| 1. Aaron Rodgers 2. Michael Vick 3. Drew Brees 4. Tom Brady 5. Peyton Manning 6. Phillip Rivers7. Matt Ryan 8. Tony Romo 9. Matt Schaub 10. Ben Roethlisberger 15. Ryan Fitzpatrick 18. Kevin Kolb 21. Kyle Orton |
Thoughts on the 2011 Fantasy Football quarterback class
- There is no second tier of fantasy quarterbacks this year. There are 6 really and then no one and then a third tier. The difference is that big.
- If you want to get one of those top-tier guys, you’ll have to use a spot in the first 3 rounds of a 12-team league or the first 4 rounds of a 10-team league.
No, Aaron Rodgers, YOU'RE the man.
- If you don’t end up with a top-tier quarterback, hope is not lost. Players #7 through 20 are all guys that can score a ton of points, so grabbing a couple of them will leave you with a viable option every week. Taking an established veteran from the third tier and a guy with huge upside from the fourth tier is going to put you in a great spot, and you probably can get them with picks in the 6th and 10th rounds.
- Michael Vick is going to run like crazy, but don’t get fooled into reaching for him. Running that much is an increased injury risk, and last year’s season isn’t nearly as repeat-able as you would like to think. Rodgers can run well also and it turns out that he’s also got one of the best arms in the League.
- If you’re set at quarterback and need a low-risk huge upside guy to sit on the bench, think about McCoy or Fitzpatrick, I really like the potential in those two.
- You could be tempted to take Cam Newton or Andy Dalton or Jake Locker or some other rookie and keep him on the bench in case he blows up. Don’t do that. The shortened offseason of the lockout shifts their learning curve well into the middle of the season, and if they do blow up at that point (which none of these guys will), you can grab them off waivers then.
Check out my other rankings
I’d put Vick alone in your absent 2nd tier for exactly the reasons you mention. Manning may have to join him with these injury concerns.
Scoring systems are a huge consideration too. My two leagues are so vastly different, in one I feel I must have a tier 1 QB (6pt TD, -1 INT, 25 yds/pt) but in the other I think i’ll just wait for a Stafford/Bradford type (4pt TD, -2INT, 35 yds/pt). I rank Bradford higher than you have him here: Josh McDaniels plus better, healthier weapons than last year.