|
|
|
KACSPORTS 2009 FANTASY RANKINGS - QUARTERBACKS  1. Drew Brees (NO) – You have to like the sheer volume, as Bree has thrown 554, 652, and 635 passes in his three years with the Saints, throwing 88 TD passes along the way. You can only think what Brees can do if he only had a stud receiver or even some more guys who can hang onto the ball once in a while. If you really want the top quarterback, Brees should go at around 15-20 in most draft formats. 2. Peyton Manning (IND) – We're just starting the descent down from the top of the curve on Manning's career – but his pitch count has been pretty high even in recent years, throwing 557 515, and 555 passes and his TD pass total went down to 27 last year compared to 31 in 2006-07. His stock may be down a little but even with longtime sidekick Marvin Harrison done Manning still has plenty of weapons at his disposal. 3. Aaron Rodgers (GB) – Guess Packers GM Ted Thompson isn't so bad after all, at least in making the gutty decision to cut a legend loose and finally give Rodgers his shot. Yes, the team as a whole was a disappointment, but don't dare blame Rodgers – who threw for 4,000 yards and 28 TD's even after being hampered by a bum shoulder for several weeks. For good measure Rodgers is even one of the better running QB's around, rushing for 200+ yards and four TD's last year. 4. Kurt Warner (AZ) – Perhaps the MVP of fantasy football last year, and many owners smart enough to draft him mid-rounds seeing that Matt Leinart had fallen out of favor were rewarded greatly. The only negative is that while Warner helped a lot of teams in the final weeks of 2007, he also bit many of his owners by having by far his worst game of the regular season in the snow in Foxboro in Week 16, the championship week in many formats. Well the best news of all is that this year Arizona is in Detroit in Week 15 and home to St. Louis the following week. That plus playing in one of the leagues most pass-heavy offenses make Warner a prime pick even at age 38. 5. Tom Brady (NE) – We all know the story from last year, the hopes of many a fantasy owner went down the tubes when Brady went down Week 1, the pain being double since Brady had become the rare quarterback who had earned first-round fantasy status. All reports this off-season have been positive while backup Matt Cassel has been traded away. If Brady re-injures the knee or his performance drops significantly, chances are the Patriots will suffer as much as your fantasy team. 6. Philip Rivers (SD) – Now it's the quarterback racking up the sick TD numbers in Diego, tying for the lead league with 34 passing scores and cracking the 4,000 yard barrier for the first time. Eli and Ben Roethlisberger may have the Super Bowl hardware, but the Chargers didn't come out too bad selecting their QB in the 2004 Draft themselves – in year six Rivers is just reaching his peak. 7. Tony Romo (DAL) – As prolific as Tom Brady was in 2007, Romo wasn't too far behind that year throwing for 36 TD's. That said, Romo took a step back last year and by the final week was a beaten and battered man. And losing that #81 guy is going to hurt whether the team admits or not, and don't be surprised to see Dallas lean much more towards the run this year. Romo should still put up decent numbers, but piloting the Cowboys tends to make him a little over-rated in fantasy circles. 8. Jay Cutler (CHI) – Got his wish and his ticket out of Denver, and now the Bears may just have the best QB since the last time the Cubs made the World Series. Only problem is Cutler's wide receiving corps will be a far cry to what he enjoyed in Denver. Also the Bears have a running game in place while Denver had nearly no choice but to throw a ton after their entire running back corps got depleted towards the end of '08. Cutler will put up numbers, but feel fortunate if he just gets close to that final 4,500 yard total last year. 9. Donovan McNabb (PHI) – He's still around, in fact he's still only age 32. Not spectacular as he has been in times in the past, but stayed healthy for the entire season and wound up with a solid 3,900 yards/23 TD's. I don't see much upside beyond that but Donovan is still very much entrenched as the man in Philly. 10. Matt Ryan (ATL) – A rare rookie who was able to start from Day one, Ryan did well while leading the A-T-L to the playoffs as well as providing closure to the Michael Vick debacle. Ryan's numbers weren't that great last year from a fantasy perspective, but with Roddy White and free agent arrival Tony Gonzalez in tow, expect the training wheels to come off some this year – as reports out of off-season camp says Ryan has improved 'scarily'. 11. Matt Schaub (HOU) – Schaub has been leaving me expecting a bit more the past two years, throwing only 24 TD's in 22 games and missing a ton of time with injuries. Thad said, Schaub reminded us of his potential with a 400-yard day in frigid Green Bay late in the season. With the incredible talents of Andre Johnson at his disposal, you'd think Schaub has to become a 4,000 yard/25 TD guy one of these years. 12. