Outlook: Rodgers was the top-ranked fantasy quarterback in 2009, courtesy of 4,434 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. He also put up 304 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, propelling him past Drew Brees. The one knock on Rodgers was his refusal to get rid of the ball to avoid being sacked, which bogged down the offense on occasion. With a mixture of emerging young players and veterans returning from injury, expect better offensive line play in 2010. The Packers are four deep at receiver, with James Jones and Jordy Nelson both capable receivers in backup roles. Jermichael Finley provides a dynamic receiving threat at tight end and could emerge as one of the league’s top receiving tight ends this year. The ingredients are there for Rodgers to repeat his 2009 performance, with the only risk being a potential injury due to his inability to get the ball out quicker.

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Outlook: Welcome to land of 2010’s top-ranked fantasy quarterback: The land of numerous, talented wide receivers; of tight end depth charts that run three deep; of running backs that excel in all areas of the game; and of offensive lines that, due to their incredible depth, can afford to trade former first-round picks coming off injury. Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration—but not much of one. The Saints seem to find talented players in the draft, but they also have an ability to unearth players that weren’t drafted (Pierre Thomas, Lance Moore, etc.), all to Brees’ good fortune. With Peyton Manning and Tom Brady advancing in age, Brees might be the surest thing at the quarterback position in fantasy football. All of the team’s skill-position players return, save for Mike Bell, who will be replaced by Lynell Hamilton. Brees is at the top of his game, playing in an offense that creates mismatches all over the field due to the talents of the players and the coaching of Sean Payton. Not much should change in 2010. The icing on the cake is that Brees is remarkably consistent (13 games with over 250 yards passing to go along with 12 games with multiple passing touchdowns). The Saints failed to take a running back in the draft, and the offensive line returns all five starters, so they figure to match their passing production from a year ago. That will make Brees the equivalent of fantasy gold. Think middle of the first round in re-draft leagues.

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Outlook: Fantasy owners are looking for solid production on a consistent basis, and no other player has displayed those traits more than Peyton Manning has since entering the league. Over the past 12 years, Manning has topped 4,000 yards ten times and has averaged over 30 passing touchdowns per season. In 2010, playing without Marvin Harrison for the first time, Manning finished as the 4th-ranked fantasy quarterback and may have finished 2nd had he not been benched for parts of the Colts final two games. Look for Manning to have another exceptional season in 2010 as the Colts return all of the key parts of their offense, including Anthony Gonzalez, who will be back from the knee injury that ruined all but the first quarter of the opening game of his 2009 season. Given his history of production and his ability to avoid injury, having never missed a start, Manning is the safest pick at the quarterback position. The only risk Manning presents is with the Colts wrapping up home-field advantage early and leaving fantasy owners to ponder how much he will play over the season’s final few games.

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Outlook: Brady is coming off a somewhat disappointing 2009 campaign as the seventh ranked fantasy quarterback. However, 43 of his fantasy points came during a 59-0 blowout win over Tennessee. In 2010, expect similar numbers from Brady and an improvement over 2009 seems reasonable given he will be two years removed from the ACL injury that derailed his 2008 season. However, much hinges on the health of Wes Welker, the league’s best slot receiver and Brady’s unquestioned security blanket on third down. Randy Moss returns and veteran Torry Holt is better suited for to the third role than Joey Galloway and Sam Aiken were last year. Welker’s health needs to be monitored but reports indicate he could be ready on week one. If that holds, Brady is headed for a top five fantasy ranking in 2010.

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Outlook: Romo is coming off a season in which he finished as the 5th-ranked fantasy quarterback, averaging a solid 21.5 points per game. Since becoming the Cowboys starter at the midpoint of the 2006 seasons, he has averaged 268 passing yards per game and 1.9 passing touchdowns per game. During his stretch as a starter, he has averaged over 20 fantasy points per game in each of those seasons. Romo’s owners get solid, consistent production, and there is little reason to expect that to change in 2010. Despite his past accomplishments, Romo is never mentioned with the big four fantasy quarterbacks (Manning, Brady, Brees, Rodgers). He might not even be the fifth quarterback taken in many drafts. That translates into value. I’m on board, you should be too.

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Outlook: Schaub is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in passing yards and was the 3rd-ranked fantasy quarterback. However, he will have difficulty matching his 2009 production in 2010. The team drafted running back Ben Tate in the second round, and he figures to fulfill the lead back role and be the inside runner the team has lacked in recent seasons. In addition, there are concerns about tight end Owen Daniels as he recovers from a torn ACL. Both factors could lead to the Texans having a more balanced run-pass ratio and lead to more running plays in the red zone. Look for Schaub to top 4,000 yards once again, but expect his touchdown passes to decline from the 29 he had in 2009.

