The quarterback position thrived in 2018. In fact, the position scored a collective 8,805 fantasy points. That's the most in a single season since at least 2000 (as far back as we can track).
The top 5 fantasy quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger, Deshaun Watson, Andrew Luck) all scored more than 325 fantasy points this season. That's tied for the most signal-callers with 325-plus points in a single season in NFL history. It also happened in 2011, when Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford all reached that mark.
So, who were the best players when it came to putting up solid totals on a conistent basis, and who was more name than numbers? Here's a look at the quarterbacks who finished in the top 10 most often last season (minimum eight games), along with some interesting notes on players to watch in 2019.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (75.0 percent): When you have the greatest season in this history of fantasy football quarterbacks, you're going to be consistent. That was Mahomes, who finished with 50 touchdown passes and a record-breaking 417.08 fantasy points. The talented youngster also ranked among the top five quarterbacks 43.8 percent of the time. That was also a league-high.
2. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (68.8 percent): Shoulder injury? What shoulder injury? The fantasy Comeback Player of the Year, Luck was a real steal for fantasy owners in drafts. Just how consistent was he? Well, he scored between 21.2-23.88 points for seven straight games between Week 5 and Week 11! Luck was also a top-five fantasy quarterback in 31.3 percent of his starts (T-6).
3. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (62.5 percent): Watson's point-per-game average did drop from his rookie season, which was expected, but he still had a solid campaign. The Clemson product had 10 top-10 finishes and ranked as a top-five signal-caller on four different occasions. Watson was also a top-10 fantasy quarterback in five of the seven games he played with Will Fuller on the field.
4. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (57.1 percent): You might be surprised to see Newton ranked this highly, as a bum shoulder caused him to falter terribly down the stretch. He actually hit the 20-point mark an impressive eight times in his first 11 games before the wheels fell off in Week 13. Newton had a procedure to clean up the mess in his shoulder, so he should be back at 100 percent.
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers (56.3 percent): If there was ever such a thing as a "quiet 5,000-yard season," Big Ben had it in 2018. He led the league with 5,129 passing yards and finished third in fantasy points among quarterbacks overall. Roethlisberger was also one of the more reliable players at his position, scoring nine top-10 finishes and five top fives during the year.
T-6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (50 percent): I was dead wrong on Ryan, who finished second in fantasy points among quarterbacks in what was a career season in the stat sheets. He was a top-10 fantasy finisher in 50 percent of his starts, and his six top-five finishes ranked him fourth at the position. Despite the great campaign, Ryan isn't likely to be a high pick in 2019 fantasy drafts.
T-6. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (50 percent): Wilson had a slow start to the season (which seems like a yearly occurrence), but he rebounded and was once again a reliable option for fans. Starting in Week 6, the veteran field general scored 19-plus fantasy points eight times and threw for multiple scores in every game. He's basically a lock to be a top-10 fantasy option every season.
T-6. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (50 percent): It might seem a little odd to see Fitzpatrick on the list, but he was a stud early in the season and played in the minimum eight games. In his first three starts with Jameis Winston suspended, the veteran scored 25-plus fantasy points. What makes this situation even more interesting is which quarterback was just behind Fitz on the list.
T-9. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (45.5 percent): That's right ... Winston was also one of the more consistent fantasy quarterbacks in 2018. He hit the 19-plus point mark in five of his 11 games and was a top-10 option five times. Here's an interesting stat. If you combined the fantasy points Fitzpatrick and Winston scored (361.62), they would have finished second behind only Mahomes.
T-9. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (45.5 percent): Wentz was a disappointment overall in 2018, but he still ranked in the top 10 among the most consistent fantasy quarterbacks. He scored 18 or more points in seven of his 11 games and put together a five-week stretch where he scored at least 20 points four times. The North Dakota State product could end up being a decent bargain in 2019.
11. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (43.8 percent): I was surprised to see Cousins in the top 11 of this list, especially when you consider the likes of Drew Brees and Rodgers were not. Looking at the numbers Cousins was very hit or miss ... he was a top-10 quarterback seven times, but he also fell out of the top 15 in half of his games. The veteran will be more of a No. 2 fantasy option in 2019.
12. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears (42.9 percent): Trubisky started 14 games in his second NFL season, finishing as a top-10 quarterback seven times. Most of his success came during a six-game stretch, however, as he scored at least 21.9 fantasy points in all but one contest between Week 4-10. Not surprisingly, Trubisky averaged 6.3 fantasy points per game as a runner during those six games.
Notes:Josh Allen played in 12 games during his rookie campaign with the Bills and finished 41.7 percent of his starts as a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Here's the amazing stat ... all five of his top-10 finishes were also top-five finishes. What's more, Mahomes was the lone signal-caller with more top-five ranks at the position. ... Brees ranked 14th in top-10 fantasy finishes (40 percent) at the position. Like Allen, all of his top-10 finishes (6) were also top-five finishes. Here's the issue with Brees, however ... he ranked outside of the top 15 in seven of his 16 games (44 percent). ... Matthew Stafford, a virtual lock to be a top-10 quarterback every season, finished in the top 10 in a mere 6.3 percent of his 2018 starts. He also finished with just two 20-plus point performances. By comparison, former third-stringer Nick Mullens played in half the number of games as Stafford and had the same number of 20-point performances. ... Baker Mayfield has a bright future both on the field and in fantasy football. While he was a top-10 quarterback in just 28.6 percent of his games, the rookie did hit the 20-point mark five times. ... Lamar Jackson started seven games as a rookie, finishing no worse than top 15 in every game. He also ranked in the top 10 twice, and he was a top-five quarterback once. His skills as a runner make him a virtual lock to be considered a huge breakout candidate in 2019.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for the latest fantasy football news and analysis!
