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Week 18 Quarterback Rankings Fantasy Football
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Week 18 Quarterback Rankings Fantasy Football

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Austin Ambler  |  Last updated Jan 1, 2026 1:20 PM ET

Most fantasy football leagues are finished, but there are still some leagues that have their Championship in Week 18. Here are the Week 18 quarterback rankings for fantasy football. Many teams have already announced they are resting starters, such as the Chargers resting Justin Herbert, while other teams, such as the Bills, are being hesitant on whether or not Allen will play.

Quarterback Rankings Week 18 Fantasy Football

Tier 1: The Big 5

Rank Player Opponent
1 Drake Maye Miami Dolphins
2 Josh Allen* New York Jets
3 Dak Prescott New York Giants
4 Trevor Lawrence Tennessee Titans
5 Matthew Stafford Arizona Cardinals

This top tier of quarterbacks is the best of the best in fantasy football:

  • Maye put on a show in Week 17, taking over as the MVP favorite with a 19/21, 256 passing yards, and five passing touchdowns performance. He had 32.44 fantasy points, the highest total of his career. He is the overall QB2 on the season and led the Patriots to a division title. The Patriots can still clinch the 1 seed in the AFC, so expect the starters to play against the Dolphins.
  • Allen is dealing with a foot injury, and the Bills are locked into a Wild Card position. Allen has the longest active consecutive start streak by a quarterback at 139 games in a row. I expect him to take one snap and then come out of the game like he did last year. However, if he plays the full game, he gets an excellent matchup against the Jets, who were just torched by Maye. Pay attention to reports out of Buffalo for how much Allen will play.
  • Lawrence put up almost 100 fantasy points during the fantasy football playoffs (Weeks 15-17) and is the QB4 on the season. The Jaguars need to beat the Titans to win the AFC South, so expect another massive performance from Lawrence.
  • Stafford lost his grip on the MVP race with a three-interception game in primetime on Monday Night Football in the loss. Stafford is still the QB3 on the season and gets an excellent matchup against the Cardinals to end the season. Stafford should rebound nicely before entering the playoffs.

Tier 2: Low-End QB1s

Rank Player Opponent
6 Brock Purdy Seattle Seahawks
7 Joe Burrow Cleveland Browns
8 Caleb Williams Detroit Lions
9 Lamar Jackson* Pittsburgh Steelers
10 Jacoby Brissett Los Angeles Rams

These guys are low-end QB1s, and I feel comfortable starting any of them as my QB1 this week:

  • Purdy was also excellent during the last three weeks, totaling 94 fantasy points, including back-to-back weeks as the overall QB1. The 49ers are in a winner-take-all game against the Seahawks on Saturday Night for 1st place in the NFC West and for the 1 seed and the first-round bye that goes with it.
  • It is win or go home for Jackson and the Ravens in Week 18 on Sunday Night Football against the rival Steelers. Jackson did not play last week, but he is in line to practice this week. Jackson has historically struggled against the Steelers, but he will be a top ten fantasy option in the Week 18 quarterback rankings if he can go.

Tier 3: High-End QB2s

Rank Player Opponent
11 Jared Goff Chicago Bears
12 Malik Willis* Minnesota Vikings
13 Tyler Shough Atlanta Falcons
14 Baker Mayfield Carolina Panthers
15 Sam Darnold San Francisco 49ers
16 Jaxson Dart Dallas Cowboys

This tier consists of the high-end QB2s:

  • Willis has earned himself a lot of money in free agency after putting up over 30 fantasy points in Week 17. He is expected to start again in Week 18 with the Packers locked into the 7 seed in the NFC, but Willis is dealing with a shoulder injury. Additionally, they face the Vikings, who have given up the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks on the season and just forced five turnovers from Goff. Willis’s rushing upside gives him a solid floor in Week 18.
  • Mayfield and the Buccaneers have been ice cold, and are one loss (or one Falcons win) away from missing the playoffs after a great start to the season. The Panthers have been great against quarterbacks, and Mayfield only scored 12 points the last time these teams faced off two weeks ago. I don’t have high expectations for Mayfield this week.

Tier 4: Superflex Options Only

Rank Player Opponent
17 C.J. Stroud Indianapolis Colts
18 Shedeur Sanders Cincinnati Bengals
19 Aaron Rodgers Baltimore Ravens
20 Cam Ward Jacksonville Jaguars
21 Bo Nix Los Angeles Chargers
22 Bryce Young Tampa Bay Buccaneers

These players are options only in very deep leagues or SuperFlex leagues:

  • Sanders gets a great matchup against the Bengals in his last chance of the season to prove that he is the future QB1 in Cleveland.
  • Rodgers will look to make his return to the playoffs if he can beat the Ravens at home. If not, this could be it for him.
  • Ward has quietly had a solid second half of the season. In his first nine games before the bye week, he only had one week where he was a top 20 fantasy quarterback. In the seven games since, he has five weeks as a top 20 quarterback. He is still just a superflex option, but the upward trend is an encouraging sign for the rookie.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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