Peyton Manning had another outstanding season in 2008 despite starting the year with a well-documented knee injury. He finished with 4,002 yards, completing 66.8 percent of his passes, with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown with one lost fumble. This was the first time Manning had less than 30 touchdowns since 2005, but he still won the MVP award. He remains a No. 1 QB in all leagues, but we'll see how he does without Marvin Harrison, who the Colts released this offseason. Manning still has Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark, so he should be just fine. Plan on drafting Manning sometime in the second round in all leagues this summer as he's pretty much the safest bet in Fantasy Football. If he's not the top QB drafted, he will definitely be one of the top two with Drew Brees.
Fantasy owners can't complain much about how Tony Romo did in 2008, but they might if their expectations remain high in 2009. Missing three games with a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand, Romo managed to connect for 3,448 yards on 276-of-450 passing (61.3 comp. pct.; 7.7 yards per attempt) with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season. Romo scraped up another 41 rush yards but added a career-worst seven fumbles lost. It wasn't his best season, but it was still a quality effort as he had six games with at least 300 yards passing and another eight games with two or more touchdowns (six with three touchdowns). But Romo has lost touchdown target Terrell Owens this offseason, probably to his liking, and will run an offense that doesn't have the same bulk as what he's used to. Roy Williams is his new No. 1 receiver, and he's a good player, but he's not the touchdown generator Owens was/is. Tight end Jason Witten will also be on hand. Remember this: Over the last two seasons, Owens was on the receiving end of 24 of Romo's 62 touchdown passes (nearly 40 percent). That's a lot to a quarterback to lose. Williams and Witten will help make up for some of that production, but it's safe to expect Romo's touchdown totals to dip in 2009. His yardage should remain fairly solid. He remains a No. 1 Fantasy QB, but one you might not take until Round 4 this summer.
Drew Brees became the second passer in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season in 2008, joining Dan Marino in 1984, part of the reason why Brees is considered the best Fantasy QB heading into 2009. Thanks to the combination of his skills as a passer and the Saints' willingness to throw a ton, Brees also had 34 touchdowns but also 17 interceptions, all on 413-of-635 passing (65 comp. pct.) for 5,069 yards (7.98 yards per attempt). So long as the offense surrounding Brees stays mostly intact, expect the star passer to continue delivering top-notch statistics. He's our top-ranked Fantasy QB for 2009 and is worth a pick somewhere between 10th and 20th overall in all drafts this summer.
Ben Roethlisberger was able to win another Super Bowl title for the Steelers in 2008 and played well in that game against Arizona with 256 passing yards, the game-winning touchdown to Santonio Holmes and an interception. Roethlisberger capped a playoff run that saw him celebrated not just for his arm but for his ability to escape the pass rush, neatly hiding the fact that he played behind a rag-tag offensive line for much of the year. He also did it with a separated shoulder, and he also played on despite suffering a concussion late in the season. His regular season finished with 3,301 yards on 281-of-469 passing (59.9 comp. pct.; 7.04 yards per attempt). He had just 17 touchdowns, way down from the 32 he threw last year, and the fourth time in five years he's thrown 17 or 18 touchdowns in a season. He added 101 rush yards and two rushing touchdowns. Big Ben also had 15 interceptions and a career-worst seven fumbles lost (he had eight in his previous four seasons combined). About the best thing that could happen to Roethlisberger is if the Steelers improve his offensive line this offseason. Ultimately, he's not enough of a gunslinger or stat monger to be used as anything more than a top-end No. 2 Fantasy QB. Look for him to be snagged with a middle-round pick in drafts this summer. A late-August ankle/foot injury isn't considered serious at this point.
Derek Anderson will enter this season trying to compete with Brady Quinn for the starting job. Quinn is the favorite, and Anderson will likely find himself on the sidelines during what will amount to a contract year. Anderson's contract jumps from $1.45 million this year to $7.45 million in 2010. There's no way the Browns will keep Anderson past this year, especially if he's the backup. Keep an eye on what happens with Anderson and Quinn, but look for Anderson to be holding a clipboard. After a breakout year in 2007 when he passed for 3,787 yards, 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, he fell off last season with 1,615 passing yards on 50.2 percent completions with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was benched in favor of Quinn in Week 10 but then regained the job three games later when Quinn broke his finger. Now, Anderson will need a good training camp to beat out Quinn, but a mid-June calf injury could hurt his chances. For now, ignore Anderson in all leagues unless he's named the starter. Then look at him as a No. 2 Fantasy option.
