Lamar Jackson is a former MVP, both in real life and in fantasy circles, with the potential that he could do it again this season. The impact of his legs has been trending in the wrong direction ever so slightly of late, but not in a way that makes me nervous.
Should You Draft Lamar Jackson in Fantasy Football?
The price tag is high, but that’s because the ability is too.
As of early September, Jackson has an ADP of 42.2. His PFN rank is 51. In 2026, he is projected for 21.5 points per game. He is QB3 entering the year, behind Drake Maye and Josh Allen at the QB1 spot.
Last year, Jackson was a certified dud. There’s no working around it. He ranked 20th in his fantasy finish, the lowest finish since his rookie season, and he had the lowest rushing attempt, yardage, and TD totals of his entire career. It stands to reason that as Lamar’s rushing ability and efficiency go, so too does his fantasy value. With him nearing 30 years old, that’s what the fear is for a lot of people. He’s only had two career top-10 finishes in passing fantasy points, 2019 and 2024.
Jackson attributed his lesser rushing totals last year to injuries. He was dealing with hamstring, knee, ankle, and toe ailments throughout the season and missed 4 games as a result. But users and PFN fantasy analysts both seem to be confident in Jackson’s ability to rebound and get back to his peak form.
To the Ravens’ credit, they improved both guard spots on the offensive line and signed Ethan Pocic as a veteran center. They drafted Elijah Sarratt and Jacobe Lane to fill out the wide receiver corps alongside emerging star Zay Flowers, who I comped to Santana Moss coming out. He is quickly realizing that upside. They also brought back Mark Andrews and drafted Matthew Hibner, one of my guys at tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft class, who I think has true production upside.
Rashod Bateman’s legal struggles do cloud the outlook of one of Jackson’s targets, but overall the supporting cast looks improved from last year, and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle operated as Ben Johnson’s understudy in Chicago last year. There’s room to be optimistic about the schematic installation as well.
Now that Jackson is fully healthy and still in the south end of 30 years old, with better support and schematic insulation, a return to the norm can reasonably be expected. We forget that in four of the six seasons before 2025, Jackson finished as a top-10 fantasy QB. In three of those four seasons, he was not only top 10 but top four. He lays claim to two first-place fantasy finishes in his career at the QB position.
If you’re uncertain about his health long term with his play style, that might be a reason to fade Jackson at his current value. But peak Jackson is a prime candidate to be a league overall QB1 and a potential league winner at his position. In my opinion, he’s easily worth the high-end capital in superflex leagues, particularly, and is a surefire QB1 candidate in redraft leagues. Just make sure you have a decent QB2 or insurance plan in place because of the play style and the injury risk. But Jackson’s passing and rushing volume is a rare combination, and you’ve got to scoop that up if your pick lines up with it.
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Lamar Jackson’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
I’m interested in where this season goes for Jackson and his fantasy value. The percentage of points he’s scored with his legs has been dipping of late, and while I think that’s concerning, he’s still capable of giving us points in bulk with his legs, so I’m not overreacting to some minor regression.
The coaching change and the insertion of Ja’Kobi Lane (3rd-round pick out of USC) have me watching the structure of this scheme in the early going. As does Mark Andrews’ place on the age curve, something fantasy managers seem to fear more than the Ravens themselves.
You drafted Jackson with confidence, and you’re playing him without a thought against a low-pressure defense like this. Heck, you’re playing him in any matchup. But I think we could get valuable insight this weekend when it comes to him being labeled as a Tier 2 QB.
He’s thrown for 200 yards and run for 70 in consecutive season openers. If he does that in this spot, wheels up. But if some minor tweaks remove some upside in this profile, it’s possible that you overpaid: the younger QBs are coming for the “best fantasy QB not named Josh Allen” throne, and with Joe Burrow also in that conversation, I’m not sure it’s a foregone conclusion that Jackson is one of the five most consistent producers at the position by season’s end.
For the record, I’m not overly worried about his stock, but I don’t think his ADP properly reflected just how tight the race for QB2 honors will be, and that means you value him above where I do.
At the very least, I’m not going this way in DFS this week, and I’m betting that’s something of a theme for my roster constructions this year.
START PREPARING: PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
Where Jackson Ranks Among 2026 Quarterbacks
- 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
Compare him against the rest of the board in PFN’s Full PPR Quarterback Rankings.