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) – In fantasy terms, Roethlisberger was labeled a bust last year – a label that's not necessarily fair. Sure Ben threw for 32 TD's the year before, but that was in only 404 attempts and a bit of an aberration. Simple matter is Pittsburgh will never be a team that will go heavily with the pass, and Ben right now goes down as a player whose value is much greater in the big picture (as in two championships) than with statistics. 13. Matt Cassel (KC) – Suddenly became the guy in New England in Week 1 and more than proved his worth with a solid year (21 TD's), highlighted by consecutive 400-yard games in the month of November including a memorable game-tying TD pass to Randy Moss thrown on a dime. Cassel joins a KC team that's lost Tony Gonzalez but has a top-shelf receiver in Dwayne Bowe and a potentially pass-happy coach in Todd Haley. Cassel has now earned a starting spot in the league and at the very least produce solid numbers this year. 14. Eli Manning (NYG) – Also stick him in the better in real life than statistically category – the Giants are knee deep in running backs plus there always seem to be a couple of windy late-season games where passing is almost not an option. That said, one cannot complain about Eli's TD numbers in recent years (24, 23, 21). Eli fits the definition of a classic QB2. 15. Carson Palmer (CIN) – A career at a crossroads after most of last season was a washout due to injuries. The loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh through free agency is another strike against Palmer. If Chad Ochocinco is motivated and willing to ball this year, then Palmer has some hope. 16. David Garrard (JAX) – He did throw it up much more than I expected last year, eventually attempting 535 passes and throwing for 3,600+ yards. Torry Holt will be a slight help, and although Garrard only threw 15 TD's last year, remember he threw 18 in just 12 games the year before so there is potential for a 25 TD campaign. Also will get more running yards than most QB's. 17. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA) – Another whose 2008 season was basically a washout, and even before going down himself, Hasselbeck had precious little going in the Seattle receiving corps. Hasselbeck was a 28 TD guy as recently as 2007, so some hope for at least a moderate bounceback does exist. 18. Jake Delhomme (CAR) – At this late point in his career, consider Delhomme as nothing more than average at this point. He does have one of the better receivers in the league in Steve Smith at his disposal, but 15 TD's for the season is nothing to get too excited about. Maybe a good situational choice on the waiver wire, but don't expect Delhomme to carry you too much beyond that. 19. Trent Edwards (BUF) – It's been a while since a Buffalo quarterback has been a fantasy force, but I think Edwards has potential this year. It's known that most QB marriages to Terrell Owens end in ugly disaster, but I think I can go to war with T.O and Lee Evans as my starting receivers. Edwards also completed over 65 percent of his passes last year. I think Edwards is going to be one of the better sleepers this year and a solid QB2. 20. Kyle Orton (DEN) – Has already been 'named' the Broncos starter for the coming season – that's the good news. Now for the bad news, Brandon Marshall is now following in Jay Cutler's footsteps and vows on scripture that he is done as a Bronco, and I don't think he is bluffing. It may be a long year for coach Josh McDaniel. 21. Jason Campbell (WSH) – Make or break year for Campbell, he either makes huge strides and convinces management to keep him long-term, or he goes into the same scrap heap as Heath Shuler. Has Jason been working on a political career on the side??? I was the one who said he had more potential than Aaron Rodgers when they both drafted a few years back – but what do I know??? 22. Mark Sanchez (NYJ) – The seal on staying away from rookie QB's may have been broken some with Matt Ryan starting from day one last year. Kellen Clemens goes into the season as the incumbent, but if the USC product starts the year on the bench it won't be for long. The Jets proclaimed themselves sold on Sanchez and envisioning at least as good of stats as Brett Favre produced last year would not be too much a stretch. 23. Chad Pennington (MIA) – At his best, Pennington is one of the most accurate QB's in the league, and led the Dolphins to a stunning turnaround that resulted in a playoff berth after completing 67.4 percent of his passes and a a career high 3,654 yards and 19 TD's. However most don't envision Chad exceeding those numbers and he has one of the weaker arms amongst starters. 