Drew Brees Is Fantasy’s Number 1 QB

August 27, 2008 at 9:22 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

Drew Brees Is Fantasys Number 1 QB For years, Indy’s Peyton Manning has held the distinction, and heading into 2008, nearly every fantasy owner on the planet would tell you that Tom Brady has taken the title of being fantasy football’s top quarterback, following his record breaking 50 TD season in 2007. However, I strongly believe that New Orleans’ Drew Brees could capture the crown in 2008.

It’s hard to argue with Brady’s 2007 numbers - three or more TD passes in each of his first nine games, three games with five or more TD passes and an additional game with four. In fact, there were only two regular season games in which Brady had less than two TD tosses. The main thing fantasy owners need to seriously ask themselves though is - can he do it again?

In 2005, after Peyton Manning’s record breaking 49 TD season in 2004, the Colts signal caller definitely came back down to earth, tossing only 28 TDs for just more than 3,700 yards. Yes, the word “only” is appropriate, as those were very modest digits.

Why wouldn’t Brady repeat?

First of all, the Pats suffered a devastating loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl, after a tough run at becoming the NFL’s first team to go undefeated during the regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. A run like that can take the gas out of a signal caller - ask Ben Roethlisberger.

Secondly, Brady has definitely had foot issues this off-season. Whether or not the Patriots offensive linemen are playing pranks on the media by placing crutches in his locker, the fact of the matter is that he hasn’t been on the field - which should be a bit of a concern.

It’s important to keep in mind that New England head coach Bill Belichick constantly reinvents his team. Last season - for the most part, they were a high-flying, aerial attack, but that was really just to catch teams off guard, and they could very easily morph back into a run-first offense, which they essentially were during the end of the 2007 regular season and into the NFL playoffs. In other words, don’t take 35+ pass attempts for granted - it can all change in an instant.

The main reason why Brady just may not be fantasy’s top signal caller in 2008 wears number 9 for the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees, in his eighth season out of Purdue, has aged like fine wine in the NFL, getting better every season. He has recorded huge digits since joining offensive guru Sean Payton two seasons ago, throwing for 4,400 yards in each of the last two seasons, along with a total of 54 TDs and only 29 interceptions. What’s really impressive about Brees’ 2007 digits, in comparison to Brady’s, is that the Saints signal caller has a ton of room to improve upon them. He started off the year extremely slow, tossing only one TD during the first four weeks of the season. He then finished comparable Brady, throwing for 13 TDs during the last six weeks of the year, to Brady’s 12. A better start for Brees in 2007, could equal a season similar to Brady’s last year.

Perhaps most importantly, Brees has the weapons surrounding him in order to become fantasy football’s number one quarterback, and he plays for a coach that would actually prefer to toss it 60 times a game. The addition of Jeremy Shockey to a receiving corps that already features Marques Colston will create some scary scenarios for opposing defenses. Veterans David Patten and Devery Henderson will keep the seat warm for second year WR Robert Meachem - a 2007 first rounder - who is recovering from a knee injury but has shown amazing ability and flashes of being a sick offensive weapon in Brees’ arsenal.

Fantasy owners in QB heavy leagues shouldn’t just assume Brady is the man. Brees can be swooped up for a lesser price, and he has a great chance to out-perform all other signal callers in the stat column in 2008.

This article is also featured on Athlon/Grogan’s Fantasy Football, your spot for Cheat Sheets updated daily, and Fantasy tools to manage your team all year long.