It’s never
too early to project where the top fantasy performers should reside for the
upcoming fantasy football draft. ADF is providing our insight to where current
players should be ranked as of today. This listing will of course be modified
as the offseason continues to move forward. Projections are based upon 2017 PPR
formats.
TOP 25 Fantasy Quarterbacks:
Aaron Rodgers | GB | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
20.45 | Rank 1
Coming off a year lost to injury may
throw claim that Rodgers shouldn’t reside in the top position for quarterbacks
for the 2018 season. While some may argue, ADF isn’t wavering one bit that
Aaron will return and regain his form to the levels we’ve been accustomed too.
Once the Packers signed Jimmy Graham to the club, Rodgers instantly rose above
all for top placement for quarterback rankings. Having a viable tight end on
this offense will allow Aaron to be more explosive having a safety blanket he
can trust over the middle. On paper, this Packers offense looks to be something
special in 2018 already.
Deshaun Watson | HOU | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 29.27 | Rank 2
Taking the NFL by storm was the
electric rookie from Clemson, Deshaun Watson. It’s very easy to make claim that
Watson could be ranked as the top quarterback in fantasy football for 2018,
but, number two isn’t a bad consolation. Believing Watson will have no
set-backs in his recovery and could regain his form from where he left off last
season; Watson should continue his progression and tear upon the league. With
that said, ADF would like to see the Texans address the tight end position and
add wide receiver depth allowing for more options for this offense. Pieces
added in the NFL draft will confirm where Watson should be ranked. His injury
does pose as a concern (red flag) and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Cam Newton | CAR | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
21.47 | Rank 3
Newton continues to produce in his
great statistical career and should provide top end numbers once again in 2018.
Always ranked higher in leagues solely because of his great running ability, we
shouldn’t see a drop off but a lift going into this season. ADF is speculating
that Newton will benefit from the Panthers brain trust adding talent to this
offense in the form of wide receivers and running backs. Newton has the support
from their spark plug Christian McCaffrey and the return of their star tight
end Greg Olsen, but truly requires a top flight receiving talent to round out
the core. Either way, Cam will put up big numbers once again.
Kirk Cousins | MIN | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
21.35 | Rank 4
The biggest riser on the quarterback
list is recent top free agent Kirk Cousins. Placing him as the fourth ranked
quarterback may feel as a stretch for some, but ADF believes that in Minnesota
he should flourish. Since becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL, Cousins
hasn’t failed to produce under 4000 passing yards and 25 touchdowns with almost
reaching heights of 5000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in his time in
Washington. Reviewing the weapons on the Vikings roster, it’s impossible to not
get excited to the potential powerhouse this offense could become. Building
chemistry and executing the playbook in year one might pose as the greatest
feat, but if Case Keenum could put up career numbers, just think what Cousins
could do.
Carson Wentz | PHI | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
26.60 | Rank 5
At this point Carson Wentz ranks fifth with
the potential to increase his value as he progresses in his recovery form ACL
surgery. Having played masterfully last season before he went down, the only
set back to the young pivot which could derail his ranking is when he actually
will return to the field. Injuring his knee late in the season almost
guarantees he won’t be ready to begin the season under center. The Eagles might
be the best team in the NFL in terms of talent depth on this roster. With Nick
Foles remaining as the backup it’s not out of the question to see Wentz moved
along slowly missing perhaps the first quarter of the year as he continues to
rehab. Wentz may find himself falling down the list as the months move forward
until confirmation of full health is obtained.
Tom Brady | NE | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
22.62 | Rank 6
Is this the year we see the inevitable
decline of the great Tom Brady? It’s incredible to fathom how TB12 has been
able to sustain the levels of success year after year going into his 40’s. As
the Patriots look to retool losses in free agency, they will get back Julian
Edelman and add offensive talent via the NFL draft. A large question mark for
the outlook on Brady and his ranking is the Rob Gronkowski situation and if he
indeed intends on retiring from football. While Brady has played without Gronk
in the lineup before and was still able to produce, the Patriots will form a
scheme that will be conducive to this offense still being a top performer. So
long as Brady doesn’t hit the wall and begin his decline early on, he will
still give his owners great numbers.
Jared Goff | LAR | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
21.15 | Rank 7
As the Rams continue to get better
adding talent to the roster, recent breaking news that LA has acquired Brandin
Cooks from the Patriots (via trade) could catapult Jared Goff into the top five
of fantasy drafts. Having progressed fantastically last season under coach
McVay, having another year under his belt with the same cast should only
improve his numbers for the upcoming season. It’s not out of the question to
believe that Goff could flirt with per game averages in the 23-25 PPG range
this year. The Rams are definitely on the rise and Goff could find his way
higher on the list come draft time.
