2006 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings

January 7, 2006 2:00 PM ET

While the NFL rolls into the postseason, the fantasy football season is over. Sure, many people participate in fantasy playoff leagues, but the core of the campaign is complete. Thus, somewhat like the 20 teams who are not currently prepping for a Super Bowl run, it's time for us to assess personnel.

Our position-by-position look at the fantasy football world begins at the quarterback position. Following a record-breaking 2004, NFL hurlers reverted back to their 2003 form, and we witnessed only two 4,000-yard efforts and one 30-touchdown campaign this season. Overall, 75 different quarterbacks attempted at least one pass, and most of those players were significantly less successful in their endeavors than running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who threw for three touchdowns.

Let's begin on a positive note, though.

What Went Right in 2005
Due to the extent of his improvement, we're tempted to begin and end this section with Carson Palmer. He not only led the NFL with 32 touchdown passes, but he was the only quarterback to finish with more than 28. Palmer coupled his copious scores with 3,836 yards, a league-leading 67.8 completion percentage, and only 12 interceptions. He posted only three 300-yard games, but we'll forgive him for being merely ordinary in that category.

Peyton Manning could only go backwards after his record-setting, cut-that-meat, 49-touchdown season, and he caused widespread panic when he tossed only two scores through three games. However, the Manning machine then churned out nine multiple-touchdown efforts over his next 10 contests and finished the season with 28 scores despite basically sitting out two contests. Manning's 3,747 yards were nearly a career-low, but, once again, we need to remember that he likely would have finished with over 4,000 had the Colts not wrapped up the top playoff seed so early.

Some might argue that Eli Manning made as big of a leap as Palmer, and the second-year stud went from last-round pick to every-week starter in many fantasy leagues. He finished fifth in the NFL with 3,762 passing yards and tied for fourth with 24 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Manning was also erratic (52.8 completion percentage) and didn't finish strong (four touchdowns over the last five games). Overall, though, he was a major positive in the fantasy football community.

Tom Brady improved a bit in 2005, although he was basically his consistent self. The advancement came in passing yards, where the SI Sportsman of the Year reached the 4,000-yard mark for the first time in his career and led the league with 4,110. Brady's 26 touchdowns (versus 14 interceptions) were almost dead-on with the numbers he posted in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Yawn.

Following a breakout 2004 campaign, Drew Brees felt like a bust candidate entering 2005, but he silenced his real and fantasy critics by piling up a career-high 3,576 yards and managing a solid 24 touchdowns. As in 2004, Brees excelled at home (16 scores) and struggled on the road (eight scores), but fantasy owners aware of that pattern were able to adjust accordingly. Now, about that shoulder injury…

What Went Somewhat Right in 2005
The base touchdown and yardage stats for Drew Bledsoe were basically the same as Brees' digits, but we're placing him in this area because the Cowboys' quarterback was (1) a more difficult player to predict and (2) piled up 17 interceptions and 17 fumbles. We do applaud Bledsoe for a solid comeback season (3,639 yards, 23 touchdowns), but 10 scores over the final eight games left something to be desired.

Speaking of NFC East veterans, Mark Brunell emerged from his backup spot to produce a career-high 23 touchdowns. Of course, 12 of those scores came during a five-game span from weeks two through seven and Mark hasn't thrown for more than 200 yards in a game since week 10, but Brunell still earned a solid C-plus.

For the third straight season, Matt Hasselbeck used a late surge to turn around a disappointing campaign. He tossed 12 touchdowns over a five-game stretch from weeks 12-to-16 and help fantasy teams advance in the playoffs. Fellow highly-ranked fantasy options Trent Green (4,014 yards, 17 scores) and Jake Delhomme (3,421 yards, 24 scores) also paved roller coaster paths and received an uneven grade.

Injuries kept youngsters Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich from potentially posting touchdown and yardage totals that may have rivaled the likes of Delhomme, Hasselbeck, and Mini-Manning. At times, both the Steeler and the Jag were effective fantasy passers, and we continue to look forward to their bright futures.

Finally, we also need to set aside a category for the Cardinals and Rams. These two teams made a strong case for fantasy leagues to use the Team Quarterback system, as they finished first and second in the NFL in passing yards. Combined, the two clubs featured five different quarterbacks that were useful to fantasy owners. Here's to hoping those NFC West clubs are able to steady their positions in 2006.

