Quarterback Rankings

Over the course of the next week, RotoScoop will be posting NFL Fantasy Rankings, with a different position each day. We start off with the signal callers. These rankings are for 12-team leagues starting 1 QB and standard scoring (4 pts per pass TD, 1 point per 20 passing yards). We combined our own individual rankings into one unified cheatsheet. Our personal player rankings are listed after each name.

Dalton = The first number listed after each name
Jeff = The second number listed
Robby = The last number listed

1. Peyton Manning (1,1,1)
2. Carson Palmer (2,2,3)
3. Tom Brady (3,3,2)
4. Matt Hasselbeck (5,5,4)
5. Marc Bulger (4,6,5)
6. Kurt Warner (7,4,7)
7. Eli Manning (6,7,6)
8. Drew Bledsoe (8,10,8)
9. Donovan McNabb (9,8,9)
10. Ron Mexico (10,11,16)
11. Aaron Brooks (12,14,11)
12. Jake Delhomme (14,12,13)
13. Daunte Culpepper (15,9,15)
14. Brett Favre (17,13,17)
15. Jake Plummer (13,23,12)
16. Ben Roethlisberger (11,20,21)
17. Trent Green (20,22,10)
18. Drew Brees (21,21,14)
19. David Carr (19,17,23)
20. Byron Leftwich (16,19,24)
21. Chris Simms (18,18,27)
22. Mark Brunell (28,15,20)
23. Jon Kitna (23,24,19)
24. Billy Volek (22,28,18)
25. Steve McNair (24,16,28)
26. Philip Rivers (27,25,22)
27. Brad Johnson (25,26,26)
28. Matt Leinart (NR,27,25)
29. Charlie Frye (26,NR,NR)
30. Matt Schaub (29,29,NR)
31. Josh McCown (NR,NR,29)
32. Gus Frerotte (30,NR,NR)
33. Vince Young (NR,30,NR)
34. Chad Pennington (NR,NR,30)

Dalton Says: Apparently, my colleagues are still unaware of Big Ben’s super powers. All he has accomplished so far is this: won 15 regular season games as a rookie, won the Super Bowl as a sophomore while dating Natalie Gulbis, has a higher career completion percentage than Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and Tom Brady, and oh ya, took on a Chrysler New Yorker head-on sans a helmet and laughed it off. Dude is mythical. He is 23 years old, so the best is yet to come. Admittedly, the Steelers are a smash-mouth team, but Jerome Bettis is gone, and if the postseason is any indication, the Steelers are transitioning into more of an air attack style. Not only did Big Ben lead the league in yards per attempt last year, but he also rushed for five TDs. He doesn’t have huge upside while the Steelers limit his attempts, but he certainly belongs in the QB1 category.

I’d rather watch “The View” than have Mark Brunell on my team this year. After week 10 last year, he didn’t throw for 200 yards even once. Look for the Jason Campbell era to come sooner rather than later.

I am the only one to rank Charlie Frye at all. His receivers are terrible and his playoff schedule is brutal, but Frye is going to be a good one. Grab him as a QB3.

There are some interesting backups this year: Matt Leinart, Josh McCown and Matt Schaub are all excellent late round targets. But don’t forget about Gus Frerotte. While not a sexy pick, he was surprisingly efficient last year and is joining a Scott Linehan coached team, so he is ahead of even starter Marc Bulger in the playbook. Speaking of Bulger, it’s said that the Mr. Glass character from “Unbreakable” was modeled after him, so you know Frerote is in line for some playing time. In the Rams’ potent offense, he’ll make the most of it.

Jeff Says: Ron Mexico owners would be wise to carry the Matt Schaub insurance policy. Schaub knows the West Coast offense, as he is reunited with former Virginia head coach and current Falcons QB coach, Bill Musgrave. If Mexico continues to take heavy shots and miss games, Schaub will eventually provide some great value as a starter.

Entering his third NFL season, I like Eli Manning to establish himself as an elite fantasy QB. Manning has plenty of weapons at his disposal as well as a defense that will cause many turnovers.

If Carson Palmer’s recovery process continues to go smoothly, I like him to top 3,500 yards with 30-plus touchdowns.

The Baltimore Ravens are in better shape with Steve McNair at quarterback. McNair has the luxury of throwing to Heap, Mason, and the budding Mark Clayton, while Jamal Lewis sets up the play action. McNair is considered an injury risk, but you can roll the dice with him as your second QB.

Mark Brunell may be long in the tooth, but Washington has surrounded him with talent and a brilliant offensive coaching staff. Al Saunders will spread the field with Santana Moss, Cooley, Lloyd and Randle El, with Portis keeping the defense honest. If you can afford a third QB, Jason Campbell would be a wise choice if you draft Brunell.

Aaron Brooks owners should enjoy weeks 14-16 (at Cin, StL, KC).

Robby Says: Remarkably, I have two Lions quarterbacks in my top-30, as I think Mike Martz will help the starter in Detroit put up some decent fantasy numbers.

The Cardinals’ passing attack will remain among the most prolific in the league, and Neil Rackers should be kicking more PATs and fewer field goals this season. That said, it would be a mild upset if Kurt Warner didn’t miss at least a game or two this season, making Matt Leinart my favorite backup.

The oft-maligned Aaron Brooks managed to put up some pretty solid fantasy numbers in New Orleans, numbers that should benefit greatly from the improved weapons at his disposal, not to mention the sieve-like defense in Oakland.

The knee injury and new digs are going to keep Daunte Culpepper from having a significant fantasy impact this year, although Chris Chambers should do a pretty good Moss impersonation.

While it looks like Carson Palmer will be good to go in Week 1, the slight uncertainty with the knee was just enough for Tom Brady to pass him in my rankings.

I’m probably in the minority, but I think that Drew Bledsoe will outperform Donovan McNabb this season. Bledsoe has arguably the best supporting cast of receivers in the league with TO, Terry Glenn and Jason Witten. Meanwhile, McNabb will have to rely on Reggie Brown, Brain Westbrook and LJ Smith to get it done.