Tyler Shough enters his sophomore season labeled as the man of the future for the Saints, presenting an intriguing but back-loaded fantasy profile. This system gives interesting upside to all involved, though banking on weekly production might be a bit premature.
Should You Draft Tyler Shough in Fantasy Football?
Is it time to shuck the corn and take it to harvest? That is the conversation with second-year QB Shough in the fantasy space. I apologize for the farming metaphor, but it serves a purpose: what we’re looking for from Shough is growth.
As of early September, he’s still a very good value option at his current ADP of 150. His PFN rank is 153, he’s projected to get 14.65 points per game this coming year, and he is QB20 in the pecking order. Last year in his starting action, he ranked 25th in fantasy points per game with 14.9, and he showed promise in spurts, albeit mostly against susceptible defenses. His processing runs hot and cold at times, but he’s a capable game manager in the quick game whose arm talent and extension ability are all too clear.
He has full confidence as the team’s QB1 entering 2026 and should have a relatively long leash when you take the team’s remaining QBs into account. Neither Spencer Rattler nor Zach Wilson moves the needle. Shough is going to get as much runway as he needs to settle in and get comfortable.
The Saints did add Jordyn Tyson in the NFL Draft in the first round, and on paper, when he’s available, he is a dynamic option alongside Chris Olave. But Tyson could be lost as much as two months to a hamstring injury, and unfortunately, that’s been the story of his career: availability. Durability has never been a guarantee. But Chris Olave is a certified WR1. When healthy, he has proven he can take volume as a top-end target. Juwan Johnson is quietly a respectable receiving threat at tight end as well.
A lot of pressure may be placed on rookies Bryce Lance and Darien Brown to fill the WR2/WR3 void, as well as Devaughn Vele. But the Saints offensive line was PFN’s 14th-ranked unit in pass protection in 2025 and added David Edwards at guard. Whatever weapons attrition they might have, I think it offsets as long as the offensive line stays healthy. That is a top-half-of-the-league offensive line blocking unit for Shough.
You also look at Shough’s rushing ability. He showed clear rushing upside last year in an 11-game sample, and he has 4.6 speed at 6’5″, 219. That upside is very clearly there.
On the other side of the ball, the Saints defense has gotten a little bit better, but big gaping holes still appear on the defensive line, where they lost Bryan Bresee for the year to a major injury, and in the safety room. That could drag the team into negative game scripts more often than not. In that situation, Shough would have the opportunity to pass, run, and rack up points from behind. He also may not have as much quality firepower as anticipated if Tyson remains out.
It all depends on Shough’s development. But overall, with the negative game scripts, with his tools, and with another year of prep in Kellen Moore’s system, there is reason to be bullish with Shough. In my opinion, he’s a buy-low backup play in redraft leagues and a high-upside QB2 with an easy path to volume in superflex.
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Tyler Shough’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
Shough concluded his rookie campaign with 5 straight games in which he either threw for 300 yards or ran for 30.
It is worth noting that those counting numbers came at the end of a lost season and against favorable defenses, but there aren’t a dozen QBs in this league capable of stringing together such a streak; I don’t care about the circumstances.
This is a profile to watch as closely as any this weekend. With Jordyn Tyson added to the mix and a run game that should provide more balance, I’m curious as to exactly what Kellen Moore is going to ask his quarterback to do.
It’s a given that the pace is going to be there and, this week, the game environment should very much give us a feel as to just how confident he is in his signal caller.
There are plenty of good QB matchups this week, and that makes it hard to rank Shough as a legitimate starter in anything but the deepest of single-quarterback leagues, but he did slide into my top 15 at the position and offers plenty of DFS interest if you’re getting creative.
Fortune favors the bold, and taking a bullish stance on Shough to open 2026 feels like the right move, even if you’re simply trying to mine value in the future trade market in season-long formats.
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Where Shough Ranks Among 2026 Quarterbacks
- Brock Purdy | SF
- Jordan Love | GB
- Matthew Stafford | LAR
- Kyler Murray | MIN
- Jared Goff | DET
- Tyler Shough | NO
- Malik Willis | MIA
- Baker Mayfield | TB
- Daniel Jones | IND
- C.J. Stroud | HOU
- Sam Darnold | SEA
Compare him against the rest of the board in PFN’s Full PPR Quarterback Rankings.
