2009 Draft Prep: Quality, quantity under center

This season, with every quarterback comes a storyline.

Can Drew Brees match the totals he had last season?

Peyton Manning's knee is healthy, but will his receiving corps make up for the loss of Marvin Harrison?

Carson Palmer's elbow is healthy, but his ankle isn't, and will he miss T.J. Houshmandzadeh?

Can Jay Cutler still be productive in Chicago, and can Kyle Orton come close to replacing Cutler in Denver?

Will Matt Schaub stay healthy?

Is Tony Romo going to stay strong without Terrell Owens, and will Trent Edwards benefit from him enough to warrant regular Fantasy use?

And of course, the grandest storylines of all: Will Tom Brady return to form following major knee surgery? And how will Brett Favre play is returning from his second retirement in as many seasons?

Questions aside, Fantasy owners can at least take comfort in knowing that there are a lot of good quarterbacks available this season. And while some are expected to be more explosive than others, finding a regular passer who can top 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns will be as easy as A-B-C.

Passing is still en vogue around the NFL. Even teams like the Falcons and Titans, who were clearly run-oriented last season, have improved their passing attack. Teams are still investing in multiple running backs and are even going so far as to utilize receivers for specific plays and situations instead of working on every down (don't worry, the better receivers still never come off the field). Wildcat formation notwithstanding, the one constant is that quarterbacks aren't being removed from the field unless they're hurt or stinking up the joint.

For extensive information about any NFL quarterback, check out that player's profile page. For our quarterback rankings, click here.

The Brady Effect

Since forever, backup Fantasy quarterbacks were about as exciting to draft as fat kids in third-grade dodge ball (I should know). But because Tom Brady went from two working knees to one in the Patriots' first quarter of 2008 action, many owners out there have learned the value of having a good second passing option.

As a result, we've seen people draft their second quarterback sooner than normal. Instead of taking a late-round flier on an unproven talent or an over-the-hill gunslinger, owners are doubling up on the better quarterbacks out there. Some are even using two of their first seven or eight picks on quarterbacks.

Get in leagues with these people! While the concept makes some sense, the reality is that owners who draft a backup with a prominent pick are blowing chances at selecting another starter. Additionally, there is a surplus of promising talent, old and young, at the quarterback position, so finding an effective second guy with a pick around Round 10 or 11 won't be difficult.

Passing touchdowns Fantasy points: Four vs. Six

Not all leagues are equal, so before you walk into your draft room and start building a team, be sure to review your league's scoring system. Specifically, check to see what passing touchdowns are worth.

Usually, a league will make them worth four or six points. Why the difference? While some believe that a touchdown is a touchdown, and therefore they should all be worth six points, others feel that because quarterbacks throw more touchdowns than other players who have to run or catch a ball to find the end zone, they shouldn't have an unfair advantage. Hence the four points. In that scoring, a quarterback who throws 25 touchdowns will be worth the same as a running back who runs for 16 touchdowns. That's still an unfair balance considering the number of passers who throw at least 25 scores versus the number of running backs who total 16 touchdowns, but it's not nearly as bad as when all touchdowns are worth six.

The lesson here is simple, if not obvious: Quarterbacks in leagues where passing touchdowns are worth six (or more with bonuses) should be picked much sooner than those in leagues where passing touchdowns are worth four points.

The elite passers

Hands down, the three quarterbacks at the top of every Fantasy owner's wish list are Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Between past performances and expected production in 2009, all three of these guys are believed to be candidates to deliver at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. That's rare air among Fantasy quarterbacks.

There are added bonuses in taking these guys early in drafts: Not only can you count on them week in and week out as long as they're upright, but you can even skip drafting a backup quarterback because you'll never say "I'm going to sit Drew Brees" or "I doubt Tom Brady can beat this defense." The reason why you're drafting them so early is because you know they'll deliver.

Now that said, "The Brady Effect" mentioned earlier will still scare people into drafting a backup. That's fine, especially in leagues with deeper rosters, but we're just saying that if you wanted to skip taking a backup, doing so with one of these guys on your roster is OK. It might even serve as an advantage when shopping for a sleeper later in the draft -- while other owners are scouring for backup quarterbacks, you'll be plucking another player to add depth to your squad.

