2008 Quarterback Rankings

The Counselor is IN:

The players have been ordered by ranking and put in tiers. I gave some commentary on each of the top 24 QBs.

Tier 1-Studs

1) Peyton Manning- Colts: Peyton is most consistent fantasy stud QB out there. You can expect 32 to 35 touchdowns from Peyton.

2) Tom Brady- Patriots: Some will argue that Brady should be number 1 and if Brady has another season like last year, then they will be correct. For the past 3 years, Brady had 26, 24, and 50 touchdowns. He has been a good fantasy QB for along time but never a fantasy stud until last year.

Tier2-Great

3) Tony Romo- Cowboys: Tony had a better fantasy season last year than Peyton. Tony is leading the high octane Cowboys and should have another great fantasy season.

Tier 3- Good

4) Drew Brees- Saints: Brees started slow last year but finished very strong. He threw at least 2 TDs per game in 10 of the last 12 games. Look for Brees to have a good season all season long.

5) Carson Palmer- Bengals: Palmer’s TD’s have declined over the last three years (32, 28, 26) but he threw for a personal best yards of 4131. I expect Palmer to be a good fantasy starting QB.

6) Ben Roethlisberger- Steelers: Big Ben almost doubled his TD from 18 to 32. It appears that they will continue to pass the ball more. Expect him to have a good year. He should be a great starting fantasy QB.

7) Derek Anderson- Browns: Anderson was not even the starter at the beginning of last season. He was supposed to only be a place holder until Brady Quinn was ready to start. Then he led the team to 10 wins. I was happy when I led one of my fantasy teams.

8) Matt Hasselbeck- Seahawks: Matt leads the Seahawks to the playoffs. He had 28 TDs and almost 4000 yards passing. Your team will be in good shape with Hasselbeck leading them.

Tier 4- Solid

9) Brett Favre- Packers???: As of August 3, 2008, Brett is now competing for his job instead of being retired. If Brett wins the job (no reason to think he will not), you will need to move him up this list. Brett showed that he has plenty of gas still in the tank. He led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. He could be a steal of an early draft.

10) Philip Rivers- Chargers: Rivers has been fairly consistent with over 20 TDs and over 3000 yards for his first two years of starting. This may be a breakout year for Rivers. He should either improve on his third year or at a minimum remain consistent.

11) Eli Manning- Giants: Everyone remembers how hot Eli was down the stretch and in the playoffs. But last year he only had 23 TDs with 20 interceptions and 3336 yards. Those are not the stellar numbers that we all remember.

12) Jay Cutler- Broncos: Jay was supposed to be the breakout QB of last season. That did not occur but he a decent first season as a starter. He had 20 TDs and almost 3500 yards.

13) David Garrard- Jaguars: Garrard was a surprise to most fantasy owners and experts last year. He was given the starting job the day before the season began. In 12 games, he had 18 TDs, only 3 Interceptions, and 2509 yards.

14) Marc Bulger- Rams: Bulger had a terrible season last year. His offensive line was in shambles without Pace. His running game wasn’t working with Jackson injured for the beginning of the season. I would guess that he will rebound some this year but I do not expect him to perform at his 2006 level.

15) Donovan McNabb- Eagles: McNabb has not been his old self in three years. There is no reason to think he will rebound to his previous level now. Last year he did play the most games in three years with 14.

Tier 5- Good Backups

16) Jon Kitna- Lions: Kitna was supposed to be a great sleeper last year. He did not live up to that potential after a hot start. Jon is a much better backup fantasy player than a starter at this point.

17) Jake Delhomme- Panthers: Jake has been up and down as a QB and a fantasy QB. He started last season on fire with 8 TDs, 1 Interception, and 624 yards for his 3 games he played. He is throwing the ball and moving around in the pocket well in practice. He could be a great backup that might work into your starting lineup or you may end up dropping him to pick up someone else for your off week. It just depends on Jake. His top receiver, Steve Smith is suspended for the first 2 games so that will not help him.

18) Jason Campbell- Redskins: Campbell was making good progress before he was injured last year. He might be a good keeper pickup because he has a ton of talent. But he will have Colt Brennan breathing down his neck if Brennan continues to throw TDs in the Preseason like he just did.

Tier 6- Lower Backups

19) Vince Young- Titans: I loved Vince’s potential last year and drafted him early in one league. I am now off of the Vince Bandwagon. I would love to see him achieve in Tennessee and to move past just being a “running QB”. Of course his team has not given him any good targets.

20) Aaron Rogers- Packers: If Aaron wins the QB battle with Favre, I would draft Rogers as a backup. If he looses it to Brett, only draft Aaron if you are in a deep keeper league and move him way down the list.

21) Matt Schaub- Texans: The Texans had a bunch of injuries last year. Schaub has a lot of potential but that is all it is at this moment. He could be a high risk, high reward QB.

22) Jeff Garcia- Buccaneers: Garcia is a long ways away from his great fantasy seasons in San Francisco. He should be serviceable for a game or two as a backup.

23) JaMarcus Russell- Raiders: Last year’s top NFL Draft pick was barely on the field last year. He should start all 16 games if he is healthy. The talent on his team is subpar but McFadden should help keep some of the attention off of Russell.

24) Alex Smith- 49ers: Mike Martz is the only reason that Smith is ranked this highly. Martz has many faults but he can help QBs realize their potential.

Tier 7- Starter Unknown

25) Trent Edwards- Bills:

26) Matt Leinart- Cardinals:

27) Tarvaris Jackson:

28) Matt Ryan- Falcons:

29) Brodie Croyle- Chiefs:

30) Kellen Clemens- Jets:

31) Kyle Boller- Ravens:

32) John Beck- Dolphins:

33) Rex Grossman- Bears:

34) Kurt Warner- Cardinals:

35) Chad Henne- Dolphins:

36) Chris Redman- Falcons:

The Counselor is OUT: