A couple days ago I began looking at the top-10 keepers by position, beginning with the wide receivers. In a passing league it's only natural I move on from the stars catching the balls to the studs pitching them. I considered players for the top-10 keeper quarterback rankings in the same manner that I determined the top receivers, accounting for each player's recent production, their ability/potential and their age at the start of the season in September. All those factors were considered within a window of the next three seasons, and the results are as follows:
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (6-2, 225 ; age 28)
Rodgers is just 28, is returning his entire receiving corps (with the possible exception of a 37-year-old Donald Driver) and is coming off a season in which he piled up 48 total touchdowns and posted over 4,600 passing yards in 15 games. With all due respect to the next two names on this list, Rodgers is the best keeper in football.
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints (6-0, 209 ; age 33)
The separation between Brees and Tom Brady is very, very slim. The nod goes to Brees however for one simple reason: Attempts. Brees and the Saints sling it around more than Brady and the Pats. In fact, despite playing one less game than Brady over the past three seasons, he's attempted 161 more throws over that stretch. And just because Sean Payton will not be present for this year, don't expect Brees' arm to get a break.
3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots (6-4, 225 ; age 35)
Brady just has too many weapons to begin falling on this list anytime too soon. The addition of Brandon Lloyd to Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez will keep Brady young and producing like a stud for at least three more years.
4. Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions (6-2, 232 ; age 24)
In the final six games of last season (counting a playoff loss), Stafford was ridiculous, passing for a remarkable 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns. Paired with the best receiver in football in Calvin Johnson, this young gunslinger should only get better and will compete with Rodgers to be the best in football once the likes of Brees, Brady and Peyton Manning hang them up.
5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (6-5, 248 ; age 23)
Newton is the Megatron of quarterbacks. Just like Johnson is able to dominate his opponents by simply overmatching them physically, Newton is able to do things with his huge body and otherworldly athleticism that other signal callers just can't do. He set the rookie record for passing yards (4,051) and NFL records for rushing yards (706) and scores (14) for a quarterback while blowing away all expectations for his first season as a pro. Newton will need some receiver help soon with Steve Smith about to turn 33 and limited depth behind him, but he should nevertheless continue to be a tremendous playmaker. Bottom line, his running abilities combined with a strong, accurate arm should lead to a minimum of 30 total touchdowns for Newton every year.
6. Eli Manning, New York Giants (6-4, 218 ; age 31)
In 2009 Manning was supposed to struggle to deal with the loss of Plaxico Burress and the lack of a No. 1 receiver. Instead he turned Steven Smith into a Pro Bowler and posted career highs with 27 touchdowns and his first of three straight 4,000-yard seasons. Then in 2010, when Smith was limited to just nine games, Manning helped to make Hakeem Nicks a star en route to a new career-best 31 scores. And we all know what happened last year. Manning continued to evolve into an elite passer, racking up an incredible 4,933 yards while developing another stud receiver in Victor Cruz. Though his brother and the other quarterbacks at the top of this list have gotten more love and more headlines, Manning has continued to improve year in and year out. At this point, he has a better chance of storming the top-3 for fantasy quarterbacks than he does falling out of the top-10.
7. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (6-2, 228 ; age 32)
Playing with a fractured rib for nearly the entire season in 2011, Romo was able to overcome the injury and post nearly 4,200 yards with 31 scores while missing a game and a half of action and being without star wideout Miles Austin for six more. Though the loss of Laurent Robinson could hurt, the trio of Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten supplies more than enough talent for Romo to continue posting upper echelon passing stats.
8. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos (6-5, 230 ; age 36)
Coming back from a career-threatening injury at 36 years old and on a new roster, many owners could be scared away from Manning. And that could make him a steal and well worth the risk to invest in his stock in a keeper league. With two big, athletic receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker and a solid supporting cast of tight ends, Manning is more than capable of posting exceptional numbers if his neck remains healthy.
9. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (6-5, 228 ; age 30)
Rivers struggled through most of 2011, posting a career-worst 20 interceptions, but he still managed to rack up over 4,600 yards and toss 27 scores. Despite the tough season and the loss of Vincent Jackson to free agency, he remains one of the top gunslingers in the league and should not be ignored on draft day. For those that may overlook him, don't forget that he was phenomenal just a year earlier when he led the league in passing yards with 4,710 and added 30 touchdowns despite Jackson being effective for just one game after holding out most of the season.
10. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (6-4, 217 ; age 27)
Matty Ice may not be the best playoff performer, but in the past two regular seasons he's averaged just under 4,000 yards, 28.5 scores and only 10.5 picks. If rising star Julio Jones continues the breakout he started late last season and Roddy White stays his steady self, count on Ryan to consistently but quietly stay in the top-10 of fantasy passers for the next 3-5 years.