Carson Palmer is coming off an elbow injury that limited him to just four games in 2008. He completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 731 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions and also ran six times for 38 yards with one lost fumble. It was clearly the worst season of his career, and he now has to prove he can rebound with a bad throwing arm. All signs point to Palmer being ready to start the season, and he now has a new wide receiver in Laveranues Coles, who signed in the offseason as a replacement for T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is now in Seattle, and a potential new TE in rookie Chase Coffman, who was drafted in the third round. With Chad Johnson and Chris Henry also there, Palmer still has enough talent to succeed. But following the injury, Palmer has dropped from a Top 5 Fantasy option to a risky pick as a starter. Plan on drafting him after the elite quarterbacks are gone, and if you can get him as a No. 2 QB in the later rounds, it's a steal. At some point this year he will be starting again in the majority of leagues.
For the first time in five years -- and only the fourth time in his 10-year career -- Donovan McNabb played in 16 games in 2008. And for only the second time in his career, McNabb topped 500 passing attempts. Put those two facts together, and it's pretty obvious that McNabb had one of his best seasons ever. In 2008, he completed 345-of-571 passes (60.4 comp. pct.) for 3,916 yards (6.86 yards per attempt) with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was effective on the ground too, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns. This was McNabb's first season with over 3,500 yards passing and 20-plus touchdowns since 2004, the year he had Terrell Owens at his disposal. Following the season, McNabb asked for and received a restructured contract, giving him more money over the next two years of his current deal. Additionally, the Eagles upgraded the offense around him. Left tackle Jason Peters and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin have joined the Birds, and the combination should make McNabb more potent than he was last season. Consider him a middle- to low-end No. 1 Fantasy QB worth a draft pick between Rounds 5 and 7. He'll be an injury candidate, so you'll need to draft a capable backup a few rounds later, but McNabb has some great weapons around him and should be good for some quality numbers so long as he's upright.
Brett Favre's 3,472 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and an NFL-high 22 interceptions with the Jets were believed to be the last stats of his career. But he and the Vikings had on-again, off-again talks about making a return to the game with them after the Jets released him. Not until mid-August did the unthinkable happen: Favre has signed on and he'll wear purple this season. But this might not be a failed experiment like his run with the Jets last season -- he's running an offense that's familiar to him as the Vikes run the West Coast offense and the offensive coordinator is Favre's former QB coach. The Vikings also have a good receiving corps, and Favre will see lesser coverage than he's used to because Adrian Peterson will be in his backfield. The safe play is to consider Favre a No. 2 Fantasy QB worth a middle- to late-round pick. He won't be good enough to start every week, but he will have some excellent matchups as the Vikings have a favorable schedule, especially early on.
Eli Manning experienced his second-worst season statistically in 2008, throwing just 21 touchdowns and accumulating 3,238 yards, both career-lows since becoming the Giants' starter in 2005. Much of that can be attributed to the loss of WR Plaxico Burress: In 10 games with his star receiver, Manning threw 15 scores and had four games with at least 215 passing yards. In six without Burress, Manning had six touchdowns and two games with over 200 passing yards. Manning is now without Burress for good as the Giants released him this offseason. Manning now must find a new go-to receiver. Manning utilized a spread-the-ball-around approach with Burress gone, and it didn't equate to bonanza statistics. Here's where he improved, however: He threw just 10 interceptions, completed 60.4 percent of his passes and nailed 6.78 yards per pass attempt, all career-highs. Manning will fall in as a No. 2 Fantasy QB in 2009 because of the glut of talent ahead of him next year, but he's due for a new contract after 2009. If he doesn't sign a new deal this offseason, he could be motivated to post his best numbers yet in an effort to be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. But he will need help at wide receiver, whether the Giants add another standout player in a trade or signing or can get some help on the current roster, which doesn't appear likely.
When the 2008 season ended, there didn't seem to be any doubt Jay Cutler was heading toward a stellar career with the Broncos. He had just passed for 4,525 yards, completing 62 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, and also running for 200 yards and two touchdowns. But then Mike Shanahan was fired, offensive assistant Jeremy Bates bolted for USC, Josh McDaniels was hired and everything about Cutler's future in Denver became muddled. After asking for a trade, Cutler was moved to Chicago, where he will become the Bears franchise passer. Cutler really was in a fantastic situation with the Broncos considering their receiving corps and the aggressive offense McDaniels employs. The Bears don't come close to the quality of receivers Denver has, but Cutler is still good enough of a quarterback to perform at a high level. Devin Hester, tight end Greg Olsen and rookie Juaquin Iglesias should be regular targets for him, but that's a far cry from Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and tight end Tony Scheffler in Denver. Consider Cutler a low-end No. 1 Fantasy QB, but his numbers could take a hit since Chicago isn't as pass-happy of a team as Denver and there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Bears' receiving corps.