24. Sage Rosenfels (MN) – Has always produced in a backup role and would enter a decent situation if he finally gets his shot at starting full-time for the purple this year. Problem is the Vikings are now openly courting someone else for the starting job who has a bit of experience and even says knows the offense so well he could almost coach it. Rosenfels has completed over 65 percent of his passes the last three years so Rosenfels would likely work out if the Vikings have to 'settle' for him this year. 25. Brady Quinn (CLE) – I drafted both Quinn and Derek Anderson figuring whoever started for the Browns would produce solid numbers, but the team's offense wound up being a disaster. Now Kellen Winslow is gone, Braylon Edwards wishes he was gone, and Donte Stallworth will probably be shown the door after his legal issues. Quinn will get his shot this year, but may not produce much. 26. Joe Flacco (BAL) – Another rookie who started from the get-go this year and ended up leading his team to the conference championship, that is not a bad start. The Ravens could take the training wheels off this year, but the Ravens are so run heavy that Flacco will still be more game-manager than anything else this year. 27. JaMarcus Russell (OAK) – If Russell ever comes close to matching the hype coming out of LSU a few years back, it likely won't be in Oakland. Russell did complete over 61 percent of his passes over the second half of '08, but I am not convinced he can continue off that momentum - especially with the lack of direction regarding the Raiders franchise in general. 28. Matthew Stafford (DET) – Why did Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Sam Bradford all elect not to turn pro this year??? Because none of them can match the pro potential of Stafford, who wound up being the #1 overall pick. Piloting a team coming off a 0-16 season may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Stafford sounds up for the challenge. Calvin Johnson will give Stafford at least one solid target to throw to, and I don't see Daunte Culpepper has competition to the starting job for long. 29. Marc Bulger (STL) – It wasn't long ago that Bulger was a top QB option and the Rams had one of the best offenses in the league. But now Bulger is beat up on perhaps the worst team in the league. In his last 27 starts over the last two years, Bulger has only thrown 22 TD's. 30. Shaun Hill (SF) – Produced some solid numbers throwing for 13 TD's in nine games. The case against Hill is that the Niners plan to run more this year and Alex Smith figures to get one final chance. 31. Byron Leftwich (TB) – Gets one final chance to prove himself as a starter in the league, after signing on with the Bucs this off-season, and could produce with former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski as the offensive coordinator. However Tampa's QB coach was so unimpressed with Lefwich druing OTA's that he nicknamed him 'slug'. Tampa really does not have any other options so health permitting, Leftwich should start for the majority of the year. 32.
Kerry Collins (TN) – Does not produce much, but will remain the Titans starter over Vince Young because he leads the team to wins. The team's receiving corps remains amongst the league's weakest however.33. Brett Favre (FA) – I won't waste much time on this one as you don't have to look far to ever find Favre 'news'. What is clear is that if Favre feels good enough after recent surgery he will sign with the Vikings, and no other teams are in consideration. If he signs and looks good in pre-season, put Favre as a borderline top-20 QB, but could be benched in favor of Sage Rosenfels if he does another late-season fade. 34. Matt Leinart (AZ) – As much as his career has flopped thus far, I still feel Leinart has some handcuff potential. How well he would be able to direct the Cards offense if Kurt Warner were to go down would remain to be seen however.35. Jeff Garcia (OAK) – You just can't kill this guy's career. Now 39, Garcia is a good bet to see significant time with the Raiders this year – and wherever he has gone in recent years Garcia has put solid together solid numbers when called upon.36. Chris Simms (DEN) – It's now been nearly three years since Simms has seen the field after suffering a ruptured spleen. Simms sits behind Kyle Orton as Denver's starter,but figures to get a call at some point during the season.37. Dan Orlovsky (HOU) – As often as Matt Schaub seems to go down, Orlovsky should be a decent option at some point this year for the Texans. I would say Orlovsky sees action in about 4-5 games with potential for a few 200+ games.38. Pat White (MIA) – The former West Virginia QB could make for some interesting commissioner rulings regarding position eligibility if he sees extensive action in the Wildcat formation this year. White is a long-term project in regards of possibly being a starting QB in the future, but probably still worth a pick as the Dolphins figure to find some way to get him on the field after drafting him #44 overall.39. Josh Freeman (TB) – An afterthought in a pass-crazy Big XII last year at Kansas State, Freeman's stock skyrocketed immensely during the pre-draft process and would up being drafted first-round by the Buccaneers. Freeman will learn watching Byron Leftwich this year, but don't be surprised if he gets a shot later on in the season.40. Alex Smith (SF) – After missing last season due to injury, the former #1 overall pick gets once last shot in what is said to be an open competition with Shaun Hill to be the Niners starter. 