We are a month away from the start of the 2018 NFL regular season!

You are most likely a couple weeks away from your fantasy football draft, but we want to get you informed early.

The quarterback position can make or break your team. It’s hard to bounce back from a huge whiff at that position. It’s important to select a quality QB2 in case you draft a complete bust.

The 2018 NFL Draft had a handful of rookie quarterbacks selected in the first two rounds. There are a couple that have a shot of starting this season, but it would take an injury (or two) for the rest to throw a pass this season.

Is there a surprise #1 QB ranking? 

1. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – Yep, there is definitely a surprise here. Watson only played in seven games last season, but passed for 1,699 yards and ran for another 269 with 21 total touchdowns. He passed for 61.8% and made some smart decisions out there. He was showing chemistry with Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins. He can help you with his arm and legs. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback with a big arm. He doesn’t look to run early like Newton, but does run when he knows there’s nothing out there. I know I’m a lot higher on Watson than almost everyone, but I just love what I saw from him last season.
2. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – Rodgers is another top-tier quarterback who missed a lot of time last season. Rodgers only appeared in seven games last season, but threw for 1,675 yards and threw for 16 touchdowns. He is always near the top of the preseason QB rankings and this year is no different. When healthy, he is an automatic 30+ TD with 4,000+ passing yards fantasy quarterbacks.
3. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – Brady just turned 41 years old and is coming off a fantasy year in 2017. He passed for 32 touchdowns and passed for 4,577 yards. The Patriots signed some new receivers and took a chance on a lot heading into the preseason. They hope to find at least two and Eric Decker and Cordarrelle Patterson have good odds of being those two receivers. Brady could miss Dion Lewis out of the backfield, but Jeremy Hill or Sony Michel could takeover the ‘receiving back’ role.
4. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – Wentz was having an MVP year before getting injured late in the season. His backup Nick Foles took the ball and got the Eagles their first Super Bowl victory. Wentz is now healthy and will be ready for Week 1. Wentz will have many of the same targets he has last season with guys like Darren Sproles back from injury. He will have the best and deepest backfield in the NFL behind him. I expect another big year from Wentz.
5. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – Wilson had a very good fantasy last season, even if he was running for his life towards the end of the season. His offensive line was in shambles by the end of the year and his numbers took a hit. I’ve always felt the Seahawks have missed a possession receiver since Golden Tate left in free agency. Brandon Marshall still have a lot left in the tank and will give Seattle that dependable receiver Wilson had with Tate. I also love rookie running back Rashaad Penny and think Wilson’s numbers will improve with him in the backfield.
6. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – Well, it’s been over a year and a half since Luck has thrown a football in a regular season game. He missed all of last year after shoulder surgery. All the reports say that he is throwing the football well. Luck will have many new faces and will need to develop chemistry. He already knows T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle well, but Marlon Mack, Ryan Grant, Eric Ebron and the rookies have never played a down with him. Luck loves two-tight end sets and think the Doyle/Ebron duo will have a lot of success. Keep an eye on Luck this preseason and see how he reacts to getting hit.
7. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – Cousins finally has his big money deal, but it took him playing a series of franchise tag contracts in Washington. He played well when the pressure was on him to earn his big contract. The Vikings have more weapons than the Redskins had his last two seasons. Cousins will instantly fall in love with the consistency of Adam Thielen and the speed of Stefon Diggs. I expect a big year from Cousins.
8. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – I’m a little down on Newton this season. He takes too many risks with the ball and his body for me to trust him. In other words, I’m not using a first-round pick on him this season. The Panthers didn’t do enough in free agency to get Newton a true #1 receiver. They signed Torrey Smith, but they needed someone more than just a traditional deep threat. Newton will still have a solid fantasy season, but can he play without numerous injuries for an entire year?
9. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – Not many people thought Stafford would be very fantasy-relevant without Calvin Johnson. The Lions were smart and used the money they were paying Johnson and divided it and were able to sign multiple receivers to help Stafford. They have had success the last two seasons with Golden Tate and Marvin Jones as their two main receiving targets. Stafford should have another 4,250+ yard and 30+ TD season.
10. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben had another top-tier fantasy season in 2017. He passed for 4,251 yards with 28 TDs and found a new secondary target in WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. He helped complement #1 target Antonio Brown since teams had to pay more attention to JuJu. It stinks that the Steelers chose not to address the Le’Veon Bell contract (again) this offseason, so there’s a cloud over the team. Bell did not perform well the first few games since he missed the entire training camp, which he says he will do again. I still think Roethlisberger will finish as a top-ten fantasy quarterback.
11. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – Brees has the least-proficient passing season as a member of the Saints. The offense philosophy changed and the Saints became a run-first team with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara leading the way. Brees is 39 years old and the light workload allowed him to cut down on turnovers and average more yards per reception since 2011. The Saints will most likely deploy the same offense this season, but Brees would be an awesome QB2 for a fantasy team.
12. Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers – The Niners traded for Garoppolo late last season and was 5-1 as the starter. He was accurate as hell and the entire team just seem like they were playing with more confidence. I know people are reaching for Garoppolo early in drafts, but I’m a tad more timid with my assessment. I’m not a huge believer in the Niners receiving corps and the rest of their offense. He will likely be a top-15 fantasy quarterback, but I don’t think he’s a QB1-level fantasy player right now.
13. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs is rolling the dice with Mahomes in his second year in the NFL. Alex Smith was coming his best season of his career, so it took some balls to trade him to Washington for a draft pick and Kendall Fuller. Mahomes has a huge arm and put up ridiculous numbers in college at Texas Tech. He has a new toy in wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and still have reliable WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce. I expect a solid season from Mahomes, but could have a couple hiccups. I think he’s worth a gamble as your QB2.
14. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – Goff has had the benefit of having Todd Gurley in his backfield and his first full season as the starter went very well. He played in fifteen games and passed for 28 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. His chemistry with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp helped in Goff’s development. The Rams were able to get WR Brandin Cooks this offseason, which will give Goff another weapon.
15. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – I’m trying to temper my expectations for Mariota, since the dude has skills, but things just haven’t went his way on the field. He has struggled with interceptions and the team has went with a run-heavy offense. They signed RB Dion Lewis and WR Corey Davis comes into this season healthy. Mariota still has a lot of upside, but he may just be a solid QB2 this year.
16. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – Ryan threw for a hundred less passes last season than he did in many of his previous seasons. This was a factor in him throwing almost half the amount of touchdowns as the previous season. The Falcons offense only put up 353 points, but had a 10-6 record thanks to their defense that only allowed 315 points. There were just less opportunities, but as long as Atlanta is winning, I don’t see a huge change in philosophy. Ryan will probably be a 20-to-26 touchdown quarterback.
17. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – I’m not a fan of Prescott’s fantasy outlook. They are primarily a run-first team with Ezekiel Elliott, AND the Cowboys cut Dez Bryan this offseason. This killed any hopes of Prescott being in the top-tier of fantasy quarterbacks. I think his ceiling is as a QB2 this season.
18. Alex Smith – Washington Redskins – Smith is coming off his best offensive season of his career, but I’m not a fan of the talent he’s passing balls to in Washington. Tight end Jordan Reed is legit, but other than him, who is reliable? Wide receiver Josh Doctson has the most upside, but he has never caught more than four passes in a game. I’m not very high on Smith this season.
19. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – Rivers passed for 4,515 yards and threw 28 touchdown passes. He took advantage of a healthy Keenan Allen. I also expect more from second-year wide receiver Mike Williams. Rivers will probably be a top-fifteen fantasy quarterback this season, but could creep into the top-ten some weeks. He’s a solid QB2 this season.
20. Eli Manning – New York Giants – Manning dealt with so many injuries at wide receiver last season. He only had Sterling Shepard or Roger Lewis as his #1 receiver. Odell Beckham Jr. appears to be healthy and as long as he can stay on the field, Manning should at least be in the conversation of being own in standard fantasy leagues. I think the addition of rookie running back Saquon Barkley helps stack more defenders in the box.

21. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos
22. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals
23. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears
24. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders
25. Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars
26. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins
27. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28. Tyrod Taylor – Cleveland Browns
29. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens
30. Sam Bradford – Arizona Cardinals
31. Josh McCown – New York Jets
32. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
33. AJ McCarron – Buffalo Bills
34. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns
35. Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals
36. Sam Darnold – New York Jets
37. Nick Foles – Philadelphia Eagles
38. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
39. Jacoby Brissett – Indianapolis Colts
40. Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
41. Teddy Bridgewater – New York Jets
42. Davis Webb – New York Giants
43. Mason Rudolph – Pittsburgh Steelers
44. Brian Hoyer – New England Patriots
45. Chad Henne – Kansas City Chiefs
46. Brock Osweiler – Miami Dolphins
47. Matt Cassel – Detroit Lions
48. Trevor Siemian – Minnesota Vikings
49. Geno Smith – Los Angeles Chargers
50. Chase Daniel – Chicago Bears

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.