Anthony Fusilli

One Man's Opinion: Top 10 Quarterbacks of 2012

Ok, so I know its early but it’s never too early to start thinking about your Fantasy Football dominance. I like to plan ahead to get ready. So over the next 5 weeks I'm going to post my top 10 players at each position, one position per week.

This week I'm starting off with Quarterbacks, some may surprise you where they're ranked some may not. So grab your popcorn and get ready *Terrell Owens voice*

1. Aaron Rodgers/ Green Bay Packers- 2011 Stats - 4643 Passing Yards/45 PassTds/ 6 Ints/ 257 Rush Yards/ 3 RushTds/ 385 Total Fantasy Points. The man is an absolute beast. He's efficient, reliable, consistent & ridiculous. He'll get you a ton of passing yards & passing touchdowns due to the lack of running game Green Bay has. Green Bay has been a pass first team for years and Rodgers benefits from that. As well as his receivers, ask Jordy Nelson. He also holds value over someone like Drew Brees because of Rodgers ability to run. Hes a no brainer as a first round draft pick in all formats next season, as he was this year. I think he'll definitely go higher than his Pre-Season rank of 7 this year. I'll probably even see some people take him number 1 overall, don't know if that is justifiable to some people but 385 Fantasy points is nuts. AND THAT’S WITH MISSING THE LAST GAME!
2. Drew Brees/ New Orleans Saints- 2011 Stats- 5,476 Passing Yards/ 46 PassTds/ 14 Ints/ 86 Rush Yards/ 1 RshTd/ 2 Two Point Conversions/ 1 Fumble/ 380 Fantasy Points. Congrats to Brees for breaking Dan Marino's passing record. Couldn't have been done by a better dude. With that said, many people could argue that Brees is a better Fantasy option than Rodgers. While that is very arguable I still see Rodgers as the numero uno guy. Brees is a close second. Not discounting his phenomenal season by any means, but Rodgers just gets the nod due to his ability to run and more chances to get pass touchdowns in the red zone. The saints have the ability to run the ball in the red zone with some bruisers back there in Ivory and Ingram, while the Packers don't have that really. Overall Brees is 1st rounder with no hesitation. I drafted him in one league this year in the 1st round and I'm not complaining one bit. 380 Fantasy points is no joke. He'll get you tons of yards and passing touchdowns as well with his great receivers. Look forward to similar numbers next year, I dont think he'll go crazy with 5,500 yards passing but he will easily push 5,000 every year with 40 touchdowns. You can’t go wrong if u choose Brees or Rodgers so be happy if you can get either or.
3. Cam Newton/ Carolina Panthers- 2011 Stats- 4051 Passing Yards/ 21 PassTds/ 17 Ints/ 706 Rushing Yards/ 14 RushTds/ 1 Reception for 27 yards/ 2 Two Point conversions/ 2 Fumbles/ 352 Fantasy Points. Superman was one heck of late round pick or even waiver wire pickup in 2011. Records were shattered, and I for one did NOT see this coming. I thought Newton would be a Mike Vick/ Akili Smith product. Lots of talent with speed like Vick but won’t produce same way in NFL like Smith. *Shakes Head* I'll take being wrong here, it’s cool because I'm pretty sure not many seen this happening. 4,000 yards passing ?? Really? 14 rushing touchdowns ? Really???  Thats were most of Cam's value is, you get more Fantasy points for rushing touchdowns than passing, due to scarcity of the two. So you get 35 combined touchdowns with Cam, which is more valuable than a player passing for 35 touchdowns. Dude is a baller who just makes plays and makes you say WOW. The Panthers offense is going to be scary next season, with Newton resurrecting Steve Smith's career and with the two headed monster of Williams and Stewart, the Panthers offense will put up numbers next year. 2011 will not be a fluke. I project Newton to go in around the 1st-4th round, depending on if he can get another receiver who can help take pressure off Smith. Also depends on your personal trust level with Cam, if he is there in first round and I pick late, I'm grabbing him. Expect similar numbers but with less rushing touchdowns and less interceptions as Newton grows into a more complete player who will learn from his mistakes this year and turn them into positives. 14 Rushing touchdowns by a Quarterback? Really dude?? #BeastMode
4. Tom Brady/ New England Patriots- 2011 Stats- 5,235 Passing Yards/ 39 PassTds/ 12 Ints/ 109 Rushing Yards/ 3 RushTds/  2 Fumbles/ 352 Fantasy Points. Brady finished tied with Cam Newton for 3rd most Fantasy points by a Quarterback. If it wasn't for Drew Brees ridiculous season, Brady would have broken Marino's record by himself. He put up crazy numbers again this year; over 5,000 yards passing season and 39 pass touchdowns. This season coming in he was the 22nd ranked player overall. I don't know why he was so low honestly. I know Running backs hold the most value, but 22nd for Brady? I personally do not like Brady but you can't discount his numbers. Brady puts up consistent numbers every year he's healthy. You can bank on that. I took him 10th overall in one 14 team league draft I was in and didn't hesitate once. He repaid me with 352 Fantasy points. He should go first round again next year as well, as long as he has "The Gronk" and Wes Welker with him.
