Fantasy Football 2018: QB Rankings, Projections and Top Team Names

If you listen to the fantasy football wise guys, you don't have to draft a quarterback until the fifth, sixth or seventh round.

The sharp players will wait to draft QBs so they can concentrate on finding the best running backs and receivers.

There's not much difference between the top quarterbacks in terms of fantasy production, and while you may not get the best QB1, you will certainly have a productive signal-caller in your lineup.

The experts have a point, but it's not necessarily so cut and dried. Quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are capable of putting three-TD games together on a consecutive-week basis, and that will almost always have a huge impact on any fantasy game.

Here's a look at our top 12 fantasy quarterbacks heading into the 2018 season.

2018 Fantasy QB Rankings

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots 

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans, 

5. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

7. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

8. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

9. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

10. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco

11. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Nothing stays the same in the NFL, but Brady, Rodgers and Brees are nearly always at the top of the annual rankings and their performances have remained consistent.

The injury bug took its toll on Rodgers last season, and Brady had to contend with a four-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season, but fantasy owners are assured of productive performances when any one of those three quarterbacks is in the lineup. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

All three face challenges in addition to age and injury potential. Rodgers, 34, no longer has Jordy Nelson lining up for him, as the receiver has moved to the Oakland Raiders. That could be costly, but the Packers still have Davante Adams and Randall Cobb, and they have added tight end Jimmy Graham.

The latter move appears to be boom or bust, because Graham struggled when he first signed with the Seattle Seahawks, and it may take him time to adjust to Green Bay. 

Brady, 41, no longer has Danny Amendola or Brandin Cooks on his side, and the remaining wideouts are not overly distinguished. However, he still has tight end Rob Gronkowski playing at a very high level.

Brees suffered a drop in yards and touchdowns from 2016 to 2017, but the Saints were a better team.

The 39-year-old will not be compelled to put the ball in the air as much as he did when the Saints did not have a running game, but opponents will attempt to slow down that part of their game, and Brees will have a more productive year in 2018.

Watson was on his way to an excellent rookie season before he tore his ACL in November.

When healthy, the 22-year-old may have a chance to move in with the elite quarterbacks in the game. He has the athletic ability, arm strength and know-how to get to the top, and now he needs the seasoning. 

Luck appears to be healthy for the first time since the 2015 season, and he is capable of dominating if his shoulder is 100 percent.

While the 28-year-old needs to prove himself during the preseason after missing all of 2017 and playing injured in 2016, he has been throwing the ball well and looks like he is capable of a return to glory.

It's hard to separate Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson, but we give a slight edge to the Atlanta Falcons man based on yardage totals for 4,591, 4,944 and 4,095 the past three years. He also gets to throw to Julio Jones, and that's a major advantage. 

Wilson is an accurate passer and a brilliant athlete who can run when he needs to. However, he doesn't have the weapons Ryan has at his disposal.

Top Team Names

What's in a name? William Shakespeare told us the name is not overly important because a rose would smell just as sweet if it were called something else, and we tend to believe old Bill.

However, a name can mean quite a bit in fantasy football. A sharp team name will tell opponents that a particular owner is clever and that a battle of wits may not go so well if an opponent wants to engage in back-and-forth trash talking. 

The best names often involve double-entendre or contain a cultural reference. With those parameters, we offer these examples:

I Gotta Thielen

Brady's Bunch 

Funchess' Bunch

Mixon's the One

Le'Veon a Prayer

Bell Ringers

Justin Time

Hogan's Heroes

Guice Guice Baby

Rollin’ With Mahomes

Enunwa is Enough