Which quarterbacks have the most favorable fantasy matchups? Who is the best streaming option? And whom should you fade?
Here's a breakdown of five of the top fantasy football quarterbacks, as ranked by Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman in their Week 1 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 QB
Tom Brady
The Patriots own the slate's second-highest implied team total (28.25 points). Regardless of the matchup, Brady boasts one of the top ceilings each week, and his 33.1-point Projected Ceiling leads all quarterbacks in Week 1.
Freedman, Koerner and Raybon are all high on Brady, each ranking him inside their individual top two.
The Most Favorable Matchups
Drew Brees (No. 3)
Raybon is the highest on Brees, ranking the Saints quarterback as the No. 1 overall QB in his individual Week 1 rankings.
Brees has one of the best matchups on the board against a weak Buccaneers secondary that ranked 31st in Football Outsiders' Pass Defense Adjusted Value Over Average last season.
Brees' fantasy numbers dipped in 2017, but he still averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, which ranked as the fourth-best mark of his career. The Saints' 29.5 implied team total leads this week's slate.
Plus Brees will be at home, where he's averaged 21.63 fantasy points per game since 2014.
Kirk Cousins (No. 9)
Cousins has an inviting matchup against a San Francisco defense that ranked 26th in DVOA last season.
The Vikings are 6.5-point favorites with an implied team total of 26.25 points, but if Jimmy Garoppolo can keep this game competitive, Cousins could be throwing to one of the best wide receiver duos in the league late in the fourth quarter.
Cousins ranks as a top-eight quarterback for Koerner and Freedman.
The Fade
Russell Wilson (No. 10)
It might sound insane to fade a quarterback who was involved in 37 of his team's 38 touchdowns last season, but consider: Wilson's new offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, thinks the key to winning games is to run the ball.
Whether Schottenheimer's Stone Age play-calling will come to fruition remains to be seen, but the Seahawks own the third-lowest implied team total (19.75) this week.
The Best Stream
Tyrod Taylor (No. 12)
Taylor has averaged 5.79 rush attempts per game over his past three seasons, and his ability to limit turnovers with a career 1.4% interception rate shouldn't go overlooked. He doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he has the sixth-highest Floor Projection among starting quarterbacks this week.
Taylor might even be available on waivers in your league.
Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week's news on FantasyLabs.