Drew Brees | NWO | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
19.29 | Rank 8
Though Drew Brees looked to have taken
a step back in 2017, ADF still believes in the ability of the future hall of
famer. Keys to his success in seeing Brees regain his statistics from past
seasons would include; adding depth to the wide receiver and tight end positions.
While the running game remains strong and should continue to be the main focus
of the offense, adding a viable weapon to the receiving core to help Michael
Thomas see fewer double teams will allow Brees to distribute the ball more
evenly while seeing his numbers increase. Drew is on the back nine of his
career but should get you through this season with top ten numbers.
Russell Wilson | SEA | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 26.12 | Rank 9
Though this looks to be a shocking rank
for Russell Wilson and his spectacular 26.12 fantasy points per game (2017),
ADF has no choice at this point to place Wilson in the ninth spot. Russell is
literally all alone on this offense as the Seahawks have no real playmakers to
speak of with exception to Doug Baldwin. Seattle has no creatable running game
and no secondary wide receiver talent that would make defenses take notice.
Wilson took this team on his back last season as he ran for his life behind a
subpar offensive line. As the Hawks look to rebuild this club with a defense
that should see its share of let downs, Wilson could be a great garbage time
producer this season. Red flags at this point for Russell Wilson being a
consistent fantasy producer.
Matthew Stafford | DET | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 21.35 | Rank 10
Stafford continues to be overlooked in
the fantasy world but yet produces good numbers and provides good value for
where he could be drafted. ADF is encouraged by the regime change in Detroit as
the Patriot disciple (Matt Patricia) could bring a winning culture to the fold.
With receiver talent still a plenty and a running back room looking on the ups
after signing LeGarrette Blount, the NFL draft should round out this unit
making Stafford a potential top producer in 2018.
Philip Rivers | LAC | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
20.52 | Rank 11
The upside to Old Man River (pun
intended) is in how the Chargers became a team to fear as the 2017 season wore
on. With Rivers understanding the offensive system and the defense placing the
offense in great positions, ADF fully expects Rivers to pick up where he left
off. With a solid running game and a plethora of talent on the receiving core,
the Chargers look to be a team that will do damage and put up large numbers.
Rivers could be a giant steal in fantasy drafts this season.
Dak Prescott | DAL | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
19.42 | Rank 12
ADF is firmly giving Dak Prescott the
benefit of the doubt and placing him as the twelfth ranked quarterback as of
today. This rank could definitely fall once we understand the Cowboys plan regarding
their star receiver Dez Bryant. While the Dallas offense revolves around Zeke
Elliott, it became disturbingly clear when Elliott was forced to the sidelines
due to his suspension that Dak couldn’t put the team on his back and produce
consistently. Prescott does have talent that allows him to produce with his
legs, but it’s clear he relies on the run game a little too much. With Zeke
back in the mix, Dak should be able to produce numbers comparable to those of
his rookie year. Expect a possible trend down if Bryant is released from the
Cowboys.
Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 20.98 | Rank 13
While the Steelers still possess some
of the greater talent offensively compared to other teams in the NFL, Big-Ben
should be seen as a potential to regress in 2018. The reason for this
suggestion is the changeover to the offensive coordinator from the departure of
Todd Haley to the Browns. Learning a new system might take the Steelers some
time limiting Ben at the beginning of the season. It’s more than likely they
will correct any shortcomings as the year rolls on, as the amount of talent on
the offensive side is far too vast to be affected for the long term. Still
would have a backup plan if Ben is your guy.
Alex Smith | WAS | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
23.28 | Rank 14
Having found great success in his final
season in Kansas City, Smith found himself atop the leaderboards in terms of
total fantasy points and points per game. Moving to Washington to take over for
the departed Kirk Cousins, it’s difficult for ADF to envision Smith generating
stats to match his 2017 season. Any quarterback entering a new system will
inevitably take a step back as the learning curve and building of chemistry
should take time to develop. The king of the check down should be on display on
a team that supports no high end receiving talent but a cast of good supporting
pieces at the position.
Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 16.92 | Rank 15
Rounding out the top fifteen, ADF makes
claim that Jimmy G will have a good to great first season as the 49ers true
number one starter. The concerns facing Jimmy are the lack of superstar talents
at the wide receiver position currently on the San Fran roster. The 49ers did
bring speedster Jerick Mckinnon to the mix to help elevate plays from the
backfield in terms of having a solid pass catching back. The tutelage received
from Tom Brady and the fantastic performance from Garoppolo to end the 2017
season screams high potential for the young pivot to make waves. His value
continues to trend upward and should continue after the NFL draft.
