Fantasy Football Top 30 Quarterbacks for 2011: Updated as of August 22

The fears surrounding the injury to Peyton Manning continue to grow with every passing day. Will he actually miss regular-season games? How does that impact his fantasy appeal? 

Let’s take a look at how that question, as well as all the others, factor into our latest rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers—Green Bay Packers
2. Philip Rivers—San Diego Chargers
3. Michael Vick—Philadelphia Eagles
4. Drew Brees—New Orleans Saints
5. Tom Brady—New England Patriots
6. Peyton Manning—Indianapolis Colts
7. Tony Romo—Dallas Cowboys
8. Matt Ryan—Atlanta Falcons
9. Matt Schaub—Houston Texans
10. Ben Roethlisberger—Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Joe Flacco—Baltimore Ravens
12. Josh Freeman—Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13. Matthew Stafford—Detroit Lions
14. Eli Manning—New York Giants
15. Sam Bradford—St. Louis Rams
16. Kevin Kolb—Arizona Cardinals
17. Matt Cassell—Kansas City Chiefs
18. Jay Cutler—Chicago Bears
19. Mark Sanchez—New York Jets
20. Matt Hasselbeck—Tennessee Titans
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick—Buffalo Bills
22. Donovan McNabb—Minnesota Vikings
23. Kyle Orton—Denver Broncos
24. Chad Henne—Miami Dolphins
25. Colt McCoy—Cleveland Browns
26. Jason Campbell—Oakland Raiders
27. Cam Newton—Carolina Panthers
28. Alex Smith—San Francisco 49ers
29. John Beck—Washington Redskins
30. David Garrard—Jacksonville Jaguars

Thoughts:

• Matthew Stafford has had a tremendous preseason showing through two weeks, going 12-17 for 156 yards, with three TD and zero INT. The question surrounding him is always going to be his ability to stay healthy for a full season, having played just 13 games over his first two NFL seasons. However, if the preseason is any indication, we could be seeing the establishment of a QB1 before long. Consider him a QB on the rise and a solid option as a QB2 in all formats.

• I want to rank Kyle Orton higher on these rankings. He really deserves better treatment, having thrown for 3,653 yards and 20 TD in 2010. The problem is that Tim Tebow is always going to be there, putting Orton’s playing time at extreme risk. With that there, how can we consider him a tremendous option?

• Without Steve Smith and Kevin Boss, the Giants appear to lack that “safety” option for Eli Manning to go to. While Hakeem Nicks is going to get his catches, could the Giants be moving back towards a more run-oriented attack? It would make a lot of sense, given their roster at this time, meaning Manning has to fall down draft boards a little bit. That’s not to say that he’s not a good option, but some of the young kids (i.e., Stafford and Josh Freeman) appear to hold a little bit more upside for the coming year. At this point, if I’m drafting Manning I’d much rather have him as a QB2 than a starting option (especially when you consider his interception problems from a year ago).

• It is hard to ignore the success Colt McCoy has had in the preseason this year. In two games he’s gone 19-28 for 234 yards and four TD. Is he a player I would put a lot of stock in? Not really, but as a backup in a two-quarterback format, it does make some sense.

• There is growing concern that Peyton Manning is not going to be ready for the start of the season. With the depth at the position in 2011, is he really worth the risk? Maybe, maybe not—it really will depend on the prognosis in the next few days. For now, however, he has to start dropping down fantasy draft boards. I wouldn’t drop him too far quite yet, but it is getting close. If we learn that he’s going to miss a few weeks of the regular season, his draft value will plummet. However, with so many potential QB1s available, bypassing a quarterback early may make the most sense anyway. That’s a discussion for another day, however.

Make sure to check out all of the rankings from Rotoprofessor!

• Top 30 Running Backs
• Top 35 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses