AUTOGRAPHS

2011 Fantasy Football Preseason Quarterback Rankings

In 2011 the quarterback position is chocked full of talent. From aging veterans like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, mid-road veterans such as Drew Brees, Michael Vick and Philip Rivers as well as young guns such as Josh Freeman, Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan, whatever your taste is for building a fantasy football franchise, you are sure to find something that fits your fancy.

Interceptions fluctuate from year to year, so they are not seen in the projected stats. Let’s nail these 1StopShopFF Quarterback Rankings for 2011.

[Projected 2011 Stats are All-Purpose yards (passing plus rushing) and total touchdowns]

1. Aaron Rodgers (GB) – Age 27, Bye Week 8, Projected 4300/35

Coming off of a Super Bowl win, one would expect a letdown from the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers, yet it has been anything but in training camp. He has seeked a health nutritionist during the off season and is in great playing shape. Numbers around 4000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns while going for another 300 and 5 has become the norm for this representative “Cheese Head.” There is no reason that he cannot rival those number in 2011 with weapons such as Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley at his side. With great consistency, youth and talent, Rodgers ranks as 1StopShopFF’s top quarterback to own in fantasy football this season.

2. Drew Brees (NO) – Age 31, Bye Week 11, Projected 4500/32

The New Orleans Saints scored a top free agent hit years ago when they plucked Drew Brees in free agency from the San Diego Chargers due to a shoulder ailment. A Super Bowl and thousands of yards passing later Brees looks to continue that success. He has only missed 1 game in the past 5 years and is as consistent as they come at the quarterback position. With the other top remaining quarterbacks having question marks, Brees has to be the second option behind Aaron Rodgers in your fantasy football league.

3. Peyton Manning (IND) – Age 35, Bye Week 11, Projected 4500/30

When it comes to respect, no one garners more at the quarterback position than Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. This is where it gets iffy though. He is surrounded by major talent in wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark, yet he just had to have neck surgery recently to relieve pressure from a bulging disk. When healthy he is a madman on the field, calling audibles as quickly as he is gaining yards. Yet, the 35 year old should be watched closely during training camp as health and age is not on his side. Barring a major setback, Manning should warner a top-5 selection in all fantasy football formats.

4.Philip Rivers (SD) – Age 29, Bye Week 6, Projected 4400/30

Despite the lack of having star wide receiver Vincent Jackson at his side, Philip Rivers reached a career high 4710 passing yards while chiming in with 30 touchdowns. Consistency is not a problem with Rivers, ranking amongst the best in fantasy football quarterbacks the past three years, Rivers looks to continue that trend. If you can’t nail one of the top-3, Rivers is a great parting gift.

5. Tom Brady (N.E.) – Age 34, Bye Week 7, Projected 4200/33

It wasn’t long ago that Tom Brady performed the greatest fantasy football performance of all time, yet the past few years he had struggled because of a knee injury that he had suffered in 2008. Yet 2010 was a rebirth of sorts. Passing for 3900 yards and 36 touchdowns despite the loss of Randy Moss and an injured Wes Welker was a great sign that he is once again healthy. The addition of Chad Johnson has got to help going into 2011. Look for another great season from Brady.

6. Michael Vick (PHI) – Age 31, Bye Week 7, Projected  3600/30

Many websites have Michael Vick ranked as a top-2 fantasy football quarterback, many of them even as the top quarterback overall. 1StopShopFF is calling them out. Seriously, a quarterback that was out of the game for a few years, missed a quarter of last year with a rib injury and someone who had passed for only 3,018 yards as a top-2? Not in my mind. I don’t worry about hurting peoples feelings, and this is where I start in 2011. While he is fleet on his feet,  averaging enough yards per year to put him at 3500 plus all-purpose, one still has to fear that a 31 year old quarterback that relies on his feet and is having early preseason problems with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will find enough in him to duplicate his 2010 season. Too many things have to go right for him to be the best of the best. Look at Vick to be more of a middle of the pack QB1 in deeper fantasy football leagues.

7. Tony Romo (Dal) – Age 30, Bye Week 5, Projected 4000/25

If it were not for the question marks on Tony Romo’s health as well as a downward spiral that the Dallas Cowboys have been going through, Romo would be ranked above Michael Vick. He still has great options in Miles Austin and Jason Witten to be the best of the best in any given week. Satisfying the needs of a QB1 is probable in Romo’s 2011 future, but be cautious and track him seriously in training camp.

8. Matt Schaub (Hou) – Age 30, Bye Week 11, Projected 4400/27

Much like Tony Romo, Matt Schaub has those injury worries that just can’t get me to recommend Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans before the 8-spot. He has the potential, which is kind of an odd word to have to use on a 30 year old, to produce as a top-5,  but health must be on his side. Unfortunately this year, not only is he having to worry about himself and Owen Daniels, but Arian Foster has a hamstring injury and Andre Jonhson has a dislocated finger. All in all, you really can’t go wrong picking Schaub anywhere in the top-middle-half of the quartbacks in 2011. Just realize that you are either gaining gold or fools gold. There really is no in-between.

9. Ben Roethlisberger (Pit) – Age 29, Bye Week 11, Projected 3700/25

You never know what you are getting out of Big-Ben. He is on an on-again, off-again relationship with goodness and suckiness. This season fortunately falls into the goodness category. From this point on, you really are looking at a crap shoot of the best available fantasy football quarterback on draft day. Personally, unless you are in a redraft league or a Pittsburgh Steelers geek, I’d roll with another cat that is younger in age and close in rank.

10. Matt Ryan (Atl) – Age 26, Bye Week 8, Projected 3800/30

If it were me drafting, I’d take the risk and draft him over the previous three on this list. He has been very inconsistent in his early career, although he does have the Atlanta Falcons great Roddy White to pass to. Averages have him rolling in as the tenth best quarterback on the board; a draft position that he can easily become a bargain at. If you are in need of a quarterback and the top-7 are off of the board, there really is no shame in grabbing Ryan. The potential outweighs the possible disappointments.

11. Matthew Stafford (Det) – Age 23, Bye Week 9, Projected 3700/30

Yes, Matthew Stafford has been injured quite a bit his first two years in the NFL, having missed 19 games, yet he has the arm and talent around him to easily propel him into top-10 territory. Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, Nate Burleson, Jahvid Best… there are plenty of options to gain mad yardage through the air. And looking at the quarterbacks that took over for Stafford when he was hurt in 2010, they were all fantasy football relevant. Grab this fire-fly and jar him up. He is about to create plenty of sparks.

12. Joe Flacco (Bal) – Age 26, Bye Week 5, Projected 3675/27

Joe Flacco has made the Baltimore Ravens fan crowd proud during his first three seasons in the NFL, all that have shown major improvement. Last year he threw for 3622 yards and 25 touchdowns. His minimal rushing statistics aside, Flacco is hitting that age where he could take a big step forward or just roll on idle. Odds are, it is something in between. Flacco is a solid, low-end QB1 in deeper leagues.

13. Josh Freeman (TB) – Age 23, Bye Week 8, Projected 3700/26

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a very young team and beyond Josh Freeman they really only shine with wide Receiver Mike Williams. He has upside, is smart, and seems to be a winner thus far in his 2-year stint in the NFL. There is plenty to be proven, but it is safe to rank Freeman as a high-end QB2 in deeper leagues.

14. Jay Cutler (Chic) – Age 28, Bye Week 8, Projected 3700/26

The Windy City has seen some major whirl winds the past few seasons, but the biggest one may be the inconsistencies of the Chicago Bears Jay Cutler. Or is it? A few years ago Cutler was thought of as a top-few quarterback in fantasy football leagues, yet I said it loud and proud that Cutler will struggle. High interception rates and a lack of offensive talent surrounding him will prove so. Guess what, it did. He is in a division where two of the three teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions will give him problems. He is at the point of his career that he is a good selection for  a team that is looking for a solid second quarterback and nothing more.

15. Eli Manning (NYG) – Age 30, Bye Week 7, Projected 3600/26

Eli Manning has enjoyed a very good past two seasons with the New York Giants, having gone for an average of 4000 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, yet something yells to me “let down year.” He has some talent to throw to, nothing extraordinary though. He is what he is, a mid-to-high QB2 in deeper leagues.

16. Sam Bradford (StL) – Age 23, Bye Week 5, Projected 3400/24

Sam Bradford enjoyed a heck of a rookie campaign with the St. Louis Rams, going for 3512 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in comparison to 15 interceptions. 2010, coupled with his age, should keep Bradford on the minds of many fantasy football owners in this year’s drafts. Obviously boost Bradford up if you play in a keeper league.

17. Kevin Kolb (Arz) – Age 26, Bye Week 7, Projected Unknown

Kevin Kolb can come up flat this year, or he can make wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald into the best of the best once again for fantasy football enthusiasts. Keep your eye on him during training camp. There must be some reason that the Arizona Cardinals would pay so much, both in trade and salary, for a quarterback who has only played in a handful of games during his career.

