Fantasy Football 2012 Rankings: Top 30 Quarterbacks

Let’s continue to reassess our 2012 rankings by taking a look at the quarterbacks. Where should the rookies be ranked? How aggressive should we be with Peyton Manning? Who are ideal choices late in your draft? Let’s take a look:

1. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers
2. Tom Brady – New England Patriots
3. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints
4. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions
5. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers
6. Eli Manning – New York Giants
7. Michael Vick – Philadelphia Eagles
8. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys
9. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons
10. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers
11. Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos
12. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers
13. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans
14. Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins
15. Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears
16. Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens
18. Carson Palmer – Oakland Raiders
19. Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams
20. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals
21. Kevin Kolb – Arizona Cardinals
22. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts
23. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Buffalo Bills
24. Matt Flynn – Seattle Seahawks
25. Matt Cassel – Kansas City Chiefs
26. Alex Smith – San Francisco 49ers
27. Mark Sanchez – New York Jets
28. Christian Ponder – Minnesota Vikings
29. Matt Moore – Miami Dolphins
30. Jake Locker – Tennessee Titans

Thoughts:

• Matt Schaub is an option who has the potential to be a QB1 should he, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster/Ben Tate (at least one of them) stay healthy. Could it happen? Absolutely, but let’s not forget that Schaub is coming off of a Lisfranc foot sprain, ending his season after just 10 games.  Schaub was very good in 2009 & 2010, but there is a lot of risk involved in him right now, keeping him as more of a high-end QB2.
• Will it be Jake Locker or Matt Hasselbeck leading the way for the Titans?  Locker looked good in his opportunities last season (542 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT) and is the future at the position.  Even if he doesn’t start the season, I’d put my money on him getting the job before long and he should be the better option in 2012.
• Mark Sanchez is going to open the season as the Jets quarterback, but we all know it’s only going to take one or two poor quarters (not games) for the chants to start for Tim Tebow to come into the game.  Monitor the situation, but for a team that should be operating with its defense and running game leading the way, Sanchez should not be highly rated.
• Just because Andrew Luck was the #1 pick in the NFL draft that does not mean he should be highly rated on draft day.  He’s certainly not being put in a situation to excel, that’s for sure.  Keeper leagues are a different story, but in yearly formats I’d be hesitant to reach for him.
• Kevin Kolb has Larry Fitzgerald to throw the ball to… That’s a huge advantage over many of the other low-end quarterback options.  Assuming he wins the job he could be a steal as a low-end QB2.

What are your thoughts of these rankings?

Make sure to check out our 2012 fantasy football rankings:

• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 15 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Defensive Linemen
• Top 15 Linebackers
• Top 15 Defensive Backs