With the preseason beginning and many fantasy drafts planned for the next few weekends, it’s time to prep for your 2019 Fantasy Football team. Here is my advice/predictions as it relates to quarterbacks:
- Numero Uno – There is no better QB prospect this season than Patrick Mahomes, the stud who lit up the league last year. His numbers were incredible, and while there’s no way he repeats them this season, even a significant and/or unexpected step down would still land him on the top of the list. Pick Patty and a slew of other Chiefs to start for your team; you’ll be thanking them during your playoffs.
- Teamwork – While you don’t want to get too many players from one team in case they have a bad game, a lot of top tier QBs have a top tier wideout to go with them, and picking the pair might not be a bad idea. Mahomes-Hill, Watson-Hopkins, Rodgers-Adams, Ryan-Jones, Mayfield-Beckham, Roethlisberger-Juju, Luck-Hilton, Brees-Thomas; you could do much worse than to have these duos on your team.
- Believeland – And speaking of BA-KER-MAY-FIELD, there’s reason to be optimistic about the Brownies this season, and that could mean fantasy relevance. Mayfield has a lot to prove still, he’s not quite Mahomes, but the talent around him has definitely improved, and he could score a ton of points this year. Also, he may drop a few rounds because owners might be scared to pull the trigger; just make sure you’re not.
- Father Time – But now for the bad news; not every famous QB deserves a spot on top of your fantasy depth chart. The older they get the more their skill falls off, that’s just proven fact, so be mindful of the senior class. Brady is going to take a step back this year, I think that’s inevitable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rivers and maybe even Drew Brees step back with him. Guys like Carr, Dalton, and Stafford are already falling off the radar and they aren’t even that old; father time is undefeated.
- Bounce Back – There are a few signal callers who aren’t as coveted as perhaps they once were, but there’s a chance they bounce back up to the top, so be there to nab them if you think they might trend upward. Luck had a resurgent year last season, but he’s not a surprise any longer, so someone will take him too high; get one of the guys who might come a little cheaper. Newton, Wentz, Prescott, Cousins; you could do worse than someone from this group, just be willing to wait a while before making the move.
- The Untouchables – Unfortunately, every year there is a group of guys who you just simply can’t draft, at least not until they’ve proven themselves surprisingly worthy, and in that case you just pick them up from the waiver wire. Foles, Fitzpatrick, Manning, Keenum; they don’t have enough talent around them to score enough points for you to consider. I’ll add Joe Flacco to that list as well, although I think Denver does have talent; we just can’t be sure what Flacco will do with it.