2006 was the last time Smith saw regular season action, where he threw 16 TD's against 16 interceptions.41. Jon Kitna (DAL) – Another of the backup graybeards, Kitna walks into a nice situation this year in Dallas. If Tony Romo were to go down again, the Cowboys would not find themselves in such a dire situation as they were in 2008.42. Tyler Thigpen (KC) – Pressed into service last year, Thigpen produced decent fantasy numbers throwing for 18 TD's in 14 games, but his completion percent was less than 55 percent – and now T-squared finds himself back in a backup role with the acquisition of Matt Cassel.43. Seneca Wallace (SEA) – At one time used often as a situational wide receiver, Seneca actually did pretty well pressed into starting for Seattle, winding up with 11 TD's against only three TD's with a makeshift receiving corps. Surprisingly, Seneca did not do much running with only 78 yards on the ground in ten games.44. Vince Young (TN) – After that fateful regular season opener last year, VY did not see the light of day. Young still has too much talent to be wasted on the bench, and at the very least could be used in some Wildcat or goal-line situations. Or Vince could get a chance to redeem himself if he were pressed into action at some point.45. Derek Anderson (CLE) – Just two years ago Derek was a top-ten fantasy quarterback while throwing 29 TD's, those days are long gone. Even in that '07 season Anderson only completed 56.6 percent of his passes, and barely completed 50 percent last year, which is simply unacceptable.46. Kyle Boller (BAL) – After being an unattractive option for several years with the Ravens, Boller now shows up in St. Louis as the Rams #2 QB after missing all of last season due to injury. When (not if) Marc Bulger gets hurt, Boller will likely get to throw the rock more than in his days with Baltimore.47. Chad Henne (MIA) – Since Chad Pennington worked just fine in 2008, the Dolphins were able to bring their second round pick slowly. If things work according to plan, Henne would be more for 2010 or 2011 than this year.48. Daunte Culpepper (DET) – The one QB who used to be a star in the NFC North who never should never have come out of retirement last year??? No, not that guy – this guy. Culpepper sent out a brief e-mail to media outlets last year announcing his retirement, only to ink a two-year contract with the Lions, and now is the answer to a trivia question as the starting QB for a 0-16 team. Culpepper has been junk since tearing up his knee a few years back, don't be surprised if this year is quietly the end of the line.49. Kellen Clemens (NYJ) – Is no longer looked at as the Jets long-term solution. Best case scenario Clemens opens the year as starter until Mark Sanchez is ready, then strictly becomes insurance.50. Kevin Kolb (PHI) – Thought of as a possible replacement for Donovan McNabb down the road, Kolb showed that he has a long ways to go when he got a shot in relief of McNabb in his one opportunity of meaningful action last year. Use Kolb as a handcuff if you feel like it, but the Eagles are probably in serious trouble if McNabb were to go down.51. J.T. O'Sullivan (CIN) – Was a waiver wire wonder back in September and October, winning the starting job with the Niners and throwing seven TD's in four games, but it was long after that JTO found himself back on the bench after a slew of INT's. Now resurfaces as a backup in Cincinnati and could be a lukewarm option in an emergency if he were forced to start.52. Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) - Did reasonably well throwing 372 passes for the Bengals last year, but only eight of them went for touchdowns in 13 games. If called upon Fitzpatrick will have similar receiving weapons with the Bills than he did in Cincy. What will surprise you is that Fitzpatrick also rushed for 300+ yards.53. Kevin O'Connell (NE) – So what if something happens to Tom Brady this year. This San Diego St. alum along with Matt Gutierrez would then be next in line.54. David Carr (NYG) – He and Bernard Berrian made quite a combo back in their Fresno St. days – but that was so 2001. At least Carr was able to get a nice #1 overall contract out of it, if the Giants need to turn to him for too long this year they will be in trouble.55.Michael Vick (FA) – A lot has to happen for Vick to become relevant again. First he has to get out of his halfway house, then get reinstated (not a slam dunk), then find a team interested in his services, then find some sort of meaningful role with that team – whether that be as a situational player or even at another position. Like Brett Favre, you will hear plenty about Vick's eventual landing spot if and when that comes to fruition. TEAM QUARTERBACK RANKINGS: 1. Saints, 2. Colts, 3. Patriots, 4. Chargers, 5. Packers, 6. Cardinals, 7. Cowboys, 8. Texans, 9. Bears, 10. Eagles, 11. Falcons, 12. Steelers, 13. Bengals, 14. Chiefs, 15. Giants, 16. Bills, 17. Seahawks, 18. Redskins, 19. 49ers, 20. Broncos, 21. Vikings, 22. Jaguars, 23. Panthers, 24. Ravens, 25. Browns, 26. Lions, 27. Raiders, 28. Dolphins, 29. Rams, 30. Jets, 31. Buccaneers, 32. Titans |