Top 20 Fantasy Football QB Rankings

Tom Brady is ranked the top QB in fantasy football for 2009

Pickin’em like I see’em

1.    Tom Brady
New England Patriots
Bye Week: 8
Risk: none

Brady is coming off a season of not playing in the NFL due to a brutal knee injury in game one of last season that ended his season.  Most would be suspicious of any athlete’s ability to return and play at the caliber that he did in previous years.  I have one word for all your non-believers, BELIEVE!  Tom Brady is a true warrior.  According to ESPN.com there have been no reports of his knee being a problem.  For all you nay sayers who thinks because Josh McDaniels is no longer in New England so there goes the offense, think again, the offensive system that McDaniels used was in place before he got there, which is the same plan that Charlie Weis used and will continue to be used.

2007 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD    Int
68.9       4806   300     50    8

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.8       4560   285     41   10

Fantasy Points:  317

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Tom Brady – WR: (1) Randy Moss; (2) Wes Welker; (3) Joey Galloway – TE: (1) Ben Watson – RB: (1) Fred Taylor; (2) Laurence Maroney (3) Kevin Faulk

2.    Drew Brees
New Orleans Saints
Bye Week: 5
Risk: none

Brees is probably the most under rated quarterback in the league in terms of notoriety and fame and is at the top of his game.  Yes all the NFL teams know what he is worth, but I am not certain fantasy football hobbyists know and understand the value he can add to a fantasy team.  It is known that if the Saints would have had a better defense last season, they would have made the playoffs, thanks to Drew Brees (Offensive Player of the Year).  The Saints probably have the most EXPLOSIVE offense in the league, period.  How can you not rank a QB that has progressed every single year of his career and that has thrown for over 4000 yards in each of the past three years with the Saints?  Gooo Cool Brees!

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       5069   317     34   17

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       4880   305     38   14

Fantasy Points:  298

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Drew Brees – WR: (1) Marquis “TD” Colston; (2) Devery Henderson; (3) Lance Moore – TE: (1) Jeremy Shocky – RB: (1) Pierre Thomas; (2) Reggie Bush (PPR Machine)

3.    Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers
Bye Week: 5
Risk: none

I picked Rodgers last year in the 6th round of our fantasy football draft.  Who’s your daddy!  This year, I will not be as lucky as I would like to think that the usual suspects in grid iron have noticed this elite Brett Favre protégé and will have their radars on him earlier, say round 2.  In his debut season after Brett Favre’s exit, he puts up Brett Favre type numbers, with less interceptions.  He looks like a natural and like he belongs in this position.  Look for Rodgers early in your draft or do without him.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
63.6       4038   252     28   13

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
64.5       4400   275     34   15

Fantasy Points:  262

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Aaron Rodgers – WR: (1) Greg Jennings; (2) Donald Driver; (3) James Jones – TE: (1) Donald Lee – RB: (1) Ryan Grant; (2) Brandon Jackson

4.    Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts
Bye Week: 6
Risk: none

Manning; Manning; Manning.  If we knew more about how he really feels of the new coaching regime he would probably go higher on my list.  Regardless, he is still a Manning.  What a bloodline to be a part of.  I wish my last name was Manning.  Marvin Harrison out, but with Reggie Wayne taking over and the new Reggie Wayne being Anthony Gonzales we should see some of the usual statistics from ole Peyton.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.8       4002   250     27   12

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.4       4160   260     30   10

Fantasy Points:  243

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Peyton Manning – WR: (1) Reggie Wayne; (2) Anthony Gonzales; (3) Pierre Garcon – TE: (1) Dallas Clark – RB: (1) Joseph Addai

5.    Tony Romo
“The” Dallas Cowboys
Bye Week: 6
Risk: Jessica Simpson

Tony Romo will be in rare form this year.  You might say he will not be as good without T.O., but I beg to differ.  I think he will be just the same, if not better.  This offense will be strong in 2009 and Roy Williams will have his break out season.  His college coach has been quoted saying that “he will be as good as any receiver we have ever seen”.  Besides that T.O. only caught 69 balls last season.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
61.3       3448   265     26   14

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       4240   265     32   16

Fantasy Points:  245

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Tony Romo – WR: (1) Roy Williams; (2) Patrick Crayton; (3) Miles Austin – TE: (1) Jason Witten – RB: (1) Marion “the barbarian” Barber; (2) Felix Jones

