Fantasy Football 2018: 3 Quarterbacks to Add Now

After their performances in Week 1, these three quarterbacks showed that they deserve to be owned in more leagues.

Week 1 of this fantasy football season is almost in the books, two games left to play. There were a lot of surprising performances in just the first week of play, affecting both real and fantasy football. Adrian Peterson looks like his old self. The Steelers may not need Le’Veon Bell. But there were three quarterbacks with good performances that fantasy owners should look at owning.

Joe Flacco

Is Flacco elite again? With a receiving corps of Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead, Flacco will make the most of his pass attempts. And Flacco likes to throw a lot, throwing at least 40 passes five times last year.

He didn’t throw for 300 yards in a single game last season. His 236 yards in Week 1 would have been the sixth-highest yardage last year. Flacco threw for three touchdowns, something he hasn’t done since Dec. 4, 2016 against the Miami Dolphins.

Flacco will face the Cincinnati Bengals on the road next week. I like his new receivers and the improved running game should help limit his pass attempts.

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Andy Dalton

I was singing Dalton’s praises in the preseason. He may not throw for 40 touchdowns or have many 300-yard games, he is consistent and the solidified as his team’s starting quarterback.

While his first pass of the season didn’t start great, getting picked off. At least it wasn’t a pick-six like Sam Darnold’s first pass.

After that, however, he threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, one to John Ross and AJ Green. Tyler Eifert also got involved in the passing game.

If Joe Mixon can run like he did in this game, then Dalton will have plenty of chances to throw the ball to his top two receivers. He and the Bengals face the tough Baltimore defense in Week 2. I still like Dalton long-term in a 12-team or 2 QB league.

Ryan Fitzpatrick

When it was announced that Jameis Winston would miss the first three games of the season, fantasy owners were panicking if they drafted a Tampa Bay Bucs player. After the game Fitzpatrick had, those owners are hoping Winston doesn’t come back.

That may be an exaggeration but Fitzpatrick proved that he should start for the Bucs. He has head coach Dirk Koetter’s support. He said Winston may not start once his suspension is over. Against a tough Saints defense, he threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns.

DeSean Jackson probably had his best game of the season and Mike Evans hauled in seven passes. Fitzpatrick is owned in just 1.5 percent of ESPN leagues. With a game against the Philadelphia Eagles next on the schedule, you may want to avoid this matchup.

After that, however, the Bucs play Pittsburgh, Chicago, Atlanta and Cleveland. Four teams that can be thrown on.

I’m not saying these quarterbacks are must-starts next week. But their Week 1 performance gives hope for a bright rest of the season and they should be on your radar should your starting quarterback go down with an injury (looking at you, Aaron Rodgers owners). You don’t want to be stuck with Josh Allen.