Quarterback Rankings | December 1, 2008

QUARTERBACKS

TIER ONE

1. Peyton Manning, IND | Age: 32.5 | Value Score: 98

2. Drew Brees, NO | Age: 29.6 | Value Score: 98

3. Tony Romo, DAL | Age: 28.4 | Value Score: 97

4. Jay Cutler, DEN | Age: 25.3 | Value Score: 96
The most fun player to watch in the NFL? The one player with whom to start a franchise?

5. Matt Ryan, ATL | Age: 23.3 | Value Score: 93
Best rookie QB since Dan Marino? Since Greg Cook? Schedule is easy down the stretch as well. As an aside, just picture Matt Ryan going down with a career-ending major shoulder injury during this week's game against the Broncos. Now you know how Bengals fans felt in 1969. What could have been. . . .

6. [#]Tom Brady, NE | Age: 31.1 | Value Score: 93
Wading through all of the muck and the mire, it sounds to me like Brady still has a chance to be ready to play by training camp. The infection is worrisome, but Brady's upside isn't worth giving up for any of the second tier guys.

TIER TWO

7. Aaron Rodgers, GB | Age: 24.8 | Value Score: 86
He just keeps impressing more and more each week. May be injury prone, but you can take "soft" off the list of concerns for Favre's replacement. Rodgers has played in considerable pain and is still coming through with fantastic numbers.

8. Kurt Warner, ARI | Age: 37.3 | Value Score: 85
Do you want the on-pace stats or the last 16 games stats? Warner is on pace for 4,900 yards and 33 TDs this season with a 70.0% completion rate. His last 16 games show similar stats except with a higher TD total. If you're running him out there every week, you have a winning team.

9. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | Age: 26.5 | Value Score: 85

10. Philip Rivers, SD | Age: 26.8 | Value Score: 83
Not matchup proof.

11. Matt Schaub, HOU | Age: 27.2 | Value Score: 81
That's now three separate stints he's missed to injuries in his season and a half with the Texans. No doubt he can play, but there are still low rumblings of a QB controversy among the Houston media. Schaub has a huge 2010 bonus coming, so he's going to have to show health and reliability for the next year and a half. If he succeeds, stud status awaits him.

12. Donovan McNabb, PHI | Age: 31.7 | Value Score: 77

13. Eli Manning, NYG | Age: 27.6 | Value Score: 76

TIER THREE

14. #Carson Palmer, CIN | Age: 28.7 | Value Score: 64
The elbow injury is problematic enough, but there's no light at the end of the tunnel in Cincinnati. The Bengals have started the season 0-7 for the fifth time since Mike Brown took over control of the franchise in 1991. No other team has done it more than twice.

15. Joe Flacco, BAL | Age: 23.7 | Value Score: 60
The rookie has dropped back 111 straight times without a turnover and is starting to find the end zone weekly.

16. [#]Brady Quinn, CLE | Age: 23.9 | Value Score: 55

TIER FOUR

17. David Garrard, JAX | Age: 30.5 | Value Score: 45
Sorely missing that dominant running game.

18. #Trent Edwards, BUF | Age: 24.9 | Value Score: 40
The anointing oils were out way too quickly for a QB who can't get the ball in the end zone.

19. Jason Campbell, WAS | Age: 26.7 | Value Score: 38
He's shown dramatic game-to-game inconsistency ever since he took over in 2006.

26. Shaun Hill, SF | Age: 28.7 | Value Score: 22

20. Brett Favre, NYJ | Age: 38.9 | Value Score: 36

21. Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | Age: 33.0 | Value Score: 34

22. Vince Young, TEN | Age: 25.3 | Value Score: 32

TIER FIVE

23. Kevin Kolb, PHI | Age: 24.0 | Value Score: 24

24. Matt Leinart, ARI | Age: 25.3 | Value Score: 23
How can the Cardinals not re-sign the leader in the MVP race?

25. Matt Cassel, NE | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 23

27. Kyle Orton, CHI | Age: 25.8 | Value Score: 22
He better turn it back on before the end of the season.

28. Tyler Thigpen, KC | Age: 24.4 | Value Score: 21
Very intriguing value for the rest of the season, but his post-2008 value is up in the air. Will an NFL team really go into a season planning to use a shotgun/spread offense? It seems to me that Thigpen's 2008 production will go into the books as just another anomaly caused by a team going into desperation tailspin mode in a lost season.

29. Jake Delhomme, CAR | Age: 33.6 | Value Score: 20
Mediocre veterans are just wasting roster spots in Dynasty leagues.

30. Chad Pennington, MIA | Age: 32.2 | Value Score: 19

TIER SIX

31. Chad Henne, MIA | Age: 23.2 | Value Score: 12

32. [#]Derek Anderson, CLE | Age: 25.2 | Value Score: 11
Where to next? Minnesota? Kansas City? Either way, we know he's a quarterback with a 55% completion rate.

