With how the passing game has changed the past couple of years, a fantasy football quarterback is a much more important piece of a team than he was five or ten years ago. It used to be you'd start thinking of taking one in the fifth round, but now you're seeing most of the good ones snatched up before you can snag one in round five. With the players going higher than ever before, you'd better be sure you're picking the right ones. That's where we come in, right guys? So let's make us a list. I'll contribute mine after the jump.
The top three of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, and Peyton Manning seem to be in a different order depending on who you believe. I prefer them in the order listed, but nits are there to be picked. I think the only one of them in danger of letting you down is Rodgers, and that'd only be in the situation where his defense is so good that he winds up handing the ball off more than he throws it.
After that, the established second-tier is Matt Schaub, Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, and Tony Romo. Each of these guys has a minor flaw: Rivers has the suspension of Vincent Jackson, Schaub has durability questions, Romo has a bad offensive line/good running game, and Brady didn't have the vintage Tom Brady season last year. I'm sure we'll all agree that Schaub is the best of this group, yes? I think Rivers is right behind him, then Romo. I'm not sold at all on Brady this year as a fantasy quarterback; the Patriots defense should be much better and his best receiving options are old and brittle.
After these guys, it's a real crapshoot. The upside of Matt Ryan? The consistency of Donovan McNabb? The elderly hopes of Brett Favre? The interception brigade of Jay Cutler? You'll definitely have your choice of boom versus bust down here. My two sleepers of choice are Chad Henne and Kevin Kolb (shock 'em!), who I both think could very well be better than anyone in this tier this year.
Honestly, I'd target one of the top three this year. As I said in our first post, I don't really care much for the running backs at the back of round one. The difference between these guys and tier two is pretty huge to me, and I'd be willing to take whichever one got to me if I was at the back of the first or onwards.
And hey, if you're big on consistency, you'll love CBSSports.com and their Fantasy Football Commissioner League! Completely customizable, terrific setup, the greatness of being under the same umbrella as Shannon Sharpe, what more could you want? Knock on the door and tell them your buddies from SB Nation sent you and you'll get 50% off! Fast real-time scoring updates, a terrific amount of keeper league options, what more could you want in a fantasy league?
If you are a member of BRB's wacky fun league, The Jonathan Wells Memorial League, please note that SBN has now slipped CBS the requisite dollars under the table to start this thing up. You will no longer be harassed for money, and you should be able to edit your team settings now. Apologies for the annoyance.
So how about you, BRB? Which QBs are you picking for your favorite squadron?
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This post is one of a series of sponsor-endorsed posts related to the CBSSports.com Fantasy Football Commissioner League.