Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, Tom Brady: Where Are the Stars?

The NFL, like all sports, is unpredictable. Anything can happen. The Tennessee Titans, led by their backup quarterback, could emerge as the best team in football. Kyle Orton could become a productive quarterback. And the Cowboys could sign every star in the world and still underachieve.

But there are some things that are just automatic: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and LaDainian Tomlinson. They are the NFL's three best players over the last five years. Put them on your fantasy team and you're guaranteed to be in contention.

Each of these guys is a lock for the Pro Bowl every season and one of them will most likely walk away with an MVP trophy or Super Bowl ring, or perhaps both, at the end of the season. They are as consistent as it gets. At least, they were until this year.

Take the case of Peyton Manning. We are still in the first half of the season, and things may turn around for him, but Manning simply does not appear to be himself. Whether he has just had a slow start or is dealing with an undisclosed injury, Manning has struggled mightily this year.

He has a lower passer rating than over half of the league's qualifying starters this season. He's thrown two or more interceptions in three games. (That's as many times as he had done it the previous two seasons combined!)

He has the Colts at just a 3-3 record and in third place in the AFC South, after finishing in first place for five years running.

Then there's Brady. Brady went down in the first quarter of the first game of the season with a knee injury. The reigning MVP of the entire NFL, who had started over 100 consecutive games at quarterback, is out for the season, giving the starting job to a guy who wasn't even good enough to start in college.

Patriots fans, who had just seen their man throw 50 touchdown passes in leading the team to an undefeated 16-0 regular season, are now watching their team quarterbacked by a guy who threw fewer passes in his college career (33) than Brady usually throws in a game.

Needless to say, the Patriots (3-2) are struggling offensively.

And finally, there's LT, the best running back the NFL has seen since Barry Sanders? Or maybe Walter Payton? Anyway, the league's leading rusher the last two seasons and the league MVP in 2006, has been anything but spectacular this year. LT has been just mediocre.

He is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry—nearly a yard lower than his career average (4.5). He has had only one 100-yard rushing game all season, and is on pace to finish the year with just nine total touchdowns, which would break his streak of six straight years with at least 15 scores.

Meanwhile, his backup for the last four seasons, Michael Turner, has found new life in Atlanta as the starter. He is averaging nearly 100 yards and one touchdown per game.

So, I don't know what it is, or who could have seen this coming. They were the best players in the NFL the last several seasons. Their teams always make the playoffs, and normally they make a deep postseason run. 

Manning, Brady, and LT had missed one game combined (LT in '04) due to injury in their careers. They had put up All-Pro numbers nearly every year, and had collectively taken home four of the past five NFL MVP awards. Their success is like the sun rising every morning: a guarantee.

Until this year.