Fantasy Football Week 1: Quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues

2-QB leagues may not get spotlighted but are by far the most fun. We will be ranking the top 24 quarterbacks every week, starting with Fantasy Football Week 1.

In 2019, fantasy football doesn’t focus on quarterbacks enough. It doesn’t represent real life. Sure, quarterbacks score the most points in pretty much every league version, but the overwhelming majority of those leagues only allow you to start one quarterback. That’s 10 or 12 guys being used weekly.

This is why quarterbacks go so late in drafts. When 300+ point scorers can be taken in the finals rounds, why bother reaching? It’s also why 2-QB or SuperFLEX leagues are the only way to go. (SuperFLEX just means a quarterback can be started in the flex spot. It sounds fancier than it is.)

2-QB leagues are way more fun. It means that 20-24 passers are started every week. Now that’s a much better representation of the way the league works in 2019. Quarterbacks are the most important position. They score the most points. Let them represent in fantasy as well.

Playing in a 2-QB league changes the entire scope of drafts. Needing to start two means needing to draft probably three. There will be fights for guys who are considered “bad” or who will go entirely undrafted in standard leagues. Sure, you can start another position in the SuperFLEX spot, but good luck matching someone playing a quarterback there. It’s a 12-point deficit right off the bat.

With only 32 real-life starters at the position in any given week, the quarterback crunch can be real like it isn’t in any other fantasy format.

Each week, we will pick our favorite super flex quarterbacks who wouldn’t be used in standard leagues. That means we are stuffing your top 12 in a sack, and ranking players 13 through 24. We begin with Fantasy Football Week 1 and the hardest decisions you’ll ever make.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football Week 1 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Fantasy Football Week 1

The Current top 12: Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, Drew Brees, Jameis Winston, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger

13: Lamar Jackson

Todd Salem: I don’t trust him yet in standard leagues, but you can’t argue with the matchup against Miami.
Dan Salem: Jackson probably belongs a few slots lower to start the season, but his upside is enormous. I wouldn’t be surprised to find him in the top 12 by mid-season. Because the risk is low and reward high, he’s easily on the fringe of our elite.

14: Matt Ryan

Todd Salem: Not an easy matchup but inside in the dome in Minnesota.
Dan Salem: Ryan would usually slot in higher, but it’s hard to know how his season will go. The Vikings defense could trip him up, so he’s a tier below in Week 1.

15: Tom Brady

Todd Salem: I’ll lean more toward known quantities in the early going. I’m risk-averse with my second quarterback.
Dan Salem: He feels like boom or bust to start the season, but Brady’s floor is pretty high. He’s a great second option.

16: Philip Rivers

Todd Salem: See Brady.
Dan Salem: Rivers would be much higher, if not for the unknowns created by Melvin Gordon. He won’t be out of the top 12 for very long. His consistency is nearly untouchable.

17: Kirk Cousins

Todd Salem: So boring but really a steady fantasy player, even if he’s worse in real life.
Dan Salem: Great second quarterback with QB1 potential. Who cares if the team is winning. Cousins gets his numbers.

18: Jimmy Garoppolo

Todd Salem: Tampa Bay’s defense shouldn’t be nearly as bad as last year, but Jimmy G has a lot of weapons to work with.
Dan Salem: I expect him to do well, but we just don’t know. This makes him lower on this list, despite the obvious upside.

19: Kyler Murray

Todd Salem: Here’s where I bite the bullet on the rookie. Otherwise, spot 19 is where useful veterans devolve into simply older question marks.
Dan Salem: I personally am pretty low on Murray, but his multi-faceted abilities make him a worthwhile play in week one. He must prove it, or he’ll drop off this list entirely.

20: Joe Flacco

Todd Salem: The renaissance! A good matchup in Week 1 puts Flacco on my board, but be ready to jump ship by Week 2 if things don’t look right.
Dan Salem: I don’t like Flacco, but he probably puts up decent numbers in Denver. That’s all that matters.

21: Mitch Trubisky

Todd Salem: I don’t like that the Bears are looking to cut down on Tarik Cohen‘s touches to keep him fresh. I don’t like that Anthony Miller seems like the team’s number-two option on the outside. I don’t like that Trubisky tied for the fourth-worst interception rate of anyone who started at least 12 games last year.
Dan Salem: Trubisky is a risky play, but the upside is there against a suspect Packers defense. Just hope he finds the endzone with his legs.

22: Derek Carr

Todd Salem: The other half of the Flacco write-up, but if Flacco had a slightly worse defensive matchup yet benefited from the services of Antonio Brown on his roster.
Dan Salem: I love the risk versus reward of Carr. He’s in prove it mode with some new weapons to work with on offense. If he plays well, it will be over the first month or two of games.

23: Matthew Stafford

Todd Salem: The Lions aren’t throwing the ball down the field enough to take advantage of the pretty good talent on the outside. Stafford will suffer from deflated numbers all year.
Dan Salem: Stafford always seems to get good fantasy numbers, but the clock is ticking on his abilities. That’s why he’s so far down this list, but he could easily vault into the top 15.

24: Josh Allen

Todd Salem: Ordinarily, I’d want to see a couple weeks of Allen to see how much he was running this season, but against a good matchup, we need to figuratively run with him Week 1.
Dan Salem: Allen’s ability to run makes him worth a play, but on the road versus a potent Jets defense is risky. You could come up short, or hit a home run. Not a bad option for your second quarterback.

Next. NFL Week 1 Best Picks Against the Spread. dark

Notables to Watch:

Sam Darnold – He has a lot of new weapons on offense, but a tough schedule to start the year. If Buffalo’s defense is markedly worse than last season, Darnold will shine in week one. Otherwise he may be a better play after September is over.

Jacoby Brissett – The Colts still have a talented offense, but we just don’t know what we’ll get from Brissett. If he can do half of what Andrew Luck did, then he’ll be a valuable fantasy option. Keep an eye on his week one and judge from there.

Home/Fantasy Football