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Outlook: Kolb enters training camp as the hot, high-upside quarterback for fantasy purposes, but by the time your fantasy draft rolls around, his sleeper status will likely be well known. Leading up to the start of the season, look for fantasy pundits to routinely compare him to Aaron Rodgers in his first year as a starter. Kolb topped 300 passing yards in both of his starts last season and figures to benefit from a solid supporting cast. With a stout offensive line and perhaps the league’s top group of young skill position players, Kolb enters an enviable situation as a first-year starter in Philadelphia. He is a bit of a risk due to his lack of playing time but also possesses major upside and is a great option for dynasty leagues. He is also a great option this season as a low-end starter in redraft leagues.

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Outlook: After a disastrous season in 2009, Cutler hopes to rebound under a new offensive system and the tutelage of former Rams head coach Mike Martz. Martz is a great offensive mind that has turned around offenses in St. Louis, Detroit, and San Francisco, so it seems likely he will make the Bears a more dynamic offensive team in 2010. Unfortunately for Martz and Cutler, they are going to have to live with the team’s current crop of wide receivers since the front office failed to improve the unit in 2010. There is potential on the Bears wide receiver depth chart, but the unit lacks a proven, consistent playmaker. Cutler threw an astounding 26 interceptions last year, with many of them coming in the red zone and late in games. He needs to improve his decision-making to succeed in Martz’s offense, but the talent is clearly there. With Martz calling plays, look for Cutler to be a viable fantasy starter with the potential for 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

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Outlook: With the team’s running game struggling through much of 2009, the Giants turned to Manning more in the passing game than in previous seasons, and the veteran signal caller responded with his finest season as a pro. He finished the year with career highs in passing yards (4,021), touchdowns (27), and completion percentage (62.3). Unlike some other teams that went pass heavy in 2009, there are a few rumblings coming out of New York indicating that the team wants to move to a more balanced approach on offense. Couple that with the fact there were no additions to the depth chart at running back, and there is reason to think they will run significantly more in 2010, meaning Manning has little chance to match or surpass his 2009 production in 2010. While there were no fancy additions to the team’s receiving corps in the draft, the Giants feature one of the league’s top trios of young receivers in Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. Manning enters 2010 as a lower tier fantasy starter but as one with upside given the team’s reliance on the pass and the weapons he has at wide receiver.

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Outlook: Rivers has been fantasy gold over the last two seasons, topping 4,000 yards passing each year while tossing 62 touchdown passes. While Rivers is clearly not in decline at age 28, his fantasy prospects for 2010 aren’t as promising as his 2008 and 2009 success would suggest. The drafting of Ryan Mathews causes Rivers’ projected points to drop since the Chargers rushing attack figures to gain prominence this season. More worrisome is the status of Vincent Jackson. The Chargers top wide receiver has threatened to boycott the first ten games of the season unless he receives a lucrative long-term contract. Without Jackson, Rivers’ fantasy stats would take a serious hit, perhaps even dropping him to marginal starter status. Monitor Jackson’s contract situation and adjust Rivers’ fantasy ranking accordingly.

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Outlook: Will he or won’t he? We’re not even going to go there since it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll be back for a second season with the Vikings. After finishing as the 6th-ranked fantasy quarterback last year courtesy of 4,202 passing yards and 33 touchdowns—and a career-low seven interceptions—there is little doubt that the forty-year-old Favre has a lot left to offer in Minnesota. Because young receivers Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin are still emerging talents and Bernard Berrian suffered through an injury-plagued 2009 season, it is hard to predict that Favre will be able to duplicate last year’s performance. He is coming off ankle surgery performed in May and, although he hasn’t missed a start in his career, the odds of injury increase as a player gets older—even with Favre. Consider him a low-end starting quarterback for fantasy purposes. Hopefully he signs with the Vikings before your fantasy draft.

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Outlook: Flacco started out on fire in 2009 with 131 fantasy points over his first six games. However, he came back down to earth soon after, averaging under 14 points per game over the balance of the season on his way to finishing as the 17th-ranked fantasy quarterback. The question with Flacco is, Is he the player we saw for the first part of 2009 or the one who struggled to produce over the season’s final ten games? With the addition of Anquan Boldin and Donte’ Stallworth—as well as Derrick Mason’s return—the easy answer is that he’s the guy we saw early in 2009. However, the Ravens remain a team that is dedicated to running the ball, and they return their top three running backs from last year. Look for Flacco to improve upon his 17th-place ranking in 2009 but to remain a fantasy backup in 2010.

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