Jake Delhomme's 2008 season will forever be remembered for the five interceptions and one fumble he had in the Divisional Playoffs against the Cardinals. But after having Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm last offseason, many folks inside the Panthers organization will remember Delhomme's season as a success. He completed 246-of-414 passes (59.4 pct.) for 3,288 yards (7.9 yards per attempt) with 15 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and three fumbles. He added a pair of rushing touchdowns along the way. Delhomme was able to post a career-best passing average thanks to an incredible running game that kept opposing defenses off balance, and that's something that should continue so long as the Panthers' offensive line stays in tact. Delhomme signed a contract extension in late April, paving the way for him to end his career with the Panthers. Suffice to say, don't count on Delhomme to be any better than a No. 2 Fantasy QB worth a late-round pick, if at all, in drafts this summer.
Matt Hasselbeck's 2008 campaign was a disaster. First, several of his receivers got hurt. Then, he got hurt, missing significant playing time with a bulging disk in his back. He only played in seven games and was dreadful with 1,216 yards on 52.2 percent of his passes complete with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But lost in the shuffle of Hasselbeck's 2008 season is the fact that he posted some career-high totals in 2007. We point out that he threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns two years ago to illustrate the fact that he can post those kinds of numbers, and he'll have a chance to so it again with a receiving corps that now includes WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Between his four best targets, it's not nuts to think that Hasselbeck can get to 3,200 yards passing if he can stay healthy, which could be an issue with All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones a question mark to play this season. Hasselbeck can be considered a quality No. 2 Fantasy QB worth taking in middle-to-late rounds. He might even be considered a platoonable starter in deeper leagues.
Marc Bulger made it two straight years with subpar production in 2008, completing 57 percent of his passes (251-of-440) for 2,720 yards (a 6.18 yards per att. avg.). He posted 11 touchdowns for the second straight season with 13 interceptions and four fumbles lost. And, for the second straight season, his averages and completion percentages dipped while the offense around him crumbled. Yet, Bulger received some good news on draft weekend when the Rams didn't add another prominent quarterback and did add a big left tackle in Jason Smith with the second overall pick. That suggests that Bulger will return as the Rams' starter, and have a little more time to throw. The only problem for Bulger is he suffered a fractured pinkie during the preseason, which will sideline him for two weeks, but he should be back for the start of the season. He also will be without with his best WR in Donnie Avery, who has a foot injury, to start the year. Aside from Avery, Laurent Robinson, Ronald Curry and Keenan Burton are the prominent names on the roster. Until that's fixed, Bulger's production will stay lower than we're used to seeing (at least before his two-season meltdown). Consider him a low-end No. 2 Fantasy QB worth a late-round pick in deeper leagues. Let someone else draft him based on his name value and his location.
Kurt Warner's fairy tale year almost saw him win his second Super Bowl. After being named the Cardinals' starting quarterback just before the start of the regular season, Warner completed 401-of-598 passes in the regular season (67.1 comp. pct.) for 4,583 yards (7.66 yards per attempt), 30 touchdowns, seven fumbles lost and 14 interceptions. He added another 1,147 yards passing and 11 touchdowns in four postseason games. Obviously, the 38-year-old-to-be still can play at a high level and has a trio of tremendous targets to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Warner re-signed with the Cardinals in early March and will continue to pilot their explosive offense for the next two seasons. With that being the case, Warner is a No. 1 Fantasy QB worth a pick between Rounds 4 and 6 in drafts this summer.
David Garrard played 16 games for the first time in his career in 2008, and as a result, set a new career high with 3,620 yards. But his touchdown total dropped from the 18 he had in 2007 to 15 in 2008, and his interceptions went up from three to 13. Garrard, who completed 62.6 percent of his passes, did rush for 322 yards and scored two touchdowns, but he also lost four fumbles. His best receiver is now Torry Holt, who is far from an elite receiver as he's slowed down over the past few years, and RB Maurice Jones-Drew. His only other targets worth mentioning are WR Dennis Northcutt, rookies Mike Thomas and Jarett Dillard and TE Marcedes Lewis. The Jaguars also are a run-oriented team. Because of that, Garrard will remain a No. 2 Fantasy QB. He's worth drafting late in deeper leagues only as there are too many other passers out there with sleeper potential in 2009.
