Ok, now that the NFC East is out of the way, the AFC East becomes my latest target. Starting at the QB position, I think this is a group we can mostly agree upon. First, there's that guy that went to Michigan and was drafted in round 6, I can't remember his name at the moment. There's also a guy from Stanford, and the original "Noodle Arm", not to mention a rookie that many mock experts had the 49ers selecting. if you haven't figured out who I'm talking about, me thinks you need your head examined. Without further delay, the rankings are up.
AFC East QBs
- Tom Brady NE
- Trent Edwards BUF (that's right, I put him second)
- Chad Pennington MIA
- Mark Sanchez NYJ
After the jump I tell you why Buffalo's QB is a better fantasy option than Miami's, and it's got nothing to do with Ramen Noodles...
Tom Brady
Oh how the mighty have not fallen at all. Brady missed 99.7% of the 2008 regular season when was injured in the team's first game of the year. The Patriots missed the playoffs (with 11 wins!) and the Miami Dolphins stole the division crown. The last time we saw Brady participate in a full season, he threw just 50 TDs to an unacceptable 8 INTs. Looking at the Patriots receiving corps, I'd say Brady has his fair share of targets, but I'm hard pressed to predict a monster season like 2007. I'm not hard pressed to recommend drafting Brady as one of the top 3 QBs in your draft because he is that damn good. Don't fear his injury, before it occured, Brady had started in an impressive string of games including the postseason. Fantasy Forecast: 4000 pass yards, 30 PaTDs, 9 INTs
Trent Edwards
I shouldn't catch too much heat for ranking Edwards ahead of Pennington, even though the Chad is the more proven of the two. Edwards, however, enters 2009 with a very good stable of offensive weapons. Lee Evans and Terrell Owens should prove to be a dynamic duo, while Marshawn Lynch is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. The product from Stanford is entering that critical year 3, and I expect him to step up mature into an good NFL QB. Do I think he makes an excellent week-to-week fantasy starter? Not necessarily, but I think he's a fantastic option to have on the bench. His career TD:INT ratio is 18:18, not impressive, but he's had time to develop and if that O-Line in Buffalo holds up, I expect him to match his career totals in TDs this season. Fantasy Forecast: 3200 pass yards, 19 PaTDs, 14 INTs
Chad Pennington
If I were to tell you that Chad Pennington finished ahead of Tony Romo in fantasy scoring last season, you wouldn't believe me, would you? Well, based on yahoo! standard scoring, he most certainly did. Pennington threw 19 TDs to just 7 INTs in 2008, an impressive stat line for a guy that was thrown to the curb by the Jets. All Miami did was scoop up Pennington and take home the division crown, which included a week 17 triumph over those J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Stink. Three players on Miami's roster had 50 or more receptions, and five players had 400+ receiving yards; the Chad likes to spread the ball around. Looking at Pennington's track record, he typically follows up a good season with a poor season (usually injury related). This is just a ploy to win multiple comeback player of the year awards, and it's worked. However, I do believe Pennington is going to take a step back in 2009, because history tells me it's bound to happen. Fantasy Forecast: 3200 pass yards, 16 PaTDs, 10 INTs
Mark Sanchez
Sanchez has the benefit of playing under a head coach that should have an idea on how to ease a rookie QB into the league. Rex Ryan was the defensive co-ordinator for the Ravens when Joe Flacco led the team to playoffs, and he should steal John Harbaugh's blue print for success. The blue print looks something like this: Don't make your QB throw much more than 400 passes, and advise him to manage the game, not win it. The Jets are appearing to be the Ravens-East, with the bolstering on the team's defensive unit mostly coming from Baltimore (Bart Scott, Jim Leonard). New York also has a few RBs as its disposal to help take the pressure away from Sanchez. The receiving corps isn't glamorous, but Dustin Keller should help out in the short game and red zone. Like all the other QBs in the AFC East not named Brady, Sanchez is a back-up fantasy QB at best. Fantasy Forecast: 2900 pass yards, 14 PaTDs, 10 INTs
* all fantasy stats are based on 2007-2008 Yahoo! Standard Public league scoring
*-100th selection = 10th pick round 10 (10 man); 6th pick round 9 (12 man); 3rd pick round 8 (14 man)