In Superflex dynasty startup drafts, the quarterback is foundational to roster stability. Managers aren’t just drafting for 2026—they’re investing in a multi-year window of stability, production, and trade liquidity at the most important position in fantasy football. Using the latest Dynasty Nerds Superflex Tight End Premium ADP (Average Draft Position), we examine the top 12 quarterbacks and must decide four quarterbacks to keep, trade, cut for your dynasty rosters.
Quarterbacks to Keep
Drake Maye | ADP 2.0 | Keep
Right after Josh Allen, Drake Maye is commonly coming off the draft boards at 1.02 and occasionally drafted at 1.01. I can’t knock the selection of Maye, who was able to take New England to the Super Bowl in only his second NFL season. Maye finished as the QB2 for the season and had 12 games in which he finished as QB12 or better. At only 23-years old, Maye has the potential to be the QB1 in dynasty for years to come, and I fully expect New England to be aggressive in the offseason and provide some offensive weapons for Maye as well.
Jayden Daniels | ADP 8.0 | Keep
Even after an injury-filled 2025 season, Jayden Daniels is still viewed as a high-value, elite-level dynasty quarterback. I will admit that I feel Washington downgraded their offensive coordinator when they replaced Kliff Kingsbury with first-time playcaller David Blough. However, we cannot forget how impressive Daniels was in his rookie season, when he finished as the QB5 overall. Blough also has some familiarity with Daniels, as he was Daniels’ quarterback coach. In 2024, Blough helped lead a quarterback unit that had the highest completion percentage in a single season in franchise history (69.5), threw for the fifth-most passing touchdowns in a single season (29), and had the third-fewest interceptions in a single season (9).
Caleb Williams | ADP 18.0 | Keep
Caleb Williams has the chance to be the biggest ADP riser on this list. Currently, going in the middle of the second round of rookie drafts, Williams should continue to thrive in his second season with Head Coach Ben Johnson. In 2025, Williams finished as the QB5, and that seems like a safe floor in this offense. At only 24-years old, Williams should continue to produce as a top 5 quarterback for many years to come.
Jalen Hurts | ADP 21.0 | Keep
If you have noticed, I have a common theme among my quarterbacks that I chose to keep. All of them offer high rushing upside, which helps insulate their fantasy value. Jalen Hurts has reached double-digit rushing touchdowns in four of his last five seasons while seeing a QB9 finish as his lowest finish during that time. At only 27-years old, I anticipate multiple seasons of similar production from Hurts.
Quarterbacks to Trade
Josh Allen | ADP 1.0 | Trade
Josh Allen enters the 2026 fantasy season as the premier quarterback option and the 1.01 in most startup drafts. His consistency is unmatched as he has ranked among the top-three fantasy quarterbacks in points per game for five consecutive seasons. However, Josh Allen will be 30-years old and still holds tremendous trade value. I have personally seen in my home league where Josh Allen was traded for four first-round picks (2 2026s and 2 2027s) and a 2027 second-round pick. Allen is the ideal trade piece for teams that do not feel they can compete for a championship.
Lamar Jackson | ADP 12.0 | Trade
Lamar Jackson remains a top-tier dynasty asset, but his dynasty value is capped, so we should look to move him. Lamar is still going in the first round of startup drafts, but at age 29, I view him more as a late-second-round pick. Jackson’s 2025 season was injury-riddled, where he missed four games and saw his rushing average dip to roughly 30 yards per game. A new coaching regime has begun in Baltimore, and there is some uncertainty about Jackson’s future usage. Jackson’s trade value is still around three first-round picks or two first-round picks and a tier down at quarterback.
Jaxson Dart | ADP 25.0 | Trade
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have Jaxson Dart on my dynasty rosters especially if I am in a rebuild. Dart has the potential to finish as a QB1 if he can stay healthy. That is a big if, as he missed two games in his rookie year due to a concussion, while also leaving multiple games for concussion evaluations. Dart is being drafted at QB9 in startup drafts, and I would prefer a little more stability from my QB1, given Dart’s playstyle could see him in the blue tent frequently. In this scenario, you can tier down from Jaxson Dart slightly at quarterback and pick up a valuable asset as well
Patrick Mahomes | ADP 26.0 | Trade
At 30-years old, Patrick Mahomes is now the oldest QB in the dynasty top 12. Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL late in the 2025 season and is likely to start the 2026 season on the PUP list. With the recent signing of Kenneth Walker, Kansas City is looking to establish a more balanced offense instead of relying so heavily on the passing game. Mahomes is still hovering around a trade value of three first-round picks.
Quarterbacks to Cut
Joe Burrow | ADP 10.0 | Cut
Obviously, I would seek to trade Joe Burrow rather than cutting him. Unfortunately for this article, we must find four quarterbacks to cut. In terms of first-round draft picks, I want a player with no question marks. Burrow comes with a ton of question marks, including his injury history and his cryptic talks of retirement. With an ADP as the 10th overall pick, I am more comfortable taking Burrow on the back end of the second round
Justin Herbert | ADP 24.0 | Cut
I have to preface again that I would obviously look to trade Justin Herbert, but for this article, he makes the cut list. Herbert has not finished as a top-five quarterback since 2021, when he finished as the QB2 overall. His other finishes include QB10, QB12, QB17, QB11, and QB9. What concerns me is his offensive line. Herbert played with one of the worst offensive lines this past season, which ranked third-to-last in PFF’s end-of-year rankings. Los Angeles has worked to address their line through free agency, but only time will tell if they were successful.
Trevor Lawrence | ADP 29.0 | Cut
Trevor Lawrence is coming off a career year in which he set career-highs in passing touchdowns (29) and rushing touchdowns (9). Those numbers helped him finish as the QB4 overall. I would use his 2025 season as a sell-high candidate, given that his rushing touchdowns are likely to regress. Unfortunately, for this article, I had to cut four quarterbacks, and I view Lawrence as a solid QB2 option, but would not want to rely on him as my QB1.
Bo Nix | ADP 32.0 | Cut
After a strong rookie season, Bo Nix finished his sophomore season as the QB7. However, his trade value isn’t viewed as QB7 and is commonly being traded for quarterbacks such as Jordan Love and Brock Purdy. At 26, Nix is older than most third-year quarterbacks, but his production gives him a safe fantasy floor. Much like Trevor Lawrence, I feel more comfortable if Bo Nix were my QB2 instead of my QB1.
Thank you Nerds for reading and stay tuned for my next article where I will breakdown the top 12 running backs according to ADP and who we decided to keep, trade, and cut.