Jamies Winston | TB | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
19.36 | Rank 16
While ADF likes the skillset of the
Bucs Jamies Winston, he hasn’t been able to consistently produce in his time in
the NFL. Being surrounded with talent all over this offense, the 2017 season
was a monster let down hence the middle of the pack ranking for Winston. Jamies
could be a great bench quarterback with high potential yet again.
Patrick Mahomes | KC | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: N/A | Rank 17
Perhaps one of ADF’s biggest early
sleeper candidates going into the 2018 season belongs to the young Patrick
Mahomes. Under quarterback educating Guru Andy Reid, we fully expect the Chiefs
to create a system conducive in helping the young cannon armed thrower succeed
in his first season as the starter. The weapons surrounding Mahomes and the
addition of Sammy Watkins to the club, we could see fireworks in the Kansas
City all year. Great value and a high riser for ADF!
Andrew Luck | IND | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
N/A | Rank 18
ADF has fallen off the Andrew Luck
train and would require a multitude of anything encouraging to get back on.
Speculation has been made that Luck has begun throwing and looks to be
improving on a daily basis, we’re not convinced. Any quarterback coming off
surgery to his throwing shoulder removing him for an entire season is extremely
concerning. Luck is extremely talented but won’t find his way up our board
until we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Huge red flags on Luck
remain.
Matt Ryan | ATL | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
17.13 | Rank 19
Matt Ryan saw some of his worst numbers
since his 2010 season frustrating his owners greatly last year. Ryan has
struggled in the past when a new system is implemented much like we witnessed
under offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. ADF still holds out faith that
Ryan will have a bounce back season in year two under the current system as the
Falcons still possess top flight talent on that side of the ball. Without
question Ryan will improve on his terrible touchdown rate provided Sarkisian
understands how to use the great Julio Jones. The value on where Matty Ice
could be drafted to what levels he will produce is high and ADF would
definitely take another chance on Ryan.
Derek Carr | OAK | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
16.83 | Rank 20
Another quarterback that saw extreme
regression from his previous season was the Raiders Derek Carr. The wheels
completely feel off last season and we firmly believe they will be put back on
under new coach Jon Gruden. Gruden comes from a coaching tree that is great at
exploiting the talents of quarterbacks while instituting a west coast style
that may enhance Carr’s progression. The value on Carr sitting on your bench
being drafted at the twentieth rank for quarterbacks holds great value and
upside. We fully expect Derek to improve and build off his 2016 season leaving
2017 in his rear-view.
Tyrod Taylor | CLE | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
16.98 | Rank 21
The move to Cleveland makes Tyrod
Taylor and extremely interesting bench quarterback with great matchup
potential. While the jury has come back and shown what Taylor is actually
capable of, his situation with the Browns will finally prove what type of
player he can be. Playing with fantastic talents in Jarvis Landry & Josh
Gordon, and in a system under offensive coordinator Todd Haley, it’s not
inconceivable to see the long ball used with regularity this season. Tyrod
should have ever opportunity to make plays with his legs as opposing defenses
will have to respect the deep ball leaving fewer stacked boxes.
Marcus Mariota | TEN | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 15.90 | Rank 22
ADF didn’t sing the praises of Mariota
going into last season and again won’t give a gleaming endorsement. Marcus will
again be forced to learn another system with good but limited talent depth
around him making it difficult to envision much of any great improvement in
2018. With that said, ADF does love the skillset and the potential of Mariota,
but can’t find reason to have him ranked higher.
Blake Bortles | JAX | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
18.23 | Rank 23
While the Jags have an abundance of
talent on the offensive side of the ball, Bortles still screams game manager
with little upside from what we saw in 2017. The offense will again favor the
run game leaving opportunities for Blake to produce off play action. We’re
still not able to endorse Bortles in fantasy football and he would best serve
as a matchup player at most.
Mitchell Trubisky | CHI | 2017 Fantasy
PPG: 16.79 | Rank 24
With a new head coach to run the show
in Chicago and signing a surplus of talent to help their young pivot progress
and potentially excel, ADF is somewhat smitten with what Trubisky could really
be. He has good talent and showed signs of improvement last season placing him
in a firm conversation as a bench stash quarterback with hopes of much improved
production. Mitchell could easily find himself in the 20 PPG discussion in
2018.
Case Keenum | DEN | 2017 Fantasy PPG:
18.79 | Rank 25
Case Keenum finds himself in the top
twenty five simply because he will begin the year as the Broncos starting
quarterback. ADF isn’t convinced that Case can replicate his success from last
season as the Vikings system and talent lifted him to look better than he
actually is. Still have to give him some respect as he could provide some good
matchup play appeal.
*Teams not represented on this list:
Buffalo, Miami, NY Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, NY Giants, Arizona
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