5. Matthew Stafford/ Detroit Lions- 2011 Stats- 5,038 Passing Yards/ 41 PassTds/ 78 Rushing Yards/ 0 RshTds/ 2 Two Point Conversions/ 1 Fumble/ 333 Fantasy Points. My 2011 Fantasy Sleeper of the year going into the season paid me nice dividends this season. I got Matthew in the 8th round in one draft and couldn't believe people let him slip so much. I had this crazy gut feeling going into the year he was going to explode and stay healthy. Boy was I right. The last of the 3 Quarterbacks to pass for over 5,000 yards and the last of the 3 with over 40 passing touchdowns. He's also the last of the Quarterback's to get over 300 Fantasy points. He had a phenomenal season playing catch with Calvin Johnson and the rest of the Lions receiving corps. Last season there was only 1 Quarterback who cracked the 300 Fantasy point threshold (Mike Vick ) but this season there were 5! Matthew helped make this the greatest season ever by Quarterbacks in my opinion. I see him going in the 2nd or 3rd round next season depending on your draft strategy.
6. Mike Vick/ Philadelphia Eagles- 2011 Stats- 3,303 Passing Yards/ 18 PassTds/ 14 Intos/ 589 Rushing Yards/ 1 RushTd/ 4 Fumbles/ 222 Fantasy Points. This was obviously a down season for Vick as not many people thought the Eagles would have this big of a struggle. He dropped in Fantasy by 78 points, coming off his 300 point Fantasy season last year to only get 222. Next season I expect the Eagles to be a more prepared & healthy team. With a season under their belt together, they can now get this system down and try to gain that team chemistry with each other. Vick will be mobile like he always is and get his rushing yards, which will of course help your Fantasy team. His Passing touchdowns should increase as long as he stays healthy, which is the most important factor with Vick. He needs to stay out of the locker room with the medical trainers and be on the field. That's where the lack of trust with Vick lies, you never know how consistent he will be due to the fact he runs a lot and takes a pounding. He needs to learn how to slide and go out of bounds sometimes, and not get cold clocked by players like Urlacher and James Harrison who are out to knock him out. If Vick can stay healthy you can look forward to a solid season, I would take him after the first round just on safety precaution.
7. Eli Manning/ New York Giants- 2011 Stats- 4,933 Passing Yards/ 29 PassTds/ 16 Interceptions/ 15 Rushing Yards/ 1 RushTd/ 4 Fumbles/ 273 Fantasy Points. You can’t spell Elite without ELI. He really seemed to back up his pre-season statement that he was in the same category as Tom Brady. With over 4,900 yards passing and 29 touchdowns he repaid Fantasy owners with a solid season. Eli's ascension to the top of the Quarterback charts came with him having to shoulder the load on offense due to a struggling and banged up defensive unit that put the Giants in many early holes. The Giants running game was a low point as well during the early part of the season and Eli answered critics and fans alike by passing the ball more and doing it well. Eli helped the Giants and Fantasy owners as well with his best season ever. He set career highs in almost important category and also broke the record for most 4th quarter passing touchdowns. Eli should look to do more of the same next season as the Giants transition themselves into a more pass happy offense. The only thing that Fantasy owners hate about Manning is his Fumbles and Interceptions that may seem small but hurt you in close matchups. You can’t afford to lose points no matter how little they are. Hopefully next season Manning will cut down on that number and stop giving Giant fans and Fantasy owners heart burn. I see Manning going in round 4-6, a little low due to people's dislike or distrust in Manning. But he won’t disappoint.
8. Tony Romo/ Dallas Cowboys- 2011 Stats- 4,184 Passing Yards/ 31 PssTds/ 10 Interceptions/ 46 Rushing Yards/ 1 RushTd/ 3 Fumbles/ 265 Fantasy Points. Another solid season for Tony Romo. No matter the amount of critics that knock the Cowboys, Romo had a good season and did what he had to do on offense to try and help the Cowboys win games. Unfortunately for Romo the Dallas defense had other ideas. Of course you can go back and look at the games he struggled and made mistakes in, like the Lions games or the Jets game. But he provided the Cowboys with as much as he could in games. He came through late in games against the 49ers, Cardinals and even the Giants until Dan (Ice Ice) Bailey failed to make the tying or winning field goals in two of those contests. Romo will give you solid numbers year in and year out with the help of a solid receiving core, you just have to hope he doesn't get hurt...again. I think Romo will probably go in around the 3rd to 5th round.
9. Phillip Rivers/ San Diego Chargers- 2011 Stats- 4,624 Passing Yards/ 26 PassTds/ 20 Interceptions/ 36 Rushing Yards/ 1 RushTd/ 1 Two Point Conversion/ 5 Fumbles/ 246 Fantasy Points.  Rivers had a rough season with 20 interceptions and 5 fumbles which hurt Fantasy owners. He also had over 4,600 passing yards and 27 total touchdowns which rewarded owners. He's a headache for owners overall with his inconsistency this season, but I expect him to fully bounce back and have a much better season next year. He'll have his big passing yardage numbers as usual and I believe his touchdown numbers will increase with his interceptions to go down. I see him going in round 3-6, based on if you have that one guy who always reaches for people and if you have people who just don’t trust him after this season.

