2008 Top 20 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
FF Draft Rankings for Brady, Manning, Romo, and now, Brett Favre
Aug 3, 2008
1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots. (2007 Stats: 4,806 passing yards, 52 total TDs, 8 INT). A quarterback is probably only worth a top three overall pick if he is going to throw for at least 4,000 yards and approach 40 touchdowns. Brady will do both in 2008.
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts. (2007 Stats: 4,040 passing yards, 34 total TDs, 14 INT). Even with Marvin Harrison's career winding down, Manning is still a phenomenal talent with three viable receiving options. He will deliver 4,000 yards and 32 TDs, at least.
3. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys. Romo's 2007 numbers were staggering (4,211 yards, 36 TDs). The biggest question is whether he can repeat those statistics this season. With T.O., an emerging Patrick Crayton, a freed-up Marion Barber and Jason Witten, the answer should be yes.
4. Drew Brees, Saints QB (4,423 passing yards, 29 total TDs, 18 INT). Slow start, great finish. Drew Brees if for real and he's got guys to catch the ball in Colston, Shockey and Bush.
5. Derek Andersen, Browns QB (3,787 passing yards, 32 total TDs, 19 INT). Of course, last season may have been a fluke, so shy away if you are timid of heart. On the other hand, remember that he's got Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow to chuck it to; and that's a damn good thing.
6. Carson Palmer, Bengals QB (4,130 yards passing, 26 TDs, 20 INT). Chad Johnson is a seflish jerk, but he still has monster skills. T.J. Housh emerged as a top-flight WR in 2007. The combination will help Palmer put up very strong fantasy football quarterbackstatistics.
7. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers QB (3,154 yards, 32 TDs, 11 INT). 2007 was a career year for Big Ben. Usually known for efficiency rather than compiling big stats, the Big Steeler Quarterback was a fantasy stallion last year. With the weakness at QB this year, he's a very good bet with the seventh pick. Expect more like 25-27 TDs though, and a couple good goal line rush TDs.
8. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle QB (3,996 passing yards, 28 TDs, 12 INT). He gets no Fantasy Football respect, but his numbers suggest that he deserves some.
9. Donovan McNabb, Eagles QB (3,324 passing yards, 19 TDs in 14 games). He can't run like he used to, and his heath has become a big problem, but 12-14 games from McNabb is still likely better than a full season from the rest of the guys on this list.
10. Eli Manning, Giants QB (3,336 passing yards, 23 TDs, 20 INT). Super Bowl Hero. Mediocre Fantasy QB. So far. Can Eli break out this year during the regular season and toss 30 scores?
10a. Brett Favre, Jets QB. He's still got the skills and he has some very promising receivers in Jericho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles, both of whom will benefit from Brett's strong arm. But Favre needs to learn a new system and play behind a lesser offensive line, so don't expect him to approach last year's numbers of 4,000+ yards and 28 TDs.
11. Jay Cutler, Broncos QB (3,497 passing yards, 20 TDs, 14 INT). Cutler suffered through life-threatening diabetes last year, which sapped his enegry, caused him to lose 35 pounds, and let's face it -- hurt his fantasy numbers. Expect a 23-25 TD season with 3,700 yards in 2008.
12. Philip Rivers, Chargers QB (3,152 passing yards, 22 total TDs, 15 INT). This gritty, mouthy, gutty player is one hell of a team leader, but he's a fantasy bore.
13. David Garrard, Jags QB (2,509 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INT). Efficient. Solid. Great Leader. Unfortunately, none of those qualities can be measured in FF statistics. Unless you are trying to avoid INTs. If you have two good running backs and at least one top receiver, you can still probably get Garrard in the fifth round, which will give you a pretty good start.
14. Marc Bulger, Rams QB (2,392 passing yards, 11 TDs, 15 INT in 12 games). Bulger suffered injuries and the dropoff of his best two targets in the past few years. It is doubtful whether he can return to the level of an elite fantasy football quarterback this season.
15. Matt Schaub, Texans QB (2,241 passing yards, 9 TDs, 9 INT in 11 games). In his first year as a starting QB, Schaub showed flashes of brilliance. He also had some really bad games. If Andre Johnson remains healthy all year, look for Schwab to improve to 18 TDs and more than 3,000 yards. A good backup fantasy football quarterback for sure.
16. Matt Leinart, Cardinals QB (647 passing yards, 2 TDs). His sophomore season was a disaster, lasting just five games until Matt went out for the year with a broken collarbone. Take him as your backup and hope for the best.
17. John Kitna, Lions QB (4,068 passing yards, 18 TD, 20 INT). The lack of a real running game hurts Kitna's chances. He's a fine backup at this point.
18. JaMarcus Russell, Raiders QB (373 passing yards, 2 TD, 4 INT in 5 games). It's still too early to tell. If he's your keeper, be sure to draft a solid guy to start the season, and hope for the Big Man to break out.
19. Vince Young, Titans QB (2,941 yards combined rushing and passing; 12 total TDs). He needs to take a step up with his accuracy; then he will be a true starting FF QB.
20. Jake Delhomme, Panthers QB (626 passing yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT in 3 games). Jake came out of the gate like a bat out of hell before being sidelined for the year after week 3 with an elbow injury that required surgery. Can he return with that fire again?
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