Fantasy Football 2018: Top Player Rankings, Ideas for Team Names, League Names

It's important to nail first-round picks on draft day. An early whiff doesn't take fantasy football owners out of contention, but it places added pressure on finding a sleeper in the middle-to-late rounds.

Whether it's a quarterback, running back or wide receiver, find your roster building block and strategize around his reliable production. We have to take injuries into account, but that's why the waiver wire exists, and it's impossible to predict when a player will go down in pain unable to suit up the following week. 

Most importantly, monitor roster changes and battles throughout the preseason. Last year's backup could become a rising star this season.

Before ranking the top players and units at each position, take a look at a few clever ideas for league and team names.

Top League Names

Dubs Dynasty

Well, it looks like the Golden State Warriors dynasty extends beyond the NBA. The franchise won three of the last four championships, and an NFL fantasy football commissioner could want a piece of their success. Of course, Stephen Curry won't be available to draft as a roster building block. However, owners can copy the blueprint—draft wisely and hope to pick up a star free agent to reach an unbeatable level. 

Sacks and Head Slaps 

For the most part, it's all about offense in fantasy football. We rarely hear about defense winning championships in this realm. Nonetheless, Sacks and Head Slaps speaks to old-school fans who enjoy watching low-scoring 16-10 matchups in which defense actually matters. All owners in this league should be mandated to select a defensive unit in the first round. 

Belichick's Film School

Who wouldn't want to attend New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's film school? The league name suggests owners will compete against football geniuses—competition at its height. Expect league owners to tap into their inner Belichick, pulling off blockbuster trades, replying to competitors with short, snappy replies on the message board and possessing a laser-like focus on winning.

Top Team Names

Mariota Kart 

Here's a classic video game reference for those who loved playing Mario Kart and still occasionally grab the controller to race around the track. You can also expect to see a healthy Marcus Mariota use his legs to outrun defenders once he breaks from the pocket. Let's hope the Tennessee Titans offense doesn't crash and burn under the new coaching staff. 

Garoppolypse Now

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's popularity skyrocketed over the past year. He's undefeated in his starts (7-0), just signed a five-year, $137 million contract and is set to lead a storied franchise back to relevance after four non-winning seasons. Now you can look cool in your league with a squad that represents the most popular upstart signal-caller in the NFL. 

Wentz Upon A Time

Once upon a time, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz performed at an MVP level before tearing his ACL against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14 last season. You can subtly reference a fond flashback with hopes the third-year signal-caller returns to form as the champions defend their crown.

Top Player Rankings

Quarterback 

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

6. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons 

8. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

9. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

10. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers

Running Back 

1. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

2. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

3. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

4. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

5. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints 

6. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers 

7. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings 

8. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

9. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

10. Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco 49ers

11. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars 

12. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs 

13. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals 

14. LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

15. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons 

16. Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears 

17. Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins 

18. Lamar Miller, Houston Texans 

19. Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens 

20. Jay Ajayi, Philadelphia Eagles

Wide Receiver 

1. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants 

2. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers 

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans 

4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons 

5. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers 

6. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams 

7. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints 

8. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

9. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

10. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

11. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

12. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

13. Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders 

14. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

Tight End 

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

2. Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers

3. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

4. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs 

5. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles 

6. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans 

7. Evan Engram, New York Giants 

8. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings 

9. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers 

10. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts

Defense/Special Teams 

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Los Angeles Rams 

3. Minnesota Vikings

4. Los Angeles Chargers

5. New Orleans Saints 

6. Baltimore Ravens 

7. Houston Texans 

8. Philadelphia Eagles

9. Denver Broncos

10. Carolina Panthers

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams

2. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints 

3. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons

4. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers 

5. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots

7. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles 

8. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens 

9. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions 

10. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts

Top Players 

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

Last year, Drew Brees finished 11th among quarterbacks in fantasy points with 270.56 under standard Yahoo league settings. He threw 23 touchdown passes, his lowest total since the 2003 campaign. Thanks to a much-improved ground attack featuring running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, there's less pressure on the 40-year-old's arm to thread the needle for a touchdown.

Going into the 2018 season, Ingram will serve a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Secondly, the Saints added three pass-catchers in rookie Tre'Quan Smith, Cameron Meredith and Benjamin Watson. 

Ingram's absence and the coaching staff's unwillingness to increase Kamara's workload puts the onus on Brees to move the ball downfield through the air in the first four games. As a result, his early fantasy production should see a slight boost. 

Two years removed from leading the Chicago Bears receiving corps with 66 receptions for 888 yards, Meredith provides a big target in the red zone. After a one-year stop in Baltimore, Watson returns as a familiar face in the offense. He caught six touchdown passes from Brees during the 2015 campaign. 

It's worth noting, Brees has scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of the last seven seasons.

RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

In fantasy football terms, the running back position has evolved. In point-per-reception leagues, it's no longer about a high volume in rush attempts. It's about touches—the combined number of carries and receptions out of the backfield. In 2017, three of the top four tailbacks in fantasy points finished with at least 655 receiving yards. Your choice at RB1 should be a dual-threat in the backfield. 

Assuming running back Ezekiel Elliott suits up for all 16 games, he's a prime candidate to lead the league in touches for the upcoming season. 

The Dallas Cowboys released Dez Bryant, who led the team in receiving yards (838) and touchdowns (six) last year. Quarterback Dak Prescott will attempt to build a rapport with wideouts Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup to fill the void. In the meantime, his familiarity with Elliott equates to a fantasy gold mine for owners picking up an RB1 in the first round. 

During his rookie term, Elliott led the league in rush attempts (322), yards (1,631) and added 32 receptions for 363 yards as the focal point of the Cowboys offense. Now, without Bryant on the perimeter, expect the running back's targets to increase as the new wideouts gain Prescott's trust in the passing game.

Elliott should have a huge season behind one of the best offensive lines in the league and more opportunities as a pass-catcher.  

WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

After missing 12 games because of an ankle injury, some people forgot how Odell Beckham Jr. completely changes the New York Giants passing offense. He logged at least 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first three seasons. With extended time away from the field and contract negotiations underway, don't expect anything less in production from the three-time Pro Bowler.

Running back Saquon Barkley's presence in the backfield should demand attention and lead to an extra defender in the box or chunk gains in play-action scenarios. Beckham's absence also allowed quarterback Eli Manning to build a solid rapport with wide receiver Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram. The former led the team in receiving yards, and the latter took the top spot in touchdowns. 

The growth and additions on offense take some of the offensive burden off Beckham's back and potentially eases coverage on him downfield. Defensive coordinators will likely continue to bracket the talented pass-catcher, but the threat of Barkley, Shepard and Engram could give him enough space to break away for big gains in games.