Field Yates Reveals QB & TE Tiers: Josh Allen, McBride & More | Fantasy Focus

This episode of Fantasy Focus Football closes out a week-long tiers series with Field Yates walking Daniel Dopp and Liz Loza through his quarterback and tight end rankings. The central argument is that both positions reward patience: Josh Allen aside, the gaps between tiers are narrow enough that managers should wait, double up, and target specific discounted players rather than reach early.

The arguments

Josh Allen is the only true one-man tier at quarterback, but he still shouldn't be a top-two-round pick. Field ranks him QB1 and player 28 overall, citing his unmatched combination of floor and ceiling (15+ fantasy points in 85.3% of games over six years) and durability. He argues the gap between Allen and mid-tier options like Herbert or Lawrence is much smaller than the gap between an early running back and a replacement-level one, so he'd only take Allen if he fell to pick 25-30.

Lamar Jackson's rushing volume isn't going anywhere, despite offseason chatter. Liz raised the concern directly, and Field pushed back hard, arguing Lamar hasn't hit the Cam Newton decline point and remains a true dual threat coming off a league-leading touchdown season. Both agreed the "will he run less" narrative is overblown for 2026.

Drake Maye is a legitimate first-quarterback-off-the-board argument for a long-term build, and Daniel has him as his overall QB2. Daniel's case rests on Maye's top-five finishes across every major statistical category last year plus the addition of A.J. Brown and an improved Romeo Doubs. Field is a tier lower, worried about a much harder 2026 schedule opening in Seattle exposing an offense that looked different in the playoffs.

Justin Herbert and Jackson Dart are the tier-three/four values the hosts are most excited about, and Field admits he's hurting his own leverage by hyping Herbert. Field ranks Herbert QB6 (Liz and Daniel have him inside their top 10) and uses Tua's 2023 explosion under Mike McDaniel as the comp for what an aggressive vertical scheme can do for a talented but previously stat-capped passer. On Dart, Field and Daniel both buy the year-two leap, driven by his rushing touchdown streak and better weapons (Malik Nabors, Isaiah Likely), though Field is slightly less sold on his passing refinement.

Patrick Mahomes splits the room on health and lack of speed on the roster. Field and Liz both have him around QB9-10, with Field willing to bet on Mahomes' improvisational ability despite an ACL recovery and a receiving corps (Kelce, Worthy, Rice) that lacks a true field-stretcher. Daniel is notably lower at 15, more concerned that a full return to pre-injury form isn't guaranteed and that a bigger running back role could eat into Mahomes' touches.

At tight end, Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are both consensus tier-one locks, but Field refuses to draft either one inside the top 20 overall picks. He argues the drop-off after McBride's 126-catch, 1,239-yard season is inevitable given touchdown regression and Jeremiah Love's added receiving role in Indianapolis, and he'd rather bank on his nine-man "must leave the draft with one" tight end tier (Bowers, McBride, Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft) at a discount.

Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren split the room on the Bears/Colts rookie tight end tier, with real disagreement on ceiling versus floor. Liz and Field favor Loveland as the higher-upside, Kelce-comparable athlete benefiting from the "Ben Johnson effect," while Daniel is the lone ranker with Warren ahead, pointing to 111 vacated Colts targets and a lower average depth of target profile that suggests a safer, higher-floor role.

What it means for your roster

• Don't reach for Josh Allen. All three hosts agree he's the clear QB1 but shouldn't come off the board before pick 25-30 in standard leagues; let him fall to you.
• Target Justin Herbert as a value QB1 in rounds 10-11 — Field's QB6 rank (with Liz and Daniel even higher) against his current QB15 ADP is the clearest arbitrage play discussed.
• Consider a two-quarterback build around tier four/five (Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, Jordan Love) if waiting — Daniel explicitly likes doubling up there, but avoid also double-dipping at tight end in the same draft to protect RB/WR depth.
• Prioritize landing one of Field's nine "must-have" tight ends (Bowers, McBride, Warren, Loveland, Fannin, Pitts, Kittle, LaPorta, Kraft); missing all nine leaves you streaming a much shallower pool.
• Buy George Kittle around his 10th-round ADP as a discount TE1 with a plan to stash his backup or an IR-eligible fallback for week one.
• Fade Trey McBride relative to price if you're pricing him as a true tight end one — Field flagged him as a bust candidate on volume/touchdown regression grounds even while ranking him elite.
• In deep or wait-on-TE builds, lean Isaiah Likely over Juwan Johnson per Daniel and Liz, though neither host is enthusiastic about either as a true starter.