Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks for 2012

It's tough to pick any other player as the top fantasy football quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is not only going to pile up ridiculous passing statistics, but he'll also scrounge up fantasy points with his rushiing ability. Provided he and the rest of the offense say healthy, Rodgers should warrant a mid to late first round pick in most formats.

Tom Brady is the only other quarterback in the same league as Aaron Rodgers. He posted another banner year, and with the new weapons the Patriots brought in, I would have no reservations about drafting him at the tail end of round one. He doesn't pose the same threat on the ground that Rodgers does, though, so he is just a bit behind Green Bay's signal caller.

Not many people saw Cam Newton's rookie year coming. While a sophomore slump is always a possibility, there's reason to believe the former Heisman winner could be even better in 2012. Newton posts Michael Vick-like rushing numbers to go with his developing passing game. He has the upside to be the No. 1 fantasy quarterback in 2012. Where would I draft him? Mid to late second round.

I went into detail on Drew Brees above, and while I consider him to be overvalued, he is still in a position to light up fantasy scoreboards again in 2012. I wouldn't draft him in the first round, but if Brees slid to the end of the second round or beginning of the third round, I would think long and hard about adding him to my roster.

Matthew Stafford was my go-to quarterback in all of my fantasy drafts last year. I reached to grab him, hoping he would stay healthy and it paid off, as Stafford tossed 41 touchdowns. Detroit's offense is still pass-happy, and Calvin Johnson will still be catching passes from Stafford. There's no reason to expect a regression, but Stafford doesn't present quite as much value as he did a year ago. Still, if he's sitting there in the middle of the third round, he's worth a look.

I touched on Michael Vick above. The Eagles passing attack is due for a bounce-back season, making Vick and his receivers excellent buy low options in 2012 fantasy drafts. If he lasts until the fourth round, he's a steal.

Tony Romo always seems to be undervalued. Regardless of whether or not you think he is ever going to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, it's tough to ignore the consistent numbers he puts up and teh amount of talent he has around him in Dallas. If he's sitting there in the fifth round, how can you pass up that value?

Phillip Rivers lost a lot of velocity on his passes last season. No injury was disclosed, but something must have been bugging him. He lost his No. 1 wide receiver this offseason and his regression was alarming, but now Rivers presents value in fantasy drafts. He's still a safe bet to finish in the top ten quarterbacks and has the upside to crack the top five. Start looking for Rivers in round six.

Another player I talked about above, Ben Roethlisberger figures to be an excellent value pick in fantasy drafts this season. The addition of Todd Haley to an offense that boasts elite wide receivers will make Big Ben a top ten quarterback. With his ADP in the seventh round, it's tough to argue about his value.

Peyton Manning may be overvalued, but it's tough to place him outside the top ten on upside alone. He will have some decent weapons at his disposal, and if his health isn't an issue, which is a big if, he can be relied upon as a top ten quarterback. He doesn't present a ton of value until round seven or eight.

Matt Ryan quietly passed for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns last season. Many were expecting a bit more from Ryan, but he took quite the step forward in 2011. Dirk Koetter steps in as the offensive coordinator and figures to open things up in the passing game with Michael Turner slowing down. Roddy White and Julio Jones present one of the most dangerous wide receiver tandems in the league, and it's fair to expect another step forward from Ryan this season. Ryan has plenty of upside, especially for an eight round pick.

Eli Manning had a breakout year of sorts last season, passing for nearly 5,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. I think he'll be a bit overhyped coming off a Super Bowl victory, and the Giants may suffer a hangover as a whole. It's mostly a gut feeling that Manning won't live up to his draft position, but he should still be a quality starter.

Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall are back together again. The last time the two played with one another Cutler passed for 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. Not too shabby. I get the feeling that Cutler will be my backup quarterback on a few of my teams.

The Houston Texans no longer operate a pass-happy attack. Arian Foster has become the center of attention for that offense, and Schaub's fantasy value has taken a hit as a result. Add to that his injury issues, and he is more of a fantasy backup at this point.

We all saw what Cam Newton did in his rookie season, and while that might cause owners to get giddy over Robert Griffin III, he is a big question mark as a fist year signal caller. That being said, he has tons of upside, and his rushing ability makes him even more dangerous in fantasy football. He has all the tools and decent weapons surrounding him in D.C. to potentially make a smooth transition to the NFL.

Andrew Luck will start right out of the gate in Indianapolis and has scrambling ability to go with his elite passing tools. The Colts aren't exactly brimming with talented playmakers and Luck is a rookie, so expectations need to be tempered a bit. Still, Luck could be a No. 1 quarterback by the end of the year.

Jake Locker is a bit of a forgotten man. He didn't see as much playing time as his 2011 classmates, but he made the most of the playing time he did have. I had him rated as the top quarterback in his draft class due to his strong arm and athleticism. Both will make him a dangerous fantasy weapon. he is only ranked this low because he is not a lock to start for the Titans. If he wins the job, I'll shoot him up the board.

Carson Palmer is a shell of his former self, but he still present some value as a backup quarterback. He has some decent receiving options and posted solid numbers after being traded last season. Palmer will now have a full offseason and should be more comfortable in the offense.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was a bonafide top ten quarterback before going down with injury last season. Assuming he and Stevie Johnson can stay on the field this year, Fitzpatrick will be a decent spot start in all fantasy formats.

Josh Freeman had a pretty disastrous 2011 campaign. Vincent Jackson is in the fold, so a reasonable step forward can be expected, but Freeman isn't anything more than a fantasy backup at this point.

Joe Flacco doesn't have a ton of upside, but there's not a lot of downside either. He'll be a bye week filler unless he takes a huge step forward.

Christian Ponder is a very talented kid, but he turns the ball over a lot. The Vikings' offense has it's fair share of playmakers, but Ponder still needs some seasoning as a passer before being trusted by fantasy owners.

Much like Joe Flacco, I don't envision a ton of downside with Matt Cassel, but there certainly isn't much upside either. The Chiefs rely on defense and the running game, and Cassel has no arm strength, so there isn't a ton of room for growth here.

Sam Bradford was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last year. A combination of injuries and lack of talent around him contributed to a huge sophomore slump. The Rams lost Brandon Lloyd but drafted a slew of receivers. It remains to be seen if Bradford will be able to stay upright and gel with his new wideouts.

Alex Smith has probably peeked in terms of his passing statistics. In a run-oriented offense, Smith doesn't get enough volume to warrant a weekly start in fantasy football.