6.    Phillip Rivers
San Diego Chargers
Bye Week: 5
Risk: none

Rivers is proving that although he has the attitude of a 6th grader, he has the talent of a great QB in the making.  Rivers is a great athlete and has great mechanics.  Although his childish antics on the field are distasteful, he is welcome on my fantasy team any day.  The fact of the matter is, he will continue to put up great stats for years to come with the supporting talent surrounding him.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.3       4009   251     34   11

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.0       3920   245     30   12

Fantasy Points:  234

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Phillip Rivers – WR: (1) Vincent Jackson; (2) Chris Chambers; (3) Malcom Floyd – TE: (1) Antonio Gates – RB: (1) LaDainian Tomlinson; (2) Darren Sproles

7.    Carson Palmer
Cincinnati Bengals
Bye Week: 8
Risk: none

Carson Palmer probably should be higher and will probably prove me wrong, but he is just gonna have to do it.  He is more than capable of being the best QB in the league this year.  He did lose Housh, but the Bengals went out and picked up Laveranues Coles from the Jets (good move).  So that being said, I see no reason why he will not return to form this year.

2007 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
64.9       4131   258     26   20

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.0       4160   260     30   18

Fantasy Points:  227

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Carson Palmer – WR: (1) Chad OchoCinco; (2) Laveranues Coles; (3) Chris Henry – TE: (1) Reggie Kelly – RB: (1) Cedric Benson; (2) Kenny Watson

8.    Kurt Warner
Arizona Cardinals
Bye Week: 4
Risk: age / injury prone

Warner truly has GOD on his side.  That alone has Warner in the top 10 of fantasy QB’s this year.  On a more statistical side, Warner just doesn’t get tired and he is very aggressive with his throwing.  He is one of the best backup quarterbacks I have ever seen.  There was not a more interesting team to watch in the late 90’s when he was part of the “greatest show on turf” in St Louis.  Let me sum it up this way, you could be the QB in Arizona right now and be a top 10 quarterback.  Just see the stats and depth chart below.

Note:  Make sure Matt Leinart is handcuffed to Warner to protect against injuries as facts remain that Warner is 38 years of age.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
67.1       4582   286     30   14

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       4160   260     28   16

Fantasy Points:  219

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Kurt Warner – WR: (1) Larry Fitzgerald; (2) Anquan Bolden; (3) Steve Breaston – TE: (1) Leonard Pope – RB: (1) Tim Hightower; (2) Chris Wells

9.    Matt Schaub
Houston Texans
Bye Week: 10
Risk: none

Matt Schaub has been one of those quarterbacks that has been getting tossed around for the passed few years.  I think this year things will be different barring an entire healthy season.  He missed 5 games last season and still posted 3043 yards and 15 TD’s.  Is this making since to you yet?  If not, we would love to have you in our fantasy football league.  Let’s do the math; he posted 276 Y/G last year which would be a total of 4416 yards in a full season or in a different perspective, 22 TD’s.  He has, by far, one of the best receiving cores in the league – see depth chart below.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.1       3043   277     15   10

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
66.0       4480   280     25   15

Fantasy Points:  215

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Matt Schaub – WR: (1) Andre Johnson; (2) Kevin Walter; (3) Andre Davis – TE: (1) Owen Daniels – RB: (1) Steve Slaton; (2) Chris Brown

10.    Matt Hasselbeck
Seattle Seahawks
Bye Week: 7
Risk: age / back

Hasselbeck finally has a receiving core that will make him look good in his old age.  He Hbeck can stay healthy you count him in for the playoffs.  The only contenders in their division are the Cardinals and I can see them maybe splitting the wins.  He has never put up that 4000 + yards in a season, but he has been close a few times.  However, he is capable of putting up lots of TD’s while keeping his INT’s low.

