FANTASY FOOTBALL
Landing the right QB goes a long way toward winning your league
A look at the top quarterbacks to target in your league’s draft.
W iththe NFL preseason in full swing, here’s a look at the top 15 quarterbacks to target in upcoming fantasy football drafts. 1. AARON RODGERS, PACKERS
After a down year by his standards in 2015, Rodgers rebounded with one of the best years of his career. He threw for 4,428 yards, a league-leading 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions, marking the second time he reached the 40-TD mark and the sixth straight season he kept interceptions in the single digits. Those numbers largely stemmed from the Packers’ inefficiency on the ground, leading to a career-high 610 pass attempts for Rodgers. Rodgers also rushed for a career-best 369 yards and four touchdowns. 2. TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS
Brady played 12 games because of his DeflateGate suspension, but that didn’t slow him down. In his age-38 season, Brady threw for 3,554 yards, 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His 67.4 completion percentage and 112.2 QB rating were his best since 2007. With the addition of speedy receiver Brandin Cooks, look for Brady to get back to 4,000-yard, 30-touchdown territory, which he’s done four of the past six seasons. 3. DREW BREES, SAINTS
For the fifth time in his career, Brees eclipsed the 5,000-yard mark with a league-best 5,208 passing yards. Brees also had a league-high 673 pass attempts and capitalized with a completion percentage of 70. Brees lost his leading receiver in Cooks, but Michael Thomas emerged as a 1,000-yard receiver as a rookie last season. With Thomas and Willie Snead, Brees still has a potential 1,000-yard receiving tandem.
4. ANDREW LUCK, COLTS
Colts owner Jim Irsay declared “the offensive line is fixed” during OTAs in June, which would be good news for Andrew Luck after the team allowed 44 sacks last season, fifth-worst in the league. Luck started training camp on the physically unable to perform list but the hope is he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season. He will need all the protection he can get after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery from an injury that kept him out of nine games in 2015. But the Colts’ defense hasn’t been repaired. After ranking 29th in yards allowed per game and 22nd in points allowed per game last season. So the Colts could be playing from behind frequently, meaning Luck would be throwing early and often, assuming he can play. 5. RUSSELL WILSON, SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks relied more on Wilson to throw the ball as they struggled to run the ball with Christine Michael and Thomas Rawls following Marshawn Lynch’s retirement. Wilson racked up a career-best 4,219 passing yards on a careerhigh 546 pass attempts. The Seahawks added Eddie Lacy in the offseason, but the fifthyear running back missed 11 games last season with an ankle injury. Wilson dealt with knee and ankle injuries of his own last season, and while he didn’t miss any time, he rushed for a career-low 259 yards and had just one rushing touchdown. 6. MATT RYAN, FALCONS
Ryan is coming off a career year after leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl before falling to the Patriots. He finished second in the league with 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes to earn league MVP. Ryan also threw a career-low seven interceptions. Expect Ryan to regress — but not too drastically. While he’ll be working with a new offensive coordinator in Steve Sarkisian, he’s also thrown for at least 4,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in each of the past six seasons. 7. DEREK CARR, RAIDERS
Carr delivered big numbers — 63.8 completion percentage, 3,937 yards, 28 touchdowns and a career-low six interceptions in 15 games. Part of that was luck, though. According to PreSnap Reads’ Cian Fahey, Carr threw 24 interceptable passes, and his accuracy percentage of 70.94 percent ranked 25th in the league. Carr, 26, has arguably the best supporting cast in the NFL. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree lead a strong receiving corps that added tight end Jared Cook. Carr will look to prove he’s deserving of his five-year, $125-million extension. 8. CAM NEWTON, PANTHERS
After winning NFL MVP honors in 2015, Newton regressed last season. He had a career-low 52.9 completion percentage and threw for 3,509 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, his worst since his rookie year in 2011. Newton’s run game also took a hit last season. The fleet-footed quarterback rushed for a career-low 359 yards and five touchdowns, matching a career low. The Panthers also added running back Christian McCaffery and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in the first two rounds of the draft, which should take some pressure off Newton. 9. KIRK COUSINS, WASHINGTON In his second year as Washington’s starting quarterback, Cousins proved to be among the league’s top fantasy players. He threw for 4,917 yards, third best in the NFL, with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Washington’s offense took a big hit this offseason, though, as its two 1,000-yard receivers, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, left in free agency. Terrelle Pryor Sr., who had a breakout year with the Browns, and Josh Doctson, who missed most of last season with Achilles issues, will look to fill the void. 10. BEN ROETHLISBERGER, STEELERS
After considering retirement this offseason, Big Ben inevitably decided to return to the Steelers. Roethlisberger, 35, threw for 3,819 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 14 games last season. He suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery. Injuries have been a problem for Roethlisberger throughout his 14-year career — he’s missed five games with injuries the past two seasons — but if he can remain healthy he’s a top-tier fantasy option, thanks to a supporting cast that includes arguably the best running back and wide receiver in Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. 11. DAK PRESCOTT, COWBOYS
Tony who? Things looked grim for the Cowboys after Tony Romo went down with a back injury in a preseason game, but Prescott stepped in and led Dallas to a 13-3 record and an NFC East title as a rookie. The reigning Rookie of the Year threw for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns, and his four interceptions were the fewest among any quarterback with at least 450 pass attempts. Ezekiel Elliott and the rest of the Cowboys’ run game will continue to take pressure off Prescott. Even with some regression expected, Prescott’s a low-end QB1. 12. JAMEIS WINSTON, BUCCANEERS The Bucs seem to have found their franchise quarterback, and they got him some help by signing wide receiver DeSean Jackson and drafting tight end O.J. Howard in the first round. Winston already had a big red-zone target in Mike Evans, but Jackson and Howard significantly bolster the pass-heavy offense. Winston has eclipsed 4,000 yards and 500 pass attempts in each of his first two seasons, and with the new additions, he should continue to see those numbers climb. 13. PHILIP RIVERS, CHARGERS
For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, Rivers eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark. But, he also led the league with a career-worst 21 interceptions. That’s an outlier for someone who has averaged about 14 INTs per season, so that number should come down. Rivers also threw for at least 30 TDs for the fifth time in his career. 14. MATTHEW STAFFORD, LIONS
Despite the surprise retirement of Calvin Johnson before last season, Stafford still turned in a strong year. It was his sixth straight season with at least 4,000 yards, as he threw for 4,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. With the lack of a clear run game, look for the Lions to continue to rely heavily on Stafford. 15. TYROD TAYLOR, BILLS
In a somewhat unexpected move, Taylor ended up staying in Buffalo, albeit after taking a pay cut. The Bills aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket with Taylor after selecting a quarterback in each of the past two drafts, but he’s the starter unless someone beats him out for the job in camp. Taylor threw for 3,023 yards, 17 TDs and six INTs last season, but his biggest strength is his legs.
Casey Musarra is a staff writer for Newsday.