10. Tim Tebow/ Denver Broncos- 2011 Stats- 1,729 Passing Yards/ 16 PassTds/ 660 Rushing Yards/ 6 RushTds/ 2 Two Point Conversions/ 6 Fumbles/ 186 Fantasy Points.  Timothy Tebow ladies and gentleman, I just went there. *Start the hate mail* You can say what you want about Tebow but the man gets you Fantasy points. I picked him up in one of my leagues in week 7 to back up Matthew Stafford and he rewarded me with three 20+ point games & three 16+ point games. Did I start him all of them? No, but I had Stafford so do u blame me? Tebow's numbers will be a lot better next season with a full season under his belt. His ability to run the ball and score that way makes him a very valuable option. He's like a poor man’s Newton, not as talented but is a game changer who makes plays and scores you Fantasy points. He gets Fantasy points as a passer with the big plays he makes and gets his rushing yards and rushing touchdowns to make him valuable. Watch next season, I'd draft him late as a sleeper in a sense in around the 8th round to 12th round and expect him to finish in the top 10 in Quarterback Fantasy points. Thank me later.

 

So there's my Top 10 Quarterbacks going into the 2012 NFL Fantasy season. You may agree or you may not, but either way I hope you take something from this and dominate your league next year.

Stay tuned next week for my Top 10 Running Backs for the 2012 NFL Fantasy season.

 

Enjoy the playoffs!!!

 

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