FanHouse Drewbrees

Most of what we discuss here at Fantasy FanHouse revolves around so-called "standard" leagues. Obviously, most readers play in leagues with generally the same rules, give or take a few minor tweaks. Leagues with drastic format differences, though, should be treated differently.

Today, we'll check out oddities revolving around the "flex" position in fantasy football. You could also call the position a wild card. It's an extra player in the starting lineup who can come from different positions. Most leagues allow you to use either a running back or wide receiver. Some let you involve tight ends, but my favorite leagues are the ones where it's all in your hands.

As the season nears, FanHouse's fantasy football team decided to put our heads together for another set of updated positional rankings. First up, the signal-callers.

We've now established thrice what everyone already knew anyway: Drew Brees is heading into the season as the consensus No. 1 fantasy football quarterback. This time around, though, we did have quite the knock-down, drag-out battle for a spot toward the top -- the two-hole. Rivals Peyton Manning and Tom Brady did battle, and their average ranking amongst our staff was a near dead heat (2.5 to 2.67).

Click through to see who emerged -- along with the rest of our top 45 quarterbacks. (Last Updated: 8/27/09)

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At last, it's fantasy football draft season! And that can mean many things, but, most importantly, it means everyone is an expert. Fortunately for you, we at the Fantasy FanHouse are dishing out the goods with tips, previews and insights that can help you earn those coveted bragging rights. In this space, I'll dive right into the various strategies that can be followed on draft day.

You can go many a route: The conservative approach, the risky approach, the all or nothing approach, etc. It's up to you. Below, you'll find various views of the most recognized approaches practiced by today's fantasy owners in the first two rounds. Let's get down to business.

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Here you go, cheat sheet fans. No analysis or explanations ... just the down-and-dirty list. (CLICK HERE for most recent update: 8/30/09)

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1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars
3. Michael Turner, RB, Falcons
4. Matt Forte, RB, Bears
5. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams

It's been over a month since we last posted positional fantasy football rankings, so it's time to run our second version. Plus, we added some staff. This is now an average ranking from eight Fantasy FanHouse writers. To view the early version of our quarterback rankings, click here.

Since we last checked in, there have been a few difference in the quarterback rankings. Not only have OTAs taken place, but we've also had some changes of heart and done a lot more studying -- plus the aforementioned FanHouse staff additions. One thing that didn't change? The top three ... Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning remain intact.

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Retired NFL quarterback Trent Green is the first-ever guest columnist of MMQB, filling in while Peter King is on vacation. Green provided an interesting read on subjects relating to the league's personal conduct policy, concussions and the expanded season. And of course it wouldn't be a MMQB without a healthy dose of Favre thrown in for good measure.

What jumps out of Green's article is his prediction that 10 quarterbacks will have over 4,000 yards passing this season. He says six are a lock to do it (Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Phillip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers), and seven have the potential to do it (Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Matt Hasselbeck).

Let's put this prediction in context:

FanHouse's crack squad of savvy fantasy football personnel put our five heads together and amassed consensus rankings for non-keeper, standard scoring leagues. We'll update as the season gets closer, but this is our "incredibly early yet still fun" version.

Was last season the year of the quarterback or what? You still had the old reliables like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb doing their thing, but a whole new crop of passers have elevated themselves. Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Jay Cutler led the way for the youth movement. You could have even waited toward the end of your draft and landed stud QBs in Matt Ryan and Tyler Thigpen (who would have been waiver-wire fodder). Team all that with Tom Brady's Week 1 injury, and we had a really interesting season. Let's see how they fall out presently for 2009.

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One of the secrets to successfully navigating a fantasy football draft is sorting through the noise that comes out of the various media sources and uncovering the hidden values. Every season, fantasy football pundits will sway the general consensus in a particular direction, making forgone conclusions that cause a good percentage of players to rethink what they already know, thus causing some stalwart players to become significantly underrated. Over the next couple of weeks, Fantasy FanHouse will provide a rundown of our perceived five most underrated players at the key fantasy skill positions, starting today with the five most underrated running backs.

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Okay, so Danny Hope isn't the only hope in West Lafayette, Ind., this spring. Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve (pictured at right) ended the speculation about his next address Thursday, confirming that he will transfer to Purdue for his final two seasons of eligibility. Marve will have to sit out this coming season but will be eligible in 2010 and 2011.

Marve was Florida's Mr. Football in 2006 but missed all of his freshman season due to a car accident. His numbers from 2008 were not stunning, and when Jacory Harris was named the starter, Marve decided he wanted out.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. Football players play football, and if Marve didn't want to stand around holding a clipboard, it's his right to walk away. Your head knows this and agrees with it. Your heart, however, is saying something like "Yeah, but ... Purdue?" O ye of little knowledge.