Fantasy Watch: Quarterbacks

By: Allen 

With the beginning of the pre-season, many people are scrambling to find information for their fantasy football leagues. Who’s going to be hot this year, who will be cold and who will surprise everyone. Of course, with fantasy football, it’s always hard to tell who will do what, but in this four part series I will give you my opinions of who will fare well, fare poorly and have breakout seasons. We’ll go through this based off the four main slots most fantasy leagues use: Quarterback, Running back, Receivers and Defense.

Today, though, we’ll take a look at the QB. 

Top Spots 

Obviously, your first look at quarterback has to be Peyton Manning. Anthony Gonzalez will only help his numbers, and even if one of his three main receivers should become injured, he’s going to have monstrous numbers. Other top scorers include Carson Palmer, whose great arm and outstanding receivers will have him scoring high all year. While Tom Brady wasn’t much more than an average fantasy quarterback last year, the additions of all that receiving talent should beckon you to consider drafting him higher than in most years. Drew Brees, too, should be considered a high pick, as his receiving corps should be even better, and his chances to score big points on a routine basis much more secure. The only other sure fire quarterback I can see is Philip Rivers. The addition of Craig Davis will allow the Chargers to stretch the field nicely, which will do as much to Rivers’ game as LaDainian Tomlinson’s. With the deep ball a more plausible threat, you may see him using his arm to grab large chunks of field more often. Others to think of: Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger. 

Surprises  

A quarterback I’m dying to pick up is Jon Kitna. Say what you want, but in fantasy, all that matters is the points the player gets you. 4200 yards and 21 TDs equals points. Yes, he had 22 INTs, but he had no run support and a horrible line. Now he has Mike Furrey, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. He also has a legitimate runner in Tatum Bell. His numbers very well may go up, while his mistakes go down. While I wouldn’t put a first rounder on him, a second or third would be good value. Another pickup I’m looking at is Alex Smith, from San Francisco. I can’t say that he should be a high-round pick, but having him on the bench might be a nice thing. Vernon Davis should be healthy, and he does have receivers with talent around him, even though they all need to prove themselves. He has a solid running game and a pretty decent line behind him. I don’t think it’s going to take long for Smith to hit his stride and start producing. As for other young quarterbacks, Jay Cutler and Matt Leinart will be solid starters – they may not give you high, high points like some of those at the top, but they’ll give you consistent points where others might be streaky. Of the two, I prefer Leinart because of what is around him, but Cutler won’t be far behind. Others to note: JP Losman.  

Please Don’t Touch  

Now we get to the guys you don’t want to touch with a ten foot fantasy pole. First and foremost, leave Matt Schaub alone. If you want to pick him from waivers when he’s shown some poise, promise and ability to stay upright, that’s fine with me. Just don’t waste a draft pick on him. Also, Jeff Garcia. The Bucs will no afford him enough offensive leeway to make the plays he did last year in Philadelphia. That’s not to say he’ll have a poor year, but it remains to be seen whether or not his arm will get the ball to Galloway, or if the other receivers and running game will step up. Two more signal callers that should be looked at with extreme caution are Trent Green and Daunte Culpepper. Both have yet to prove that they can remain healthy or return to form from serious injury. Others to note: Tarvaris Jackson, whoever gets the Browns job, Joey Harrington, Byron Leftwich. 

Peyton Manning Indianapolis Colts Blue NFL Replica Jersey
Tom Brady New England Patriots White NFL Replica Jersey
Carson Palmer Orange Cincinnati Bengals NFL Premier Jersey