What Went Wrong in 2005
Many fantasy owners used a first-round pick on Daunte Culpepper only to watch him mostly struggle for six-plus games before suffering a major knee injury. He threw more interceptions this season (12) than he did in either 2004 (11) or 2003 (11), and there's no need to dwell on a story that fantasy owners don't want to relive, as it can only lead to heartache and a boat joke.

Following an opening loss to the Falcons, Donovan McNabb went crazy against the 49ers, Raiders and Chiefs, piling up 10 touchdowns and 1,076 yards. Unfortunately, a sports hernia injury and other nagging ailments (and a nagging teammate) eventually caught up to McNabb, and he ultimately cut his season short after aggravating his hernia and groin areas.

Fantasy pundits across the globe picked Kerry Collins as a breakout fantasy candidate in 2005, but the veteran once again reminded the NFL why he's merely an average quarterback. Collins managed 3,759 yards and 20 scores, but he was inconsistent and earned a benching in week 14.

If you had told us back in August that Brett Favre would attempt a career-high 607 passes, we probably would have predicted 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns. And we would have been way, way off. Instead, Ol' #4 tossed a career-worst 29 interceptions, managed a mere 20 scores, and unofficially caused Chris Berman to cry seven times.

A bunch of mid-tier veterans and a pair of hopeful youngsters also fell way short of expectations. Rather than subject readers to a summary of their painful stats, we'll simply call out Chad Pennington, Jake Plummer, Aaron Brooks, Brian Griese, David Carr, and Joey Harrington and call it a day.

Looking Ahead to 2006
We have another eight months until fantasy drafts and auctions are held next August and September, and the following list is going to undergo some serious changes due to little things like coaching changes, surgeries, free agency, and the NFL draft. That being stated (and hopefully understood), here's this editor's current 2006 rankings.

1. Peyton Manning, Colts: I'll stick with the guy who's done it eight straight years.
2. Eli Manning, Giants: All his weapons will be back, and his completion percentage can only go up.
3. Tom Brady, Patriots: Sure, I'll chisel in 3,800 and 26.
4. Donovan McNabb, Eagles: He'll be healthy, but the Eagles have a lot of questions around him.
5. Jake Delhomme, Panthers: This assumes that they'll find someone to complement Steve Smith.
6. Brett Favre, Packers: Assuming he doesn't retire, of course. Javon Walker makes a big difference.
7. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks: A healthy Darrell Jackson (and no Shaun Alexander?) will benefit Hass.
8. Drew Brees, Chargers: He'd be higher if not for the shoulder surgery.
9. Marc Bulger, Rams: The Rams will be working without a Martz-influenced offense.
10. Trent Green, Chiefs: The loss of Dick Vermeil looms could mean no more 4,000-yard seasons.
11. Michael Vick, Falcons: Due to the rushing stats, Vick always finishes with a lot of fantasy points.
12. Byron Leftwich, Jaguars: Jimmy Smith keeps going and the three young receivers look good.
13. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: With the Bus parked, Big Ben may take on more of the load.
14. Kerry Collins, Raiders: Randy Moss and Jerry Porter mean he's still a viable backup option.
15. Carson Palmer, Bengals: Knee injury caused me to update this article and drop him way down here.
16. Daunte Culpepper, Vikings: New coaches, new offense, bum knee. Very tough to rank right now.
17. Steve McNair/Billy Volek, Titans: The receiving corps is young and talented.
18. Jake Plummer, Broncos: Something in between 2004 and 2005 is reasonable.
19. Chris Simms, Bucs: He should take statistical steps forward after getting in most of a year.
20. Drew Bledsoe, Cowboys: Parcells' return helps, now the 'Boys need an O-line.

Bust: Mark Brunell, Redskins: Along with our usual reservations about trusting Brutal, Jason Campbell is waiting for his chance.

Sleeper (1): Cardinals QB: As we saw in 2005, anyone throwing to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin has a chance to post huge numbers.

Sleeper (2): Kyle Boller, Ravens: A decent finish gives us some hope, as does the trio of Todd Heap, Derrick Mason, and Mark Clayton.

Well, that's one down and four more to go. Keep checking back in the coming weeks as we assess the running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and kickers.

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