18. Kyle Orton (Den) – Age 28, Bye Week 7, Projected Unknown

Kyle Orton starts the season probably as the top quarterback for the Denver Broncos, but he is only a few bad plays away from being replaced in the lineup with Tim Tebow. Orton, other than a few hot weeks last year, offers nothing to the fantasy footballer. Keep him in the wings and pass on him, despite the better potential that he possesses for more sure things on draft day.

19. Donovan McNabb (Min) – Age 34, Bye Week 9, Projected Unknown

How the mighty have fallen. Donovan McNabb entered the league being booed by Philadelphia Eagles fans on draft day and it looks as if he is being sent out just as viciously. Last year he was dealt from the Eagles to the Washington Redskins to be their starter only to be sat on the bench a few weeks later. Now he has to resurrect his career in the NFC North which possesses two of the deadlier defenses, the Green Bay Packers secondary and the Detroit Lions front four. McNabb is but a shell of his former self and looks to be nothing more than a quarterback that will cause his owners to pop antacids on weeks that they are forced to start him.

20. Matt Cassel (KC) – Age 29, Bye Week 6, Projected 3300/25

With the addition of Steve Breaston to go along with Dwayne Bowe and Jamaal Charles, Matt Cassel has the talent surrounding him to do well. Oddly, because of his non-New England Patriots status he is considered fodder. Perhaps I fall into that category and am pathetically under ranking Cassel at the moment but I don’t think so. I expect him to be a solid mid-to-low end QB2 in deeper leagues.

21. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buf) – Age 28, Bye Week 7, Projected 3200/23

Ryan Fitzpatrick is all that you ask out of a low-end QB2 in deeper leagues. He has the potential to put up solid fantasy points in any given week, yet he is not consistent. Perhaps this year will be different and he will work his way up the food chain, but being already 28 with the talent that the Buffalo Bills are sporting and one has to think otherwise. Draft as nothing more than a spot starter.

22. Mark Sanchez (NYJ) – Age 24, Bye Week 8, Projected 3500/22

Yes, the New York Jets are a great team with a great defense, but one has to worry. Not only is Mark Sanchez less than great talent wise in the NFL, but he is also out there to control the clock. He didn’t even top a total of 3400 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2010 yet he was considered a success. That reeks of being over rated. I am not saying that Sanchez is horrible to have on your fantasy football team, but if you don’t land one of the top few quarterbacks in the draft, then shooting for Sanchez as your backup was a tad low.

The Best of the Rest

Tavaris Jackson (Sea) – Age 28, Bye Week 6

Tavaris Jackson heads to the Seattle Seahawks in hopes that it is a better ship than what he had left with the Minnesota Vikings. Signing Sidney Rice and Zach Miller show that the Seahawks are hoping the same thing.

Matt Hasselbeck (Ten) – Age 35, Bye Week 6

The Tennessee Titans bring in Matt Hasselbeck who has had a solid NFL career but also someone who has struggled with back problems the past handful of seasons. Perhaps a change of scenery will rejuvenate his career?

Cam Newton (Car) – Age 22, Bye Week 9

It doesn’t matter how much talent this quarterback may or may not have (don’t ask him, from what I understand he isn’t the smartest cookie in the jar), any rookie is going to struggle with the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton should be drafted only as a rookie keeper at best.

Jason Campbell (Oak) – Age 29, Bye Week 8

He plays for the Oakland Raiders. Do I really have to dig in deep to tell you why you better hope that your primary backup quarterback is not Jason Campbell?

David Garrard (Jac) – Age 33. Bye Week 9

David Garrard is already banged up and hurting in the Jacksonville Jaguars camp. Even if he takes the job out of camp, he is on borrowed time.

Alex Smith (SF) – Age 27, Bye Week 7

Which Alex Smith will show up this year? Does it really matter? It is starting to look as if this marriage never will ever come to the fruition that both parties had hoped for a few years back when he was drafted.

Colt McCoy (Cle) – Age 24, Bye Week 5

Colt McCoy has talent; unfortunately the Cleveland Browns do not. He is more of a keeper league project than someone that you can rely on in 2011.

Chad Henne (Mia) – Age 26, Bye Week 5

You know what, you could do a lot worse than having Chad Henne on your team. The problem though is that the Miami Dolphins believe so little in him that you are just waiting for the day that his starting quarterback gig is gone.

Andy Dalton (Cin) – Good, young, talented quarterback who has some solid options to toss the pigskin to for the Cincinnati Bengals. Andy Dalton may be the best of worst options.

About the Author

Chris has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and is a huge fantasy football enthusiast. He has written for the Most Valuable Network and the Bruno Boys by offering fantasy football advice to thousands of people and is the creator of 1StopShopFF.

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