It's been a long awaited 5 months, but the return of Johnny Baseball has finally come in the form of yet again another Top Ten List. This week we go over my Top Ten NFL Fantasy QB's, and no Tim Teblow won't be on the list, sorry Jet fans....and virgins. So let's get rockin' starting from...
10. Matt Ryan - Matt to me never appeals to any fantasy owner, but this year things will change. Matt now has an elite duo at wide reciever with Roddy White and Julio Jones. He still has the run game he always had and Jacquizz Rodgers is a small but elusive back who can make plays out of the back field. They also have Tony Gonzalez coming back and he is just a straight beast. Look for Matt top last season, as he had a career high in pasing yards.
9. Peyton Manning - I'm putting Peyton up here at 9 because he didn't play last year and also because of a new selection of weapons. Decker, Thomas, Caldwell, and Stokley aren't what I would call elite, but hey it's Peyton Manning for crying out loud. They also brought over Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen and combined with that running game of Willis and Knowshon there are a lot of weapons to play with in Denver. The few questions are will Peyton hold up? And how will all of these players mesh together?
8. Eli Manning - Being recognized for his post season play is one thing, but his fantasy play over the years has been above average at best. He eclipsed his high for passing yards in a season last year but only threw for 29 touchdowns. In this stage of the game the way the NFL is 29 cannot be considered Elite, but it is still solid when you combine it with about 4900 yards. Eli still makes some throws and plays that have you scratching your head but overall he is a good fantasy quaterback to draft.
7. Michael Vick - When he is on the field he is arguably one of the biggest threats in the NFL, the problem is the guy gets hurt every year. He has weapons galore in what I would consider a college offense in Philly, but still if he can stay on the field he puts up numbers and that's what fantasy is about. If you are going to draft Vick, make sure you have a good back up, please, for me, so I don't have to see facebook and twitter posts about it.
6. Tony Romo - Another guy who you really don't think much into because of his post season play, but every year Tony puts up a bunch of touchdowns and yards. The Cowboys are loaded with weapons all around and coming into the year heatlhy. Dez Bryant is done beating his mother, and also Demarco Murray is coming back. Piece that together with Witten and Miles Austin and some dude with dreads and you have yourself a solid fantasy selection at the helm.
5. Philip Rivers - Really going on a gut feeling with this one, but Rivers had such a bad year last year that I'm thinking he comes back strong. They have added some weapons, nothing crazy, but I think Philip is going to have a monster year. People will forget about him, but before last year he was a perenial top 5 fantasy qauterback, and I think this year he cracks back into the top. Call me crazy, but we needed some surprises on this list.
4. Drew Brees - A change in coaching puts him at 4 instead of 2 or 3. The guy is phenomenal. There's not much else to say. Another year of an older and wiser Jimmy Graham will do Brees some good. You would think Brees wouldn't have anything left to prove after last year, but I think he has another monster year to shove it in Goodell's ass. Enough said.
3. Matthew Stafford - Another guy when on the field puts up numbers. The only thing that can hold this guy back is the Madden Curse for Calvin Johnson, and also from a realistic stand-point, a lack of running game support and the injury bug. He played the full 16 last year for the first time and threw for the quietest 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns ever. Plus the Lions throw the ball more than any team in the NFL, so thats always a plus when drafting a quaterback, you know the guy who throws the ball.
2. Tom Brady - Adding more and more weapons for Tom Brady just makes it unfair. They add Brandon Lloyd who makes insane catches. Welker is a catching machine (except when the game is on the line in the Superbowl, but that doesn't count in fantasy) and Gronk is the beast of all beasts. I think he puts up even bigger numbers because they got rid of Boney Maroney so he won't vulture touchdowns away from Tom. Guy threw for 5,200 last year, unreal.
1. Aaron Rodgers - The reigning MVP. The only reason I'm putting Aaron Rodgers over Tom Brady right now is because of his ability to scramble. Although they had the same amount of touchdowns rushing wise in 2011 Rodgers has had more yards rushing over the past few seasons and consistantly besides Vick is a rushing threat from the QB position. Another player who is just unbelievable. Weapons galore at WR and TE, and no run game. Hopefully he throws the ball 500 times this year.
Just when you thought the article was over here are some other fantasy quaterback items :
Sleeper Alert : Christian Ponder, Alex Smith, and Matt Cassel
Sophmore Slumps? Andy Dalton and Cam Newton
Busts : Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler, Robert Griffin III, and Big Ben.
It's great to be back. Enjoy!