Fantasy Football: Way Too Early Top 10 QBs for 2018
In this final installment of The Fantasy Footballers’ writing staff “Way Too Early” rankings, we explore the 2018 options at the QB position. Most will wait on drafting a QB later than the RB or WR positions but knowing which quarterback you should target when you decide to draft one is important. More often than not, rankings will help you make this decision. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our consensus Top 10 QB rankings.
The Fantasy Footballers’ Writing Staff has ranked the top 20 players at each position to give a clear picture of the consensus top 10.
2018 Top 10 Quarterbacks
[lptw_table id=”52987″ style=”default”]*Also received a top 10 vote: Jimmy Garoppolo, Ben Roethlisberger, & Dak Prescott
Now that we have our consensus rankings, I’ve asked some of the writers to provide their reasoning and process behind their initial rankings.
Q1. Which quarterback could you see falling outside of this Top 10 in 2018?
Andrew Luck
I could easily see Andrew Luck falling outside of the top 10 QBs. There are far too many questions that concern me with him: his injury and how or if he will be the same player once he returns. The Colts are going through a lot of changes including a new head coach, the backfield, and now possibly some mixing up at WR. This will be a lot for Luck to adjust to once he’s back on the field and I’m not confident he will be there to start Week 1 of the 2018 season.
–Nate Hamilton, @DomiNateFF
Carson Wentz
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Carson Wentz end up outside the top 10. I love the player and rode him last season in a few leagues but there is going to be some regression to the mean. His blistering TD rate of 7.5% is impossible to sustain. We also cannot assume his health is up to speed after sustaining such a gruesome injury. I also expect this Eagles offense to take a slight step back. He’s definitely a fantasy starter but might be drafted a bit too high after an otherworldly 2017.
-Kyle Borgognoni, @Kyle_Borg
Drew Brees
Drew Brees. Last year, Brees managed to squeak out a Top 10 season despite a seismic shift in the Saints offense towards their dynamic RB duo. He will turn 40 years old at the end of the coming season, and for anyone not named Tom Brady, that means the cliff is close. While I don’t expect the future Hall-of-Famer to fully tank in 2018, I do expect his volume to continue ramping down from the high-flying days of years past. Assuming he stays with the Saints, which I expect, the offensive weapons will keep Brees extremely efficient, but I think he falls just outside the top 10 taking a backseat to the running game.
–Matt Okada, @FantasySensei
Stacy Revere/Getty Images Sport
All but Rodgers and Wilson?
Honestly after looking at this top 10, the only guys I’m comfortable with are Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. I could see any and all of the other 8 missing the top 10. You got guys coming back from injury, team changes, and coaching changes. I don’t have a lot of trust in the “top” guys right now…which is why I’ll be drafting a QB late…again.
-Ryan Weisse, @TheFantasyFive
Q2. Who did you rank in the Top 10 that did not make the consensus?
Jimmy Garoppolo
I ranked Jimmy G at #10 and he did not make the consensus. I understand the hesitancy of ranking a guy with just 7 NFL starts but the stars seem to be aligning. Garoppolo was under the tutelage of Tom Brady (the greatest of all time) since 2014. In his short time as a starter, he has already shown us that he can produce with very little around him. The 49ers are making all the right changes moving forward, so for me, this puts Jimmy G in the Top 10 conversation.
–Nate Hamilton, @DomiNateFF
Ben Roethlisberger
For me, it’s Ben Roethlisberger. 2017 started with some hiccups for Big Ben and he still turned it around and finished top 10. There is much less drama, and retirement talk, surrounding him this year and JuJu Smith-Schuster looks like he is going to explode in ’18. Put him with the greatness of Brown and Bell and it should be a great year to own Ben.
-Ryan Weisse, @TheFantasyFive
Dak Prescott & Jimmy Garoppolo
Both Dak Prescott and Jimmy Garoppolo made my top 10, but not the consensus. For Prescott, the return of Zeke for a full season should improve this offense as a whole, and I expect the team to iron out some of the kinks we saw from the offense, and Dak in particular, in 2017. I also believe Dez Bryant has more in the tank, and a small rebound from him would help Dak immensely. As for Jimmy G — let’s be honest, he’s the most handsome G.O.A.T. to ever grace our TV screens. In all seriousness, this guy looked like a dream for San Francisco last season, he will get Pierre Garcon back from injury, and the team is a top contender for a big free agent WR like Allen Robinson or Sammy Watkins. I don’t think we’ve overhyped Garoppolo just yet, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kyle Shanahan guide him into the top 5 by year’s end.
–Matt Okada, @FantasySensei
Q3. Which QB in 2018 do you see making the biggest leap from his 2017 season?
Deshaun Watson
Clearly, losing Deshaun Watson before Week 9 was a huge blow to the Houston Texans, the NFL, and most importantly, fantasy football. Watson was on an incredible pace that would have landed him inside the top 5 QBs of 2017. The only good thing about the injury was the timing. He has already shown progress in his recovery and it’s early March. There are many factors that led me to rank him as the #2 QB for 2018. The Texans will have the same key wide receivers heading into 2018 including Will Fuller and 2017’s WR1, DeAndre Hopkins. Deshaun Watson threw 16 TDs in a 4-week span before his season-ending injury. That’s more TDs than guys like Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota threw ALL YEAR! I’m very excited to see what Deshaun Watson can do in a full season!
–Nate Hamilton, @DomiNateFF
Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images Sport
Drew Brees
It’s hard to call this a “leap” given his HOF pedigree but I cannot see Drew Brees finish with the type of season he saw in 2017. Brees had only 4 weeks as a QB1 and ZERO boom games inside the top 3. That certainly will change as the rushing offense might lose 4 or 5 TDs which would put Brees back in consideration as a top 6 QB.
–Kyle Borgognoni, @Kyle_Borg
Marcus Mariota
If for no other reason than that I’m always 1 year early on guys: Marcus Mariota. I thought 2017 was his year but it was a dud. You got a new coach (Mike Vrabel) that saw first hand what an athletic QB is capable of last year. Vrabel hopefully learned a lot in watching Deshaun Watson last season and could bring that magic to Tennessee. Last year’s 1st rounder, Corey Davis, needs to prove he’s ready to step up and they will need big things from new RB starter Derrick Henry to relieve some pressure on Marcus…but I think it will happen and we’ll see a big year from Mariota.
-Ryan Weisse, @TheFantasyFive
Patrick Mahomes
Is choosing Patrick Mahomes cheating? I’m gonna say no, and call for a pretty big year from the new king of Kansas City in his first season as the starter. I ranked him 12th, but considering his ability as a runner and his wealth of weapons (especially downfield), I think the ceiling is much higher for Mahomes. I’ll be perfectly happy taking a risk on Mahomes in the draft with this upside in mind, especially considering the depth this position boasts right now.
–Matt Okada, @FantasySensei