Although the AFC West has had multiple representatives in the playoffs in each of the past few seasons, including its first change at the top of the division with the Broncos taking over in 2025, this might be one of the most underwhelming divisions at the offensive skill positions in 2026.
The AFC West has plenty of talent, but some unrealized potential and star players with major injury concerns.
That makes picking the best quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end from this division a little more difficult than other divisions. The NFC North was a piece of cake by comparison.
But we're going to do our best to sort it out. If we could only pick one QB, RB, WR, and TE from the AFC West, who are we going with for the 2026 season? This list will obviously be based on a little bit of projection, but also factoring in each player's history of proven production as well.
Picking the best offensive skill players from AFC West teams in 2026
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
No matter who you pick in this slot, someone's fan base is going to be upset. Raiders fans can sit this one out for at least another year, though.
You could make compelling arguments for all of Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix as the top quarterbacks in the division over the past couple of seasons. Of course, Mahomes has the most hardware out of all of them, and longevity of production. Even though he hasn't played at the same level we saw back in 2018 when he was on a different plane from everyone else, Mahomes is still elite in situational football, and requires a defense's best effort every single week.
Out of all of the quarterbacks in the AFC West, Mahomes is the one you would trust on a random week in the season to single-handedly dominate.
And despite Mahomes's injury last season, the Chiefs' QB room checked in as the best in the AFC West on Lou Scataglia's latest QB room rankings. Until Justin Herbert can lead his team to some postseason success or Bo Nix can prove himself to be more consistent in the regular season, it almost feels like Mahomes is getting slotted here by default.
Running Back: Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are actually going to end up pretty well-represented on this list with Jeanty getting the nod as the top pick for running backs in the division. But this pick also speaks to the AFC West's lack of true star power at running back.
Jeanty has the most star power of them all, even with Kenneth Walker joining the Chiefs after winning Super Bowl MVP as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
Playing behind an offensive line that can nicely be described as one of the worst in the NFL, and with very little success in the passing game to balance things out, Jeanty racked up 1,321 yards from scrimmage as a rookie and 10 total touchdowns. He had double the number of touchdowns as Walker did for Seattle last season, albeit on about 70 more total touches.
Still, Jeanty's production last season can't be ignored considering he was the guy teams were keying in on most weeks. The Raiders had horrendous overall balance offensively and were missing Brock Bowers for stretches last year. Jeanty looks like he'll be the best running back in the division going forward.
Wide Receiver: Jaylen Waddle, Denver Broncos
Jaylen Waddle hasn't even played a snap for the Denver Broncos yet, but he's already very easily the best wide receiver in the division.
Waddle was acquired by the Broncos this offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos gave up picks in the 1st and 3rd rounds to get Waddle, and for good reason. He is one of the most explosive receivers in the NFL, a vertical threat, and elite route runner, and tremendous after the catch.
This is exactly the type of offense creator the Broncos needed to give Bo Nix a boost heading into his 3rd NFL season. The Broncos have been among the league leaders as a team in dropped passes over the last two seasons, and Waddle's impact for Nix could be similar to what we saw Stefon Diggs do for Josh Allen going into Allen's 3rd NFL season.
If not for Waddle, this distinction probably would have gone to another Bronco anyway. Courtland Sutton has quietly racked up 25 touchdowns over the last three seasons.
Tight End: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Even though Travis Kelce is a living legend at the tight end position, and still getting the job done for the Chiefs, there are few tight ends in the NFL as good as Brock Bowers.
Bowers was limited to 12 games last season, and he wasn't even fully healthy for all of those. He still managed to catch 64 passes for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns, beating his touchdown total as a rookie (5).
In a class of prospects with 6 QBs selected in the top 12 picks, Bowers was a 1st-team All-Pro as a rookie with 112 receptions for 1,194 yards. He managed to finish 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Jayden Daniels, proving his star power.
The Raiders now have one of the most enviable young groups of offensive weapons in the league, but they're still missing the star power at wide receiver. Maybe that will be the next domino to fall for them in the 2027 NFL Draft.
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