“Matt Hasselbeck spun away from a pass rusher, rolled to his right and threaded a pass between defenders to tight end John Carlson.”
“With the pressure on once again, the Seahawks quarterback slide to his right and then back to his left. After a pump fake to his right, Hasselbeck lofted a pass to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was streaking up the sideline.”
Source: Seahawks.com

2007 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.6       3966   248     28   12

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
63.0       4080   255     25   10

Fantasy Points:  214

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Matt Hasselbeck – WR: (1) T.J. Houshmandzadeh; (2) Nate Burleson; (3) Deion Branch – TE: (1) John Carlson – RB: (1) Julius Jones; (2) T.J. Duckett

11.    Donovan McNabb
Philadelphia Eagles
Bye Week: 4
Risk: none

McNabb had a very good season last year throwing for almost 4000 yards.  The recent addition of DeSean Jackson plays a major part of McNabb’s success moving forward.  McNabb is an extremely talented QB and with Brian Westbrook in the backfield catching the garbage when no one else is open and being as explosive as he is which means yardage by the piles for McNabb.  Count on McNabb to come close to the numbers has last year, but missing the mark by a hair.  Oh yea, don’t forget about Reggie Bush’s idol – Brian Westbrook which is a RB by title, but catches more balls than a lot of 1st team receivers.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
60.4       3916   245     23   11

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
60.0       3520   220     27   8

Fantasy Points:  212

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Donovan McNabb – WR: (1) Kevin Curtis; (2) DeSean Jackson; (3) Hank Baskett – TE: (1) Brent Celek – RB: (1) Brian Westbrook; (2) Leonard Weaver

12.    Eli Manning
New York Giants
Bye Week: 10
Risk: none

Manning; Manning; Manning.  Yes, it is little bro, but he is a Manning.  I hear some negativity around the wire about how he has only posted one season with a 60 pct rate.  Come on y’all!  I really don’t have much to say about this kid other than he will break out this year and serve up a good ole mess of 65 pct rating.  I doubt Plaxico being absent will cause any further slide in performance as he has been working well in the offseason with Domenik Hixon and company.  I remember watching Hixon in pre-season last year and thinking, get that dude the ball.  They will have a great connection.  You watch and see!

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
60.3       3238   202     21   10

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       3648   228     25   14

Fantasy Points:  195

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Eli Manning – WR: (1) Domenik Hixon; (2) Steve Smith; (3) David Tyree – TE: (1) Kevin Boss – RB: (1) Brandon Jacobs; (2) Ahmad Bradshaw

13.    Trent Edwards
Buffalo Bills
Bye Week: 9
Risk: none

Trent Edwards, this kid is the real deal.  Lets dig deeper.  Last year in essentially his career debut, he had a 66 pct completion rate with less than Terrell Owens.  He passed for 2700 yards in only 14 games at an average of 193 yards per game.  That equates to 3100 yards if he would have played all 16 games last year.  Not bad for a 1.5 year QB from Stanford.  He has T.O. now.  Who cares if the guy has a bad attitude in the locker room, we talking about fantasy value here.  T.O., although not the best season last year, produces well for his QB’s year one of his joining.  Trent Edwards has the right stuff.  You will not hear what I am telling you now, but next year, Edwards will be in your vision much sooner in your draft.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.5       2699   193     11   10

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
65.0       3600   225     23   17

Fantasy Points:  178

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Trent Edwards – WR: (1) Terrell Owens; (2) Lee Evans; (3) Josh Reed – TE: (1) Derek Schouman – RB: (1) Marshawn Lynch; (2) Fred Jackson

14.    Jay Cutler
Chicago Bears
Bye Week: 5
Risk: balanced football system / Lovie Smith

“We’re not here to start no trouble; we’re just here to do the Superbowl shuffle”.  Jay Cutler is in Chicago.  Jay Cutler + Lovie Smith + Matt Forte + Da Bears Defense = Superbowl.  Now you might be saying to yourself, “how can you rate Cutler 14th and say the Bears are superbowl contenders?”.  Well, easy, I did not say Jay Cutler = Superbowl.  The Bears actually have a well rounded team now and this might be the year of their return to the game.  His numbers will decrease from what we have come to expect in Denver, but when they decrease on the positive side they also decrease on the negative side, so expect less INT’s as well.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.3       4526   283     25   18

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
67.0       3280   205     22   10

Fantasy Points:  176

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Jay Cutler – WR: (1) Devin Hester; (2) Earl Bennett; (3) Rashied Davis – TE: (1) Desmond Clark – RB: (1) Matt Forte; (2) Kevin Jones

15.    Kyle Orton
Denver Broncos
Bye Week: 7
Risk: none

It’s where Orton can start to understand how to be a quarterback and how to run an offense.  He will have an outstanding cast of receivers surrounding him as long as he can earn their respect.  Look for Orton to have the best season of his career so far.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
58.5       2972   198     18   12

