Premier Madden League fantasy football gives us another layer of immersion in this hobby we all love, and many of us enjoy the challenge of predicting player performances on a weekly basis. Every approaching week of PML football creates a great amount of intrigue towards which players may continue their dominance, have a meh day, shock the world, produce a career day, or put up a goose. If you enjoy putting your PML knowledge to the test and selecting a winning DFS style fantasy roster, I have good news for you. After recent discussions with PML upper management, it seems that we will have fantasy football in operation by season 2 of this Madden 23 cycle. Although that is currently weeks from now, we can still get excited and begin to look at the trends set thus far in the world of PML Fantasy. This will be subject to re-assessment once the rookies from the draft and the end of season results come into play. So, look out for that article in the future.
Top Players
What defines a top player in fantasy? In my eyes, a top player isn’t match-up dependent. Each week, no matter what coach they face they are going to produce. With that being said, match-ups are always going to play a part in DFS style fantasy football, and top players can certainly be outscored by other players in plus match-ups. However, a top player can regularly produce a week winning fantasy performance, and at the very least will give you a respectable and solid performance even through a tough match-up. They are unlikely to kill your fantasy week. For the quarterback positions specifically, it is difficult to find that line as high level comp in the league can often make it difficult to produce a positive td/int ratio.
Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers title here as a top fantasy option is dependent on a quite a few factors since we are talking outlooks for season 2. The two largest factors being his age and team. Madden has made it a focus to shorten the life of quarterbacks with regression modifications and since we are still in season 1, we don’t yet know how that will impact older quarterbacks. Additionally, KingMike has a record of rolling with the veteran option early, but changing focus to developing younger talent and we already saw him make a move to get Baker Mayfield. If Arod is traded or regresses/retires then his entire fantasy outlook changes or dies. However, we can’t ignore what he has done this season so far. As of now, he leads the quarterback group in total fantasy points at 224 points, he has the highest QBR amongst quarterbacks who have passed the ball at least 100 times, and he leads the league in passing yards. His value lies with the combination of volume and efficiency. He is able to be in the top 3 of passing yards and passing touchdowns whilst maintaining one of the best TD/INT ratios in the league. Even in his down games he can produce a solid 10-12 fantasy points. If he remain a Green Bay Packer and the starter in season 2 then you can look to Arod to be a great option regularly.
Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals
Maybe I am just a passenger of the Cammy train being conducted by Joe Burrow, but I believe in the offense that Cammy has cooked up this cycle. I truly believe this Madden fits Cammy’s play style perfectly and Joe Burrow is proof of that. Burrow ranks 3rd in QBR behind just the aforementioned Arod and Davis Mills, and he is sitting at a stellar 27 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions. They maintain a healthy balance of run and pass that constantly keeps the defense guessing. Burrow has had a few games in the range of 7-11 points, but outside of those few match-ups he has been great. Unlike Arod and other quarterbacks we will speak about later, you don’t have to worry about age and regression with Joe Burrow. There is no doubt that he is the guy for Cammy, and he fits his system perfectly. Thus far he is 5th quarterback fantasy points and you can safely start him in nearly every match-up that isn’t VET.
Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams
I was reluctant to put Stafford on the list because I fear he is someone that DK would like to move on from as soon as it’s possible. However, The Rams have little to no picks and two back up quarterbacks with 83 throw power. I don’t see Dk being able to move on from him unless some solid quarterbacks enter the free agency pool. Until that happens, I am going to treat him as DK’s guy for season 2. Stafford is a touchdown MACHINE. He leads the league in passing touchdowns at 32. That is 4 more TDs then the 2nd most touchdowns in the league, and he played 1 less game at this time. With a 32/19 TD/INT ratio it is rare for Stafford to have a game that won’t be positive for your fantasy team. This is another team that has a great balance of pass and run keeping opposing defenses guessing, and a defense that gives the offense plenty of opportunities. If you don’t believe me on that, ask Codes.
Justin Fields – Chicago Bears
Justin Fields is one of the best dual threats in the league right now. He has the ability to get it done with his arms and his legs. The passing touchdown volume for Fields is not even close to his fellow quarterbacks on the list thus far. However, what Fields lacks in passing touchdowns he has makes up for with his legs. Adding 5 rushing touchdowns on top of his 17 passing touchdowns, and 391 rushing yards to compliment his 2,555 passing yards. SP Dot has also been able to be one of a handful of quarterbacks with that highly coveted positive TD/INT ratio of 17 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Fields sits at 3rd in total fantasy points amongst quarterbacks, and his situation should only get better going into his 2nd season of PML. The Chicago Bears came into this cycle needing to upgrade in multiple places, and with some solid GMing from coach SP Dot, the team should only go up from here. I’m available for consultation at a small content point price btw. A few more weapons will take Fields even further and I have high expectations in season 2.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
Speaking of dual threats, with Lamar Jackson we have the hands down greatest dual threat in the league here. Coach KingKe knows it and he will game plan around it; which is why I think Lamar Jackson will be a top fantasy option going into season 2 of the Madden 23 cycle. One scary thing about Jackson is he only barely has a positive TD/INT ratio with 19 passing touchdowns to 18 interceptions. Losing abilities form interceptions could be a killer blow so coach KingKe will need to keep that in his mind. However, Jackson is 2nd in total fantasy points amongst quarterbacks for a reason. That reason is that the rushing threat more than makes up for the interception problems. Lamar Jackson has 7 rushing touchdowns and leads quarterbacks in rushing yards (by far) with a total of 748 rushing yards. If you include running backs, Lamar Jackson is still top 15 in rushing yards. The rushing ability gives Jackson an amazing floor, and a crazy ceiling. For example, consider Jackson’s week 7 performance of 256 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 154 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns. Resulting in a 45 point fantasy week.
