Fantasy Football 2018: Top Preseason Sleepers, Funny Team Names and League Names

Whether you are competing in a standard fantasy football league or playing a daily game, you need a lot more than just your superstars if you are going to be a consistent winner.

Winning your matchups on a weekly basis or bringing home the cash in a daily game requires plenty of research so you can find the sleepers who can be selected in the middle or later rounds, or purchased for a smaller piece of your lineup budget.

Factors like age, injury and a weak surrounding cast are reasons to eliminate certain players, while youth, health and Pro Bowl teammates are reasons to consider drafting others.

In this piece, we list 15 sleepers and provide profiles on the top three, as well as provide our take on some of the better team and league names for those looking for upgrades in those areas.

Sleeper Rankings (by Position)

Quarterbacks

1. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

2. Case Keenum, Denver Broncos

3. Alex Smith, Washington Redskins

Running Backs

1. Jay Ajayi, Philadelphia Eagles

2. Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens

3. Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears

4. Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers*

Wide Receivers

1. Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

2. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

3. Jordy Nelson, Oakland Raiders

4. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

5. Robby Anderson, New York Jets

Tight Ends

1. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts

2. Jake Butt, Denver Broncos

3. Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills

*Rookie

QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee

No player in the NFL may have a better chance for a turnaround season than Mariota.

The Titans were a playoff team last year and even won a taffy pull of a wild-card game against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Mariota had the worst of his first three seasons, and it left many fantasy owners wondering if the can't-miss label that had been issued to Mariota when he was drafted out of Oregon in 2015 had been a mistake.

Mariota's performance was a huge issue for Titans management as well as fantasy players. As a result of his 79.3 passer rating and a 13-to-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio, head coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie were fired. New head coach Mike Vrabel will have a minor impact because he comes into his position with a defensive background, but Matt LaFleur is quite another story.

LaFleur was the offensive coordinator for the Rams last season, and he helped Jared Goff perform like a star in his second year. If LaFleur can help work a dramatic turnaround for Goff, there is every reason to expect an even better season from Mariota in 2018.

Prior to working with Goff, LaFleur had been involved with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, so the new offensive coordinator's credentials are excellent. Mariota has rare athletic ability and superior intelligence. The Titans are also going to be much more creative in their game-planning than they were under Mularkey-Robiskie.

It would not be a shock if Mariota turns out to be one of the league's superstars by the end of the 2018 season.

RB Jay Ajayi, Philadelphia Eagles

Ajayi left the Miami Dolphins under less-than-ideal circumstances, as head coach Adam Gase was unhappy with his overall preparation and execution.

Gase did not specifically label Ajayi as a selfish player, but he was critical of his running back

"We've got to stop trying to hit home runs all the time," Gase said, per Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. "How about take the four or five yards that we're going to get? It comes down to everybody doing their job. If we actually start doing that, it might help.

"It's on the running back. Do your job. That's what you've got to do. It's not hard."

Ajayi carried 70 times for 408 yards and one touchdown after moving to the Eagles. He played a limited role in his first four games with them but took on a greater role during the last three weeks of the regular season and the playoffs.

He goes into the 2018 season as the Eagles' No. 1 running back, and there is no reason to think he won't return to the form he had in 2016 when he rushed for 1,272 yards with eight touchdowns and four 100-yard rushing games.

Ajayi runs hard on every snap, and Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson and the punishing Eagles offensive line should give him a chance to have a superior season.

WR Allen Robinson, Chicago

We are taking a leap of faith on several fronts, including that Robinson will remain healthy and that the torn ACL that ruined his 2017 season in Week 1 will not be an issue this season.

We also believe that Chicago's second-year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, will at least be good enough to get the ball to Robinson on a regular basis and that head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich will call the right plays to allow Robinson to thrive in the Windy City.

When Robinson was playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was basically unstoppable in 2015 as he caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. He followed that up with 73 receptions for 883 yards and six touchdowns in '16.

The most impressive aspect of his previous production is that it came with the limited Blake Bortles at quarterback. There are no assurances that Trubisky will turn into a superstar with the Bears, but his potential is still intact, and he is much better than Bortles was in either 2015 or '16.

Teams and League Names

Fantasy Football players are preparing for the upcoming season. In addition to articles like this that offer top sleepers, rookies and position players, team and league names are important.

No, the name of your team or league is not going to help you come away with the cash, but the names you consider may put a smile on your face.

Here are eight of each for your consideration.

Team Names

I Gotta Thielen

Brady's Bunch of Bums

Funchess' Bunch

Mixon's the One

Le'Veon a Prayer

Bell Ringers

Justin Time

Hogan's Heroes

League Names

12 Angry Men

No Punt Intended

Don't Tell the Boss

Dirty Dozen

A League of Our Own

Braggin' and Naggin'

Hammered Time

Neighbors and Nerds