First thing is first — quarterback is crazy deep this year. Like, really deep. Deeper than the pockets of Donald Trump deep. Deeper than the lowest depths of the Pacific ocean deep. Deeper than the emotional gratification Johnny Depp gives his swooning female fans deep.
If you get the opportunity to draft two of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen this decade, it might be worth it; aside from those soon to be mentioned studs, you’ll want to wait on the quarterback position this year. That being said here are my 2013 rankings and tiers for fantasy quarterbacks.
2013 Fantasy Football RB Preview
2013 Fantasy Football WR Preview
2013 Fantasy Football TE Preview
Hall Of Fame Tier
Can’t miss studs. Best of the best.
1 Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay
Finished second in fantasy points for QBs last season and has a trio (Nelson, James and Cobb) of WRs that could be the best in football. A-Rod will put up gaudy numbers again while limiting interceptions (only eight in ’12).
2 Drew Brees – New Orleans
Remember the Saints’ nightmare last season? I’m sure they don’t want to. Bountygate…no head coach…injuries… Brees still threw over 5,000 passing yards and scored more fantasy points than any other quarterback. Rodgers and Brees are the only two QBs I would consider taking early in the draft.
Pro Bowl Tier
Minimal risk. Will consistently produce at top level.
3 Tom Brady – New England
Don’t ever count out Mr. Brady. Sure, he’s one year older and has a depleted receiving core — including both his old tight ends — but we’re still talking about the Brady/Belichik combo. Brady is still in great shape and has one of the quickest releases in the NFL. I would expect at least 30 TDs once again.
HR Tier
High Risk/High Reward
4 Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco (pictured)
I’m all in with Kaepernick. And I’m not the only one — ESPN’s Ron Jaworski: “Kaepernick is one of the four or five most physically talented quarterbacks in the entire NFL. It will be fascinating to see how he adjusts to the loss of Michael Crabtree, but the elite skillset is still there.” Kap is the ultimate high risk, high reward pick in this year’s draft. If he stays healthy, last year’s amazing run to the Super Bowl could just be a preview of what’s to come for the young QB.
5 Peyton Manning – Denver
Finished fourth in scoring for fantasy QBs last season. I’m worried he’s one year older; his production fell somewhat towards the end of last year, leaving more concerns over his neck. However he does have Wes Welker now. He’s still one of the best in the game.
6 Cam Newton – Carolina
Ranked No. 3 on the player rater going into the season on Yahoo. He’s obviously crazy talented but I still don’t trust him quite as much as everyone else. Carolina will be a run-first team again as well.
7 Matt Ryan – Atlanta
Finished fifth in scoring amongst QBs last year. He still has tremendous weapons and is just months removed from a near Super Bowl appearance. “Matty Ice” only had two games last season in which he didn’t throw for a TD.
8 Russell Wilson – Seattle
Everyone’s suspecting Seattle to be more aggressive offensively this season, especially with Percy Harvin in town; Wilson might reap the benefits. The kid can run and if he learns to consistently throw the ball well down field, could be one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in football.
9 Matthew Stafford – Detroit
Stafford went from 333 fantasy points in ’11 to 263 in ’12. So who’s the real Matthew Stafford? I suggest somewhere in the middle. He had some bad luck last year and he still has Megatron. I would expect somewhere close to 300 points in ’13.
10 Robert Griffin III – Washington
Talk about another MEGA…high risk, high reward! RGIII is lightning in a bottle when healthy, but no one knows when he’ll be ready to return. Even if he is ready by September, it’s no guarantee his knee will be back to 100 percent and able to make cuts as well as he used to. Then again, look at what AP did last year following his similar injury. Do you have the guts?
Starter Tier
The lower end of fantasy starters but still very serviceable.
11 Andrew Luck – Indianapolis
Finished No. 9 among QBs last year in his rookie year. Not bad, especially for a very average Indianapolis team (a team that was supposed to be egregious but outperformed everyone’s expectations). Luck has a new offensive coordinator and might need one or two more weapons until he becomes elite. Then again, maybe Luck will out perform everyone’s expectations in ’13.
12 Tony Romo – Dallas
He gets a bad rap because he tends to blow it during crucial moments, but Romo is still reliable as a fantasy starter. Fact is he’s been a top eight QB three out of four years.
13 Joe Flacco – Baltimore
I’m still whacko for Flacco…even though he beat my Niners in the Super Bowl. Sure, the Ravens are a run-first team, but when they throw the ball down field few are as good as Flacco. He flourished, tossing 15 TDs, when offensive coordinator Cam Cameron wasn’t calling plays during six games last year. Cameron is out this season. It’s more of a passing league than ever before and Baltimore will continue to adjust.
Backup Tier
Should hold the metaphorical clipboard for your fantasy team, only starting during your bye week.
14 Eli Manning – New York Giants
Can be crazy good and crazy inconsistent. Better real life QB.
15 Michael Vick – Philadelphia
Has only played 16 games in a season once. He’s now 33 and Nick Foles is competing for his job.
16 Matt Schaub – Houston
Everyone is ranting about new phenom DeAndre Hopkins, who could be Schaub’s favorite new weapon. The Texans will run first, but 4,000 yards passing from this team wouldn’t be absurd.
17 Jay Cutler – Chicago
Will a new offensive coordinator and a marriage to the super gorgeous Kristen Cavallari turn things around for Jay? Possibly. Brandon Marshall is the main reason he’s No. 17.
18 Philip Rivers – San Diego
Many think Rivers’ best days are far behind him. But guess what? He threw exactly as many TDs (26) and INTs (15) as Eli Manning last year. The Chargers will throw the ball a lot. Rivers could be a good backup.
19 Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh
It’s Ben. Big Ben. Ben is big. Ben is bad. Ben can smash. Ben… is smashed. Injured way too much the past couple of years and now he’s without Mike Wallace and most likely still without good blocking. His best days are behind him but the potential is still there for him to have a big week here and there.
Practice Squad Tier
At this point you’re just looking for a lottery ticket.
20 Andy Dalton – Cincinnati
Still young with a talented WR.
21 Alex Smith – Kansas City
Will one of the best QBRs in football last season translate to a new system/franchise?
22 Carson Palmer – Arizona
Some are hoping he’ll pull off his best Kurt Warner resurgence impression.
23 Ryan Tannehill – Miami
Not impressive numbers in ’12 but still young enough to improve. The Dolphins will be better than most think.
24 Sam Bradford – St. Louis
Can someone please block for this kid? Too many sacks will result in just another injury plagued season.
25 Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay
Was incredibly consistent but threw nine INTs in his final three games last season.
The absolutely do not draft under any circumstances tier:
Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, Brandon Weeden, Matt Flynn, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Kevin Kolb, E.J. Emanuel, Blain Gabbert, Chad Henne, Nick Foles
The aforementioned players above are way too risky, either because of playing time or lack of passing game and execution.
Josh Helmuth is the editor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JHelmuth or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports for the latest in sports on your newsfeed.
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2013 Fantasy Football RB Preview