Brees and Brady should be long gone by the end of Round 2, while Manning might sneak into Round 3 in some leagues. He's a little more plain when compared to the other two, but his kind of stats are anything but boring, and that's what matters most.

Almost elite

Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers aren't locks to top 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns this season, but they might -- and even if they don't they'll come close. In the case of Rodgers, his rushing totals make up for his passing touchdown totals.

We like the idea of aiming for one of these two quarterbacks in your draft because they'll come close to the numbers of the elite quarterbacks without the high draft pick. If you're willing to pass on Brees, Brady and Manning, you'll land top rushing and receiving talent while still having a crack at one of these guys. We've seen them last into Round 5 of drafts, which is insane value. And again, you don't have to draft a backup for these guys if you don't want to.

A very good foursome

If you miss out on one of those first five quarterbacks, you're still in luck as four more passers with good potential, but some issues, are right around the corner. The bad news is that they won't last long on Draft Day.

Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, Donovan McNabb and Matt Schaub have 3,600-yard, 22-plus touchdown potential, but they all also have the potential to spend time in a cast or on crutches. All four of these passers have missed significant playing time over the last two seasons and are considered injury risks even though they're all reasonably healthy right now.

This is not to say that these players can't break through the 3,600-yard, 22-touchdown mark. In fact, all four have a chance to get to 4,000 yards or more if they can stay healthy. Warner has Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin -- enough said. Romo has lost Terrell Owens but has Roy E. Williams, as well as command of the locker room and the center of the Dallas offense. McNabb added playmakers in Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and even Michael Vick, plus his offense has always generated tons of stats. Schaub has Andre Johnson and tremendous role players in Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels and Steve Slaton out of the backfield.

If you ignore the injury risks, these are even better bargains than Rivers and Rodgers because you can wait a round or two and still get them. But that's as long as you can wait -- expect all four of these passers to be off the board by Round 7. And because these guys carry some injury risk, it is a good idea to back up these passers with a good No. 2 option.

The rest of the best

Offer an NFL general manager his choice of Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler or Carson Palmer and he'll spend days not only thinking about his choice, but relishing the chance to make such a decision. But in Fantasy, they're only worth so much.

This usually catches Fantasy owners by surprise, because Ryan and Cutler are coming off of outstanding seasons and Palmer has been very productive since becoming the Bengals' full-time starter. Like Rivers and Rodgers on the tails of Brees, Brady and Manning, these three passers are a smidge behind Romo, Warner, McNabb and Schaub in terms of expectations.

Ryan got a new receiver in tight end Tony Gonzalez, but the Falcons will still do more than their fair share of running the ball. Ryan should be consistent but rarely excellent. Cutler landed on a new team in a new conference and doesn't have the weapons he had in Denver, so his stats will almost definitely be reeled in compared to 2008. Palmer has good receivers, but he not only plays in a tough division but will be behind one of the more suspect offensive lines this season.

Do they each have the potential for 3,800 yards and 25 touchdowns? Of course, but they also have the potential to fall short. Still, picking one of them to be your starter isn't bad since you can get them by Round 8 or 9. Picking two to choose from each week might be even better, and if you build your team right through the first seven picks, you could really turn your league on its ear by going with two of these quarterbacks.

Guys behind the guys

As mentioned earlier, backup Fantasy quarterbacks are a hot topic this preseason in the wake of Brady's season-crushing injury last September. Obviously, safeguarding yourself against a disaster like that is a good idea, though it's not a must.

Like the starting quarterbacks ahead of them, there are a slew of excellent backup passers. Eleven to be exact, which almost works out perfectly since some owners won't bother to draft a second stringer. Moreover, because many of these passers are already going to be middle- to late-round choices, owners can opt to hold out as long as necessary to take one.

All of these quarterbacks are suitable, reliable No. 2 options:

Bye-week cheat sheet

In the event you are shopping for a backup quarterback, you might want to pick one who will have a good matchup during your starter's bye week. Back by popular demand, here's our bye-week breakdown of good No. 2 Fantasy passers. We actually print this out before we head to our drafts, so you should consider doing the same.

Have a question or a comment for Dave about Fantasy Football? Send your thoughts or questions to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and he'll get to as many as he can. Be sure to put Attn: Quarterbacks in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.