By RahimAli Merchant
Are you an avid football fan who loves to spend an entire Sunday on the sofa watching Sunday Ticket to found out how well your fantasy players are doing? Whether it’s watching your favorite team or player, you have an important interest in what’s going on around the league.
That’s probably due to the interest in your fantasy football team. How’s your first round draft pick doing? What about the flex? And who could be a real sleeper for you during the waivers?
That’s where I’ve come to help. I will be giving you the top 15 to 20 players of each position and five sleeper picks to help you with your fantasy draft.
First up is the biggest position in the NFL, though its value isn’t the same in the fantasy world. That position is the quarterback. A lot of people do strategize and plan their rosters around the guys who throw the ball, especially if we own their favorite target too. So let’s see where each quarterback ranks on the draft board.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2. Russell Wilson, Seahawks
3. Cam Newton, Panthers
4. Carson Wentz, Eagles
5. DeShaun Watson, Texans
6. Tom Brady, Patriots
7. Drew Brees, Saints
8. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
9. Matt Stafford, Lions
10. Kirk Cousins, Vikings
11. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers
12. Marcus Mariota, Titans
13. Matt Ryan, Falcons
14. Derek Carr, Raiders
15. Phillip Rivers, Chargers
Wentz and Watson being in the top five is no joke. Before they got injured last season, they were clearly top three in both fantasy and reality. Assuming they come back ready and healthy, their teams will continue to have success.
Most of the teams in the league need the success of their quarterbacks in order to succeed, and the Packers will look to return back to the playoffs after quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury as well.
Cam Newton and Russell Wilson are two of the quarterbacks who can give you more value in fantasy with their legs compared to the rest of the list. I’ve had Newton on one of my three teams each of the last three years and he was the difference maker between winning and losing matchups.
Brady has dropped because he has lost a lot of his offensive weapons like Dion Lewis (Titans), Brandin Cooks (Rams) and Julian Edelman (Suspension). However, Brady still has Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan, plus Edelman will return too, but his age will slow him down a bit.
Brees, Roethlisberger, and Stafford will all continue to get the ball to their pass-catching backs and wide receivers, so you know you’ll be getting great production from them as long as they can stay healthy. We could see the three of them competing for the most yards this season.
Cousins, Garoppolo, Mariota, and Carr find themselves in new situations. For Cousins, it’s an entirely new offense and team, but it is an offense that is set and ready to take it to the next level – Super Bowl! Garoppolo has the same team, but several different pieces around him. Pieces like Jerick McKinnon and a handful of receivers and offensive linemen to help protect Garoppolo and continue his streak of being undefeated in the NFL. Mariota and Carr are in a similar situation than Garoppolo with the new pieces on the same team, including new coaches.
Ryan wants to have a repeat of his MVP season two years where he and the Falcons made the Super Bowl. With the addition of Calvin Ridley alongside Mohamed Sanu and Julio Jones, we should expect to see Ryan have another decent year in fantasy.
If Rivers can be consistent this season, he could quickly find himself atop the best quarterbacks in fantasy this year. With the offensive threats available to him, it is very possible to see that happening!
Let’s also take a look at the sleepers in the league this year.
Top Sleepers:
1. Andrew Luck, Colts
2. Jared Goff, Rams
3. Alex Smith, Redskins
4. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers
5. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Luck will look to finally make his return to the field after missing nearly two seasons due to injury. He could clearly turn out to be a top-five quarterback when this fantasy year is over, but let’s hope for the sake of the fantasy owners who draft him that he could stay healthy. Goff looks to continue off his performance from last year and hopes to add more yards to his name. Smith looks to prove to everyone why he deserves that contract he got and being one of the best fantasy quarterbacks will do just that. Winston will have a late start to the fantasy season because of his three-game suspension, but don’t let that make you pass on him in fantasy because he has been one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the fantasy world. Mahomes only has one full game to show for, but in that one game, the Chiefs believed it was enough to let him take over the reigns. With the addition of Sammy Watkins to the already explosive offense, we could see the young quarterback turn several heads for passing on him this season.
I hope this list is very helpful to you when determining which quarterback you want to have on your team. I will also be giving the top 20 running backs and wide receivers in fantasy this year. I know I’m planning the perfect team for me to finally get back on the winning side of the league, and I hope you can too!
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