Most fantasy football leagues concluded in Week 17, but there are still some leagues that crown a champion in Week 18. Some teams have nothing to play for and are very likely to be resting starters, including the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, and Eagles. All other teams are assumed to be playing their starters at full, but that could change as the week and games go by. Here are the Week 18 quarterback rankings for fantasy football.
Quarterback Rankings For Week 18 Fantasy Football
Tier 1: Superstar Quarterbacks
1. Lamar Jackson
2. Jayden Daniels
3. Joe Burrow
Jackson will finish the season as the overall QB1, already scoring more than 400 fantasy points. He has been a top-ten weekly quarterback in 13 of 16 weeks on the year and a top-12 weekly quarterback in 15 of 16 weeks. He has shown remarkable consistency in 2024. The Ravens need to beat the Browns to clinch the AFC North and the third seed in the AFC. Jackson comes in as the number one overall quarterback in the rankings for Week 18.
Daniels had another remarkable game-winning drive to send the Commanders to the playoffs. He has scored over 30 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks. He had a career-high 127 rushing yards in the Week 17 overtime victory. Daniels will finish the season as a top-five fantasy quarterback in his rookie season. The Commanders need a win to be the sixth seed, meaning they avoid the Eagles in the Wild Card Round, so the Commanders have something to play for even though they have already clinched a playoff spot.
Burrow had another stellar game, scoring 36.98 fantasy points to keep the Bengals season alive. He threw for 412 yards and three passing touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. The Bengals need a win and losses by the Dolphins and Broncos to clinch a playoff spot. Expect Burrow to be at his best to try to will his team into the playoffs.
Tier 2: QB1s with Something to Play For in Week 18
4. Baker Mayfield
5. Justin Herbert
6. Sam Darnold
7. Jared Goff
8. Bo Nix
9. Russell Wilson
Mayfield had a season-best 34.56 fantasy points to put the Buccaneers one win away from the NFC South crown. He threw for 359 yards and five passing touchdowns in the victory. Mayfield will finish the season as a top-five fantasy quarterback this year, something that many people did not expect. The Buccaneers need a win or a Falcons loss to win the NFC South. Mayfield is a top-five option in the quarterback rankings in Week 18.
Darnold and Goff will duel it out in the game of the year to close out the regular season in game 272 on Sunday Night Football. The winner wins the NFC North and the number one seed in the NFC, while the loser is the fifth seed and has to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Both quarterbacks are top-eight players in a must-win game and will finish as top eight quarterbacks on the season.
Nix and the Broncos must beat a Chiefs team that will be resting their starters to clinch a playoff spot (or hope for losses by both the Bengals and the Dolphins). Nix will finish his rookie season as a top-ten quarterback and is one win away from taking his team to the playoffs.
Wilson and the Steelers are playing for the division, but they need a win and a Ravens loss. The Ravens play first on Saturday, meaning the Steelers will know their fate before kickoff. However, even if the Ravens win, a win by the Steelers gives them the fifth seed, meaning they play the Texans in the Wild Card Round instead of the Ravens. Herbert and the Chargers need a win and a Steelers loss to be the fifth seed and avoid the Ravens. If the Steelers win on Saturday night, the Chargers will be locked into the sixth seed and could rest Herbert and other starters. Both Wilson and Herbert (if he plays) have great matchups this week.
Tier 3: High to Mid-Tier QB2s
10. Anthony Richardson*
11. Drake Maye
12. Tua Tagovailoa*
13. Kyler Murray
14. Jordan Love
15. Bryce Young
Maye, Murray, and Young are all eliminated from the playoffs but are all playing for pride in Week 18. Love and the Packers need a win and a Commanders loss to be the sixth seed and avoid the Eagles in the Wild Card Round.
Richardson and the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs after they lost in Week 17, with Richardson out with an injury. If Richardson is able to play in Week 18, the Colts have a great matchup against the Jaguars, who have given up the most fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season.
Tagovailoa missed the Week 17 game with a hip injury, but Tyler Huntley was able to win the game for the Dolphins to keep their season alive. The Dolphins need a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss to clinch a playoff spot.
Tier 4: Streaming Options
16. Caleb Williams
17. Drew Lock
18. Michael Penix Jr.
19. Matthew Stafford
20. Geno Smith
It has been an up-and-down rookie season for Williams. He finished as a top-ten weekly fantasy quarterback five times this season but finished outside of the top 20 nine times. Only two times did he finish between 11 and 20. Williams has a tough matchup against a top-five Packers defense in Week 18 to close out the season.
Lock had the sixth-best game since 1999 in terms of EPA/play. He threw four touchdowns and rushed for another to beat the Colts while costing the Giants the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Lock will get another start against an Eagles team, who will be resting starters.
Drew Lock’s +1.18 EPA/play today vs the Colts is the 6th best of any QB since 1999!
The QBs above that?
‘07 Peyton Manning vs BAL
‘07 Phillip Rivers vs DEN
‘19 Lamar Jackson vs CIN
‘02 Peyton Manning vs IND
‘07 Tom Brady vs MIA https://t.co/hFqCGebrhU— Doug Analytics (@Doug_Analytics) December 29, 2024
Penix Jr. had a great game-tying drive on Sunday Night Football to force overtime but ultimately came up short as the Falcons never touched the ball in the overtime period. In two starts, he has only thrown one touchdown, which was a strike to Kyle Pitts on 4th down to tie the game. Penix has a great matchup against the Panthers as the Falcons need a win and a Buccaneers loss to clinch the NFC South.
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