Fantasy Football Player Rankings & Projections
2008 Quarterback Preseason Preview
Tom Brady
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Will Brady follow up on his amazing
2007 season after being upset by the N.Y. Giants in the
Super Bowl? |
1. Tom Brady - Patriots - 2008 Preview:
Brady has always been the best quarterback in the NFL for awhile
now, but at the same time he has been considered an underrated fantasy
quarterback. Well no longer will he be called underrated in fantasy
land. He and the rest of the Patriots exploded in 2007 setting many
new offensive records. Brady threw for 4,806 yards and an amazing
50 touchdowns. His stats did take a bit of a hit toward the end
of the season, but that happens with many quarterbacks on winning
teams, though in this case it was more of teams playing their guts
out to beat the undefeated Patriots. Whether that was do conservative
second half play calling or teams catching on to the Patriot system.
Either way, don't expect another 50 touchdowns in 2008, but the
Patriot offense will remain the same dangerous group they were last
year so Brady should be in line for another big season.
2007 Statistics:
4,806 Yards - 50 TD's - 8 INT's - 69.9%.
2008 Projection: 4,350
Yards - 41 TD's - 10 INT's - 67.1%.
2. Peyton Manning - Colts - 2008 Preview:
Mr. Consistency gets the nod above the upstart Romo because he has
been doing this for years. 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns is the
norm for Manning. In fact he has averaged that every year of his
amazing 10-year career. He still has big-time weapons surrounding
him like Reggie Wayne, veteran Marvin Harrison, 2nd-year receiver
Anthony Gonzales, H-back Dallas Clark and running back Joseph Addai.
This is serious fire power for the Colts offense. Manning is in
his prime and has remained injury free throughout his career which
makes a worthwhile first-round-pick in any fantasy football draft.
2007 Statistics:
4,040 Yards - 31 TD's - 14 INT's - 65.4%.
2008 Projection: 4,187
Yards - 33 TD's - 13 INT's - 66.4%.
3. Tony Romo - Cowboys - 2008 Preview:
Romo was everything fantasy owners hoped for in 2007 after his 2006
second half explosion. This included a late season injury that helped
his stats slide a bit throwing 1 touchdown against 5 interceptions
and never topping 300 yards in his last 3 games. If he would have
continued at his pace you would be talking about 4,500 yards and
40 touchdowns. Romo's flaw may be simply his youth or it may be
his "Farve-itis". He forces passes at times which leads
to too many interceptions. The other question mark for Romo's fantasy
2008 season is who will be his 2nd receiver. It may be the veteran
Terry Glenn, or possibly last years #2, Patrick Crayton. A trade
or a veteran signing are both possible. If not, Romo should be fine,
especially with his favorite target tight end Jason Witten over
the middle, not to mention Terrel Owens everywhere else. The bottom
line is that 2007 was the year of the fantasy quarterback. The top
three were dominating in 2007 and most top running backs to such
a step down that now 3 quarterbacks are worthwhile #1 picks in the
2008 draft.
2007 Statistics:
4,211 Yards - 36 TD's - 19 INT's - 64.4%.
2008 Projection: 4,205
Yards - 37 TD's - 15 INT's - 65.8%.
4. Drew Brees - Saints - 2008 Preview:
The Saints lost their magic in 2007 and it seemed like Brees would
not pan-out as a fantasy stud, but a strong finish will give him
an argument to be ranked equal to Romo. In the last 6 games of the
season he tossed 13 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. The problem
was he had just 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions through the first
10 games. So which Brees will we see in 2008? A lot depends on the
run game. Deuce McAllister is expected to return in time to be at
full-speed and coach Sean Peyton has had a couple years to work
Reggie Bush into the offense. If the Saints are stable in the run
game and they have a healthy Marques Colston, Drew Brees can be
one of the best quarterbacks in fantasy football.
2007 Statistics:
4,423 Yards - 28 TD's - 18 INT's - 67.5%.
2008 Projection: 4,126
Yards - 31 TD's - 16 INT's - 63.6%.
5. Carson Palmer- Bengals - 2008 Preview:
Carson Palmer may actually be a bargain in your 2008 draft. The
fall of the Bengals in 2007 combined with the threatened holdout
or trade-me cries of Chad Johnson may have many fantasy owners steering
clear of Palmer on draft day. Well that is great news. Palmer stats
did take a hit, but it came mostly in interceptions (20) and most
of his problems can be blamed on the lack of a consistent run game
or playing from behind because of the Bengals poor defense, but
his yards (4,131) were a career high and his percentage (64.9) was
his second best. Regardless of Chad Johnson's return, Palmer should
be up for another big fantasy season and he should improve his 2007
numbers. He will still have stud receiver in T.J. Houshmandzadeh
and the Bengals added two high draft pick receivers, Jerome Simpson
and Andre Caldwell. If Rudi Johnson can comeback healthy and bring
back the consistency to the run game Palmer will compete with the
top four quarterbacks in fantasy football.
2007 Statistics:
4,131 Yards - 26 TD's - 20 INT's - 64.9%.
2008 Projection: 4,107
Yards - 28 TD's - 16 INT's - 64.2%.
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6. Jay Cutler - Denver - 2008 Preview:
There is a small drop off after the top five where a group of about
4 quarterbacks are at about an equal value. Cutler was chosen as
the top of this group because he has the greatest potential for
improvement, so much so that he may jump into the top five if all
goes well in 2008. In his first two seasons Cutler has a 29-19 touchdown-to-interception
ratio, which is amazing for any quarterback in their first two seasons.
The only thing Cutler was missing was a stud receiver and with the
finding of rookie sensation Brandon Marshall, Cutler will be ready
to shine in '08. The Bronco's made an effort to add depth to the
receiver core by adding veterans Keary Colbert and Sammie Parker
and drafting Eddie Royal with the 11th pick in the 2nd-round.
2007 Statistics:
3,497 Yards - 20 TD's - 14 INT's - 63.6%.
2008 Projection: 3,858
Yards - 27 TD's - 13 INT's - 64.7%.
7. Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh - 2008 Preview:
Big Ben has the ability to crack the top-five, but inconsistencies
in his game and an improving, but still run/defense oriented team
makes that unlikely for Roethlisberger. Nevertheless, Roethlisberger
pulled his team from behind many times and ended up with some excellent
fantasy numbers which include 32 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions
in 2007. Toss in his leagues second-best quarterback rating of 104.1
and you have the most underrated fantasy quarterback of 2007. He
needs to improve his yards total to be the complete fantasy quarterback
which may be a difficult task in Pittsburgh.
2007 Statistics:
3,154 Yards - 32 TD's - 11 INT's - 65.3%.
2008 Projection: 3,582
Yards - 29 TD's - 12 INT's - 64.8%.
