It’s crazy to believe that the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII over 6 months ago, but here we are…just a couple weeks away from the start of the 2018 NFL season. It’s no surprise that those two final teams are leading the pack as the top NFL picks to win the upcoming Super Bowl. The Patriots are entering this season at 6-1 to once again raise the Lombardi Trophy while the Eagles are coming in at 10-1 odds to defend their title.
This upcoming season has several stories that we want to hit upon along with some 2018 NFL predictions & even top NFL Fantasy players to choose for your pool.
Top Stories for 2018 NFL Season
Quarterback Draftees
- Baker Mayfield: Browns – The 1st overall pick has its own obvious pressures, especially when it’s with the Browns, however, his hype and personality will certainly add to the difficulties of getting the job done. We don’t see him starting for the Browns as Tyrod Taylor will get the nod, however, Taylor will quickly need to prove his worth or the Cleveland fans will want to see Mayfield step his way onto the grid iron.
- Sam Darnold: Jets – He doesn’t burden the 1st overall pick syndrome, however, he is a young kid that is expected to be the face of the NY franchise for years to come. The Jets don’t stand much of a chance so look for Darnold to learn a lot from Josh McCown and get some decent action.
- Josh Rosen: Cardinals – The Cardinals could potentially be one of the bottom three teams in the NFL this season, so we are interested to see if that makes or breaks his attitude and skill. With Sam Bradford starting for what will probably be only half the season based on his injury history, look for Rosen to get some run this year.
- Lamar Jackson: Raven – A former Heisman Trophy winner becomes the backup to a former Super Bowl MVP. Jackson no doubt has the athleticism and mindset to do well, so things might get interesting real soon in Baltimore with Jackson breathing down Flacco’s neck. With that being said, Flacco actually has a decent receiving core for the first time in a few years so if he can produce, look for Lamar to stay seated.
- Josh Allen: Bills – Another team in the AFC East that is searching for their very own Tom Brady. Allen seems to have a lot of potential so we’re hoping that landing in Buffalo won’t stall his progress.
Is Tom Brady Ageless?
Tom Brady, the ageless wonder, enters his 19th season with the New England Patriots. He already holds the record of being the oldest player to win the Super Bowl MVP so do we think he can upstage himself this year? Let it be known though, each time the Patriots lost the Super Bowl as they did last year along with in 2008 & 2012 to the Giants, the Patriots did not make it back to the Super Bowl the next year.
Garoppolo in The Bay
From the California kid to the once backup of the California kid, Jimmy Garoppolo. The current San Fran Quarterback is 7-0 as a starting QB in his career as he enters his first full season as the 49ers Quarterback. In February, the 49ers and Garoppolo agreed to a nearly $140 million contract over 5 years which is certainly a huge sum of money to live up to. Now, we don’t see Garoppolo going undefeated for too much longer, but look for the 49ers to be a surprise NFC Wild Card pick.
Top NFL Fantasy Players
Moving away from some top NFL stories, we’ve made our list of top NFL Fantasy Players for the 2018 season based on previous season stats & PPR. If you do anything this draft, do your best to pick one of these top players for your NFL Fantasy team:
- Le’Veon Bell
- Todd Gurley
- Antonio Brown
- David Johnson
- Ezekiel Elliot
- Kareem Hunt
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Julio Jones
- Alvin Kamara
- Odell Beckham Jr.
Super Bowl LIII Predictions
There are certainly some talented teams as we head into the new NFL season as many odds makers have nearly half the league coming in at 20-1 or better to win the championship. At the end of the day, we think there are only 4 true contenders with the Rams, Packers, Saints, Jaguars, and Falcons being the second-tier squads. For the AFC Championship, we predict a Patriots & Steelers matchup with the Vikings & Eagles squaring off in the NFC Championship. For the Super Bowl, we think Brady will make it back with the Vikings knocking off the defending champs.
Image Source: Daily Snark