There are a number of exciting options at quarterback in 2018. Here’s a definitive ranking for your fantasy football draft.
Drafting Advice for quarterbacks:
If you aren’t the first person in your league to draft a quarterback, be the last. There is so much talent at the position that anyone inside the top 15 can be a starter for your fantasy teams. If you wait on drafting a quarterback, draft two of them inside the top 15 and play the one with the better matchup. If you draft one of the top five, it would be smart to lock up another one because if they get hurt, your team won’t crumble from wasting a draft pick on a quarterback early in the draft. Be patient or be the first to draft a quarterback this season.
Outside the top 20:
Target these five quarterbacks as bye-week fillers. If you get them in the right matchup when your every week starter is out, they should have no problem getting you the 14 plus points you need. Don’t go into the season (outside of a 20-team league) with these guys as your only quarterback on the roster.
25. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville is a rush-first team but Blake Bortles has had some sneaky fantasy upside in the right matchup. He had five games of scoring 20 or more fantasy points. However, he had 11 games where he threw for one touchdown or fewer. It might be best to avoid playing Blake Bortles unless he’s in a dream matchup
24. Sam Bradford, Arizona Cardinals-
Don’t expect huge numbers from Sam Bradford but if he is in the right matchup or you need a bye-week filler, Bradford is a solid choice. He will target Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson and those are two solid options which makes him a quarterback that should be on your radar.
23. Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders-
Derek Carr had two games last season scoring more than 20 fantasy points. He had three games in where he of scored less than 10 fantasy points. The Raiders will be a run-first team under new head coach Jon Gruden and it will be difficult for Carr to have consistent fantasy value in 2018.
22. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is a better real-life quarterback then fantasy option. Besides Zeke Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys offense might be the worst in the NFL. Who is he going to throw the ball too? Maybe if Michael Irvin comes out of retirement but until then, stay away. Even 22 might be too high of a ranking.
21. Tyrod Taylor, Cleveland Browns
This is the best offense that Tyrod Taylor has played in. There are weapons everywhere (Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon and Duke Johnson is a receiver coming out of the backfield). Tyrod is the perfect second quarterback to have roster and chances are he will go undrafted in your league.
Quarterbacks #20-11:
Depending on the size of your league, these quarterbacks could be your starters heading into week one. These players have the same upside as the top 10 quarterbacks, but consistency, injury history or a lack of experience keeps them from being every week starters.
20. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
In nine out of 16 games last season, Andy Dalton scored 16 or more fantasy points (Drew Brees had eight). He may not be a name you target on draft day but anytime a quarterback has a top five wide receiver that they are throwing too, they can be useful in fantasy.
19. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears-
This is a popular pick for a sleeper at quarterback. Chicago added Allen Robinson to give him a legitimate target but other then Robinson, it’s ugly. Trey Burton could finish the season top 10 in targets at tight end but it’s hard to buy in on Trubisky. Don’t have Trubisky as your only quarterback on the roster because there’s a lot of risk, but the upside is here with Trubisky and he adds value with his legs.
18. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
Marcus Mariota had only two games last season where he threw for over 300 yards and no games of throwing for more than two touchdowns. He threw more interceptions (15) then touchdowns (13) and the reason why you would draft him is because of his rushing ability. He finished eighth in rushing yards at the position (312) and was tied for third in rushing touchdowns (5). Rushing touchdowns are hard to predict for a quarterback but if he stays aggressive with his legs he will have value as a borderline every week starter.
17. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has a huge, accurate arm and he has explosive playmakers at the skill positions. He rushed for 22 touchdowns in his college career and that is a nice bonus if he can maintain value with his legs. There’s a reason that the Chiefs took him with the 10th pick of the 2017 draft and he could be the breakout player at the quarterback position in 2018. Big upside and he is worth the risk as a low-end QB1 this year
16. Case Keenum, Denver Broncos
Case Keenum finished the season as the second most accurate passer (completing 67.6 percent of his passes) and as the 14th ranked fantasy quarterback. Keenum showed his upside by scoring 25 or more fantasy points in four games last season and he is a good second quarterback to have on your roster. He will have Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders to throw passes too and he should be a reliable option for when your first quarterback gets hurt or is on a bye week.
15. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan finished as the number two quarterback in 2016 and fell to the 15th best in 2017. The Falcons drafted Calvin Ridley in the first round to give him another playmaker to throw the ball to. He is more 2017 Matt Ryan than 2016 but if the team lets him be more aggressive he will move up the ranks quickly and could be a steal in this year’s draft. High upside but could be on the waiver wire early.
14. Alex Smith, Washington Redskins
Alex Smith is a quarterback you can draft late this season and get top tier production. He protects the football (throws an interception on only one percent of his pass attempts) and he’s sneaky good with his legs (finished sixth in rushing yards with 355). Kirk Cousins finished as the fourth-ranked quarterback last season with Washington and expect Alex Smith to put up solid numbers as well.
13. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams keep acquiring playmakers for Jared Goff. Brandin Cooks now gives him someone who can stretch the field and be another reliable weapon. Goff is still a match-up based quarterback and last season when he faced weaker defenses, he scored over 20 fantasy points six times. If you play him in the right match-up, he is a potential top-10 option.
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
2017 was a season of two halves for Big Ben. The first half of the season he was average. He threw 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions with an 82.7 QBR. From week nine on he was much better, he threw 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions with a 103.6 QBR. He is a better fantasy option at home than on the road but when he’s healthy he is more than capable of finishing the season as a top-10 option most weeks.
11. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
There is a lot of hype heading into the season over Jimmy G but let’s not get too crazy. He threw for only seven touchdowns in the six games that he started but he is in a great system under Kyle Shanahan that help Matt Ryan win the 2016 MVP award. He isn’t safe enough to be the only quarterback option on a roster, but he does have the upside to finish the season in the top 10 at the position.
Quarterbacks #10-1:
Every quarterback inside the top ten have a chance to be the highest scorer of any week. The position is the deepest in fantasy and everyone here has the ability to carry your team for the whole season.
10. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Philip Rivers is the perfect quarterback to grab in the later rounds of your draft this season. If you decide to draft a quarterback early and go with one of the top five options, Rivers is as great second quarterback to have on your roster. Rivers finished last season as the eighth best quarterback and should have no problem doing that again with his supporting cast.
9. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford was third in passing yards (4,446), fourth in passing touchdowns (29), sixth in completion percentage (65.7) and finished as the fifth best quarterback in fantasy. One thing to love about Stafford is his offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. Besides having the best name in football, he has been great for his career. Under JBC, Stafford’s career completion percentage has gone from 60 percent to 68.8 percent, touchdown percentage from four to six percent, and his QBR went from 84 to 105. Last year was no fluke, Stafford is a top-10 quarterback.
8. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
In Andrew Luck’s past three healthy seasons, he finished as a top four quarterback. He’s healthy (as of now) and the Colts still have no running game. He will give you points with his legs and there’s a good chance he will finish top five in passing yards and rushing yards at the position. Go all in on Andrew Luck and he is going at a discounted price because of his injury history. Draft Andrew Luck with confidence this season.
7. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton rushed for 754 rushing yards and had six rushing touchdowns. That’s more rushing yards then NFL rookie of the year Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry and his own running back Christian McCaffrey. This is the main reason to draft him. If he can cut down the turnovers he will have a chance to become the number one quarterback at the end of the season.
6. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
In the last three seasons, Kirk Cousins has finished as a top eight fantasy quarterback. He is in a better situation in Minnesota and has playmakers at every skill position. Kirk is sneaky good with his legs especially in the red zone where he has rushed for 13 rushing touchdowns in the past three seasons. He should be a lock for around 4,300 passing yards and 25 or more touchdowns.
5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees lead the league in completion percentage (72 percent) and finished fourth in passing yards (4,343). The reason he finished outside the top ten at the position was because he had his lowest passing attempts and touchdowns (23) since joining the Saints in 2006. The touchdowns should go back up towards 30 and he should finish as a top-10 quarterback. If he falls outside the top five in drafts this season, he will be a steal.
4. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
If Carson Wentz didn’t tear his ACL, chances are he would have been MVP last season. In 13 games last season he threw 33 touchdowns, which was still second best in the league. If he was healthy going into the season, he could be considered being the number one ranked quarterback. He should be ready within the first couple weeks of the season so make sure you draft another quarterback to fill in for the first couple of games.
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
The biggest concern about Tom Brady in 2018 is how bad the AFC East is and he could be rested during the fantasy playoffs. However, he should be a lock for 4,200 passing yards and 30 plus touchdowns for the season. He still has Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman (after week 4) and Chris Hogan, he’s not hurting for weapons. With his age, make sure to get another top 12-15 quarterback for insurance or take a shot on Patrick Mahomes or Mitchell Trubisky who could turn into fantasy studs this season.
2. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
How many guesses would it have taken you to guess that Russell Wilson led the NFL in passing touchdowns? He is more than just a scrambling QB but his rushing totals give him extra value. His 586 rushing yards and three touchdowns are what make him an elite option on a game-to-game basis. Wilson should be a lock for 4,000 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 500 rushing yards. No other quarterback should come close to those numbers.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
No surprise here. When he is healthy the guy is matchup proof. The six games that he started and finished last year, he averaged 23 fantasy points per game, which would have been the best in fantasy. If you are looking to take a quarterback in the first four rounds (you shouldn’t) but if you do, lock up the position with Aaron Rodgers and try to pair him up with his number one option, Davante Adams. They will be the highest scoring quarterback to receiver duo in the league.