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This blog was born out of a Dynasty Rankings thread originally begun in October, 2006 at the Footballguys.com message boards. The rankings in that thread and the ensuing wall-to-wall discussion of player values and dynasty league strategy took on a life of its own at over 275 pages and 700,000 page views. The result is what you see in the sidebar under "Updated Positional Rankings": a comprehensive ranking of dynasty league fantasy football players by position on a tiered, weighted scale. In the tradition of the original footballguys.com Dynasty Rankings thread, intelligent debate is welcome and encouraged.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Updated Off-Season Quarterback Landscape: AFC

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

[99] Tom Brady NE 31.1

[2] Kevin O'Connell NE 23.5®

[1] Matt Cassel NE 26.3

[0] Matt Gutierrez NE 24.3

Outlook: Brady is a rock. Cassel, once thought to be an intriguing prospect and/or trade target, may find himself passed by Gutierrez eventually.

BUFFALO BILLS

[27] Trent Edwards BUF 24.9

[2] J.P. Losman BUF 27.5

Outlook: Edwards has a lot of work in front of him to become a fantasy factor, but he showed a good enough arm, leadership ability, and smarts. OC Schonert has vowed to open up the offense, but the team is still woefully short on weapons. Losman may stay around as the backup with teams not likely to pay the Bills' asking price.

NEW YORK JETS

[16] Kellen Clemens NYJ 25.3

[7] Chad Pennington NYJ 32.2

[0] Erik Ainge NYJ 22.3

Outlook: After a dynamite pre-season, Clemens struggled mightily with accuracy and decision-making in his late season trial, though he did show intriguing athleticism and a strong arm. With a hefty bonus due and a high salary for 2008, it remains to be seen if Pennington sticks around and what his role will be.


MIAMI DOLPHINS

[14] Chad Henne MIA 23.2®

[4] John Beck MIA 27.1

[1] Josh McCown MIA 29.2

Outlook: John Beck not only isn't ready at age 27, but he's also been set up to fail by the organization. The Parcells/Ireland operation doesn't figure to simply hand over the reigns for a year on a lost season and may turn to Matt Ryan with the #1 overall pck. McCown is awful, and the Dolphins claim he's more backup than competition for the starting job.


AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

[95] Ben Roethlisberger PIT 26.5

[2] Dennis Dixon PIT 23.7®

[0] Charlie Batch PIT 33.7

Outlook: Roethlisberger took the next step to Franchise QB and looks likely to stay at that level for a long time. Batch simply allows the Steelers to tread water if Big Ben goes down for a game or two.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

[63] Derek Anderson CLE 25.2

[31] Brady Quinn CLE 23.9

[0] Ken Dorsey CLE 27.4

Outlook: Anderson, the latest Delhomme model, has a one-year trial to cement his status as Franchise QB. If he disappoints, the Browns will turn to Brady Quinn. Either way, the 2-QB experiment is only a one year trial with the team likely to make its ultimate choice for the future after the 2008 season.


CINCINNATI
BENGALS

[88] Carson Palmer CIN 28.7

[1] Ryan Fitzpatrick CIN [R] 25.8

[0] Jeff Rowe CIN 24.5

Outlook: Palmer regressed a bit from his no-doubt Franchise QB status this season and will be under pressure in 2008 to prove that he remains an elite signal-caller. The Bengals would like to retain RFA Ryan Fitzpatrick as the back-up.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

[12] Joe Flacco BAL 23.7®

[2] Troy Smith BAL 24.2

[2] Kyle Boller BAL 27.3

Outlook: The new coaching staff appears to be leaning towards running McNair out ther for another season, but can he possibly have anything left in the tank? Smith, though promising as a leader, is clearly not ready to pass an offense into anything but a lost season, which is a problem since Boller specializes in the lost season. Look for help early in the draft with someone like Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm.


AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

[100] Peyton Manning IND 32.5

[1] Jim Sorgi IND 27.8

Outlook: Manning seems like he's due for a "Remember me?" season with 4,000 yards and 30 TDs as the worst case scenario. Sorgi resumes his role as the Maytag Repairman.


JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS

[59] David Garrard JAX 30.5

[1] Cleo Lemon JAX 29.1

Outlook: With the aid of a top-notch running game, Garrard has made the leap from game manager to play maker. Lemon is a capable backup but too poor of a passer to be anything more.

TENNESSEE TITANS

[63] Vince Young TEN 25.3

[1] Kerry Collins TEN 35.7

[0] Ingle Martin TEN 26.0

Outlook: The Titans have vowed to get Vince Young some weapons, and Alge Crumpler is a nice upgrade at tight end, but the team is still desperate for a talent infusion at WR. Still, VY will run more in '08 and looks like a prime buy-low this off-season. Free agent Collins would be stretched as a starter at this stage of his career, but he makes for a fine in-season patch.

HOUSTON TEXANS

[62] Matt Schaub HOU 27.2

[2] Sage Rosenfels HOU 30.5

[0] Quinn Gray HOU 29.3

Outlook: Matt Schaub is the unquestioned starter though it's fair to say durability concerns may haunt him until he makes it through a full season. The high YPA and completion percentage point toward future success. The Vikings have shown interest in backup Rosenfels, but he's valuable to the Texans in his current role.


AFC WEST

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

[57] #Philip Rivers SD 26.8

[2] Billy Volek SD 32.4

[1] Charlie Whitehurst SD 26.1

Outlook: Rivers' playoff performance was inspiring after such an inconsistent season, but his ACL injury will likely hold him back for awhile. Even if he suits up early in the season, keep in mind the struggles of Carson Palmer and Donovan McNabb in returning from late-season ACL surgeries . . . and Rivers is no Palmer or McNabb in terms of talent and track record. Volek may get a shot at a few starts if Rivers is still having knee issues early in the season.


DENVER BRONCOS

[77] Jay Cutler DEN 25.3

[1] Patrick Ramsey DEN 29.5

Outlook: After another season of impressive YPA and completion percentage numbers, Cutler is beginning to look like the cream of the '06 QB crop. He has the potential to approach Franchise QB status if he can find some consistency. Ramsey returns to back him up again in '08.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

[6] Brodie Croyle KC 25.5

[1] Tyler Thigpen KC 24.4

[1] Damon Huard KC 35.2

[0] David Greene KC 26.2

Outlook: After failing to win a rigged QB competition in the pre-season, Croyle fared even worse when handed a shot a regular season playing time. He's appallingly bad, and the offense runs considerably better under journeyman Damon Huard. The Chiefs are at a crossroads with Croyle, and I'll be shocked if they still see him as their QB of the present or the future after a couple more starts. Their style isn't to look outside the organization for a potential QB, but they may not be able to pass up on developing their own franchise QB in Matt Ryan if he is available when they pick early in the first round.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

[37] JaMarcus Russell OAK 23.1

[1] Andrew Walter OAK 26.3

Outlook: Russell goes into 2008 as the unquestioned starter, but he has his work cut out for him. Despite his prodigious physical gifts, Russell needs a major overhaul on both his decision making and footwork. The team brought in Quinn Gray for a look, which leads one to believe they still see Walter as more of a project than reliable backup.

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