33. Drew Stanton, DET | Age: 24.4 | Value Score: 10
The current Lions staff has zero confidence him.

34. JaMarcus Russell, OAK | Age: 23.1 | Value Score: 9
Time to throw in the towel?

35. Jeff Garcia, TB | Age: 38.5 | Value Score: 8
Maybe he has another year in him after all.

36. Byron Leftwich, PIT | Age: 28.6 | Value Score: 6

37. Daunte Culpepper, DET | Age: 31.7 | Value Score: 6
Always a better fantasy than NFL QB, Culpepper returns from the dead to find Calvin Johnson streaking down the sidelines. Skepticism is advised.

38. Marc Bulger, STL | Age: 31.4 | Value Score: 5
No light at the end of the tunnel after being pulled for Trent Green for the second time this season.

39. Sage Rosenfels, HOU | Age: 30.5 | Value Score: 5
The Practically Perfect Backup QB hits the free agent market in 2010.

40. Kerry Collins, TEN | Age: 35.7 | Value Score: 5

TIER SEVEN

41. Josh Johnson, TB | Age: 22.4 | Value Score: 4

42. Brian Brohm, GB | Age: 22.9 | Value Score: 4

43. Colt Brennan, WAS | Age: 25.0 | Value Score: 4

44. Gus Frerotte, MIN | Age: 37.2 | Value Score: 4

45. J.P. Losman, BUF | Age: 27.5 | Value Score: 3
Free agent after 2008 season.

46. Dennis Dixon, PIT | Age: 23.7 | Value Score: 3

47. Kevin O'Connell, NE | Age: 23.5 | Value Score: 3

48. Tarvaris Jackson, MIN | Age: 25.4 | Value Score: 3

49. *Michael Vick, ATL | Age: 28.2 | Value Score: 3
How large is your roster?

TIER EIGHT

50. Matt Moore, CAR | Age: 24.1 | Value Score: 2
Awful preseason lowers expectations about taking over for Delhomme anytime soon.

51. [#]Alex Smith, SF | Age: 24.3 | Value Score: 2

52. Seneca Wallace, SEA | Age: 28.1 | Value Score: 2

53. Ryan Fitzpatrick, CIN | Age: 25.8 | Value Score: 2

54. J.T. O'Sullivan, SF | Age: 29.0 | Value Score: 2
Via con dios, O'Fumblekins.

55. Luke McCown, TB | Age: 27.2 | Value Score: 2

56. [#]Jon Kitna, DET | Age: 36.0 | Value Score: 2

57. Troy Smith, BAL | Age: 24.2 | Value Score: 2

58. Billy Volek, SD | Age: 32.4 | Value Score: 2

59. Rex Grossman, CHI | Age: 28.0 | Value Score: 2

60. #Dan Orlovsky, DET | Age: 25.1 | Value Score: 2

61. Kellen Clemens, NYJ | Age: 25.3 | Value Score: 2

62. Brian Griese, TB | Age: 33.5 | Value Score: 2

TIER NINE

63. Brett Ratliff, NYJ | Age: 23.1 | Value Score: 1

64. John David Booty, MIN | Age: 24.2 | Value Score: 1

65. John Beck, MIA | Age: 27.1 | Value Score: 1

66. Charlie Whitehurst, SD | Age: 26.1 | Value Score: 1

67. Quinn Gray, KC | Age: 29.3 | Value Score: 1

68. Brooks Bollinger, DAL | Age: 28.8 | Value Score: 1

69. Andre Woodson, NYG | Age: 24.4 | Value Score: 1

70. [#]Brodie Croyle, KC | Age: 25.5 | Value Score: 1
Recently placed on injured reserve and even his biggest booster, Herm Edwards, is ready to move on with a different QB in 2009.

71. Chris Simms, TEN | Age: 28.0 | Value Score: 1

72. Trent Green, STL | Age: 38.2 | Value Score: 1

73. Cleo Lemon, JAX | Age: 29.1 | Value Score: 1

74. Josh McCown, CAR | Age: 29.2 | Value Score: 1

75. Andrew Walter, OAK | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 1

76. [#]Kyle Boller, BAL | Age: 27.3 | Value Score: 1

77. [#]Patrick Ramsey, DEN | Age: 29.5 | Value Score: 1

78. [#]Damon Huard, KC | Age: 35.2 | Value Score: 1

79. D.J. Shockley, ATL | Age: 25.5 | Value Score: 1

80. David Carr, NYG | Age: 29.1 | Value Score: 1

81. Joey Harrington, NO | Age: 29.9 | Value Score: 1