Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones enters the 2026 fantasy season as a quarterback whose value is tied directly to two things: his recovery from last year’s Achilles tear and whether he can keep the starting job in Indianapolis. The good news is that the Colts are still expected to keep him, with reports in early 2026 indicating a new deal was likely and later coverage describing him as re-signed by Indianapolis, which keeps him in a favorable offense for fantasy purposes.

When Jones was healthy in 2025, he was one of the better fantasy surprises in the league. He averaged 18.8 fantasy points per game over his first 12 starts, and across the season he threw for 2,404 yards with 14 passing touchdowns while adding five rushing scores, showing that his rushing production still mattered a lot to his ceiling. Through the first 10 games, he also showed a higher-end fantasy profile, ranking as QB5 over that stretch and offering both efficiency and mobility before injuries started to catch up to him.

The biggest question for 2026 is how much of that mobility returns. Jones tore his Achilles late in 2025, and recovery timelines for that injury are commonly nine to 12 months, which makes his Week 1 availability uncertain even if he is progressing well in rehab. More recent fantasy coverage says he has been cleared for 7-on-7 drills and is targeting a Week 1 return, but that is still different from being fully back to pre-injury movement.

From a fantasy drafting standpoint, Jones looks much safer in superflex and two-quarterback leagues than in standard one-QB formats. If he starts on time and retains his rushing ability, he can be a useful weekly starter because the Colts’ offense still gives him real touchdown upside, but if the mobility is limited, his ceiling drops fast and he becomes more of a matchup-based QB2 than a locked-in every-week play.

Updated 06/08/2026