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
61.0       3760   235     24   20

Fantasy Points:  176

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Kyle Orton – WR: (1) Brandon Marshall; (2) Eddie Royal; (3) Jabar Gaffney – TE: (1) Tony Sheffler – RB: (1) Knowshon Moreno; (2) LaMont Jordan

16.    Matt Cassel
Kansas City Chiefs
Bye Week: 8
Risk: who really knows?

Cassel took over for Tom Brady last year and started out real slow, but as the season progressed he showed that he has the abilities to be a dang good quarterback.  He should be able to take what he has learned under the Patriots wings and demonstrate some of the same abilities in KC.  He has some good arsenal in KC, minus Tony Gonzalez of-course.  I personally think the kid will turn out to be a good QB, but we will all just have to wait and see.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
63.4       3693   231     21   11

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
60.0       3600   225     23   14

Fantasy Points:  182

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Matt Cassel – WR: (1) Dwayne Bowe; (2) Mark Bradley; (3) Bobby Engram – TE: (1) Brad Cottam – RB: (1) Larry Johnson; (2) Jamaal Charles

17.    Shaun Hill
San Francisco 49ers
Bye Week: 6
Risk: none

Real quick here!  Last year Hill stared in 9 games.  He posted 2046 yards, 13 TD’s and only 8 INT’s. Here goes the math again:  227 Y/G * 16 games = 3632 yards a season; 23 TD’s and only 14 INT’s.  Anyone ever heard of Michael Crabtree!  How about Mike Martz, good, then you understand what Jimmy Raye is all about.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.8       2046   227     13    8

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
64.0       3520   220     23   14

Fantasy Points:  180

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Shaun Hill – WR: (1) Josh Morgan; (2) Michael Crabtree; (3) Jason Hill – TE: (1) Vernon Davis – RB: (1) Frank Gore; (2) Michael Robinson

18.    Ben Roethlisberger
Pittsburg Steelers
Bye Week: 8
Risk: none

Steel Curtain fans, I mean no harm by what I am about to say, but Big Ben is not an all-star quarterback.  Roethlisberger gets the job done and that is about it.  He essentially has only had one great season, but knowing the potential is there, I had to put him in the top 20.  If you are stacked in other areas of your team, then you might want to hold out for Big Ben to service, unless ofcourse he has that season that he is capable of again.  Are you confused yet?

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
59.9       3301   206     17   15

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.0       3360   210     21   16

Fantasy Points:  161

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Ben Roethlisberger – WR: (1) Hines Ward; (2) Santonio Holmes; (3) Limas Sweed – TE: (1) Heath Miller – RB: (1) Willie Parker; (2) Mewelde Moore

19.   David Garrard
Jacksonville Jaguars
Bye Week:
Risk: Torry Holt / schedule

David Garrard will be serviceable at best, so don’t look for supreme numbers at this point in the list as it is getting thin.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.6       3620   226     15   13

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
62.0       3680   230     20   14

Fantasy Points:  166

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) David Garrard – WR: (1) Torry Holt; (2) Mike Walker; (3) Mike Thomas – TE: (1) Marcedes Lewis – RB: (1) Maurice Jones-Drew; (2) Greg Jones

20.    Matt Ryan
Atlanta Falcons
Bye Week: 4
Risk: impossible schedule

I know all of us that watched Matt Ryan all season last year, thought to ourselves and told all our friends, “I will be picking Matt Ryan in this year’s draft”.  Well, that was before we saw their 2009-10 schedule.  You can take him if you want to.  There is no doubt he will be a good QB one day soon, but I am not sure he will factor in too much fantasy value this year.   If they are going to win games this year, the Falcons must count primarily on their run game.  Sorry fantasy nuts, but he will not get a good pre-report from me this year.

2008 Stats:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
61.1       3440   215     16   11

2009 Proj:
QB Pct    Yds     Y/G    TD   Int
58.0       2960   185     17   20

Fantasy Points:  121

Depth Chart:  QB: (1) Matt Ryan – WR: (1) Roddy White; (2) Michael Jenkins; (3) Harry Douglas – TE: (1) Tony Gonzalez – RB: (1) Michael Turner; (2) Jerious Norwood