2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks

Tier 1

• Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

• Drew Brees, New Orleans

• Payton Manning, Indianapolis

Alright, these should be the first 3 QB taken in any fantasy draft. In a keeper/dynasty league Rodgers should be heads and shoulders above the other 2 guys. In a non keeper league, I think Brees should be first, followed by Rodgers. Manning should always be third.

Tier 2

• Matt Schaub, Houston

• Phillip Rivers, San Diego

• Tom Brady, New England

• Tony Romo, Dallas

Some will disagree here, but Schaub has Johnson, and getting Daniels back is big. If Schaub can stay healthy he could produce as a tier 1 guy. Rivers has question marks, mainly because Jackson may not be there for a bit, but in a pass first offense he couldn’t fall below this tier. Brady just hasn’t seemed the same since his injury, he is in a contract year and could produce big because he wants his money, and Welker should be healthy. I’m really not a big Romo fan; I think his value lays in Dez Bryants hands.

Tier 3

• Jay Cutler, Chicago

• Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia

• Joe Flacco, Baltimore

• Donovon McNabb, Washington

• Matt Ryan, Atlanta

• Eli Manning, New York(Giants)

• Carson Palmer, Cincinnati

At the end of this tier, unless you’re in some large league, or 2 QB league, these should be the last QB selected to be starters. Cutler’s end of year value could very well overtake his draft day value. With Martz there, anything could happen, it was just a few years ago in leagues that didn’t count INT; Jon Kitna was a top 3 option. I’m a big Kolb fan, and I believe he could find himself in a much higher ranking by the end of the year too. Flacco and Ryan may have hit their peak, although Flacco has Boldin to look at now. A lot of people see McNabb falling a lot, I don’t. Palmer could be at the top of this tier if TO and Ochocinco can co-exist. Eli Manning, he could up or down.

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Tier 4

• Chad Henne, Miami

• Mark Sanchez, New York(Jets)

• Matthew Stafford, Detroit

• Matt Lienart, Arizona

• Alex Smith, San Francisco

• Vince Young, Tennessee

• Jason Campbell, Oakland

• David Garrard, Jacksonville

• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh

If I was picking a backup, or high upside option, any of the first 4 guys here would be my pick. Smith could jolt up the list, after not having to learn a new offense for the first time in his career. If Young can hold himself together, he should be good. I think Campbell going to Oakland is going to be good for the receivers; his value should stay the same. We all know MJD is the focus of the Jags offense. Big Ben makes my final tier of relevant QB’s just because when he returns from suspension, he could be a tier 2 QB the rest of the way.

Tier 5, and the ones who really shouldn’t matter

• Kyle Orton, Denver

• Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle

• Matt Cassel, Kansas City

• Sam Bradford, St. Louis

• Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay

• Jake Delhomme, Cleveland

• Matt More, Carolina

• Trent Edwards, Buffalo

• Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota

All I can say is, Matt, or Sam is the dominant first name of QB’s in the NFL. Also, no Brett Favre, sorry gamers.

By Patrick Ruschmeyer
ProFootball-fans.com Fantasy Football Director of Content