Peyton Manning turned 36 in March.

He is trying