would be the result of an overall low-scoring year at the quarterback position, not him suddenly being able to post 20+ PPG.
We have Goff at QB16. He will probably finish higher than that, but not by any meaningful amount. The real value in Goff lies in streaming him during the season in favorable matchups or using him as a stopgap for a fantasy team that lost its starter.
Preseason Fantasy QB Rankings
- Josh Allen | BUF
- Drake Maye | NE
- Lamar Jackson | BAL
- Jayden Daniels | WAS
- Joe Burrow | CIN
- Jalen Hurts | PHI
- Caleb Williams | CHI
- Justin Herbert | LAC
- Jaxson Dart | NYG
- Trevor Lawrence | JAX
- Dak Prescott | DAL
- Bo Nix | DEN
- Brock Purdy | SF
- Patrick Mahomes II | KC
- Matthew Stafford | LAR
- Jared Goff | DET
- Kyler Murray | MIN
- Jordan Love | GB
- Malik Willis | MIA
- Tyler Shough | NO
- Baker Mayfield | TB
- C.J. Stroud | HOU
- Sam Darnold | SEA
- Daniel Jones | IND
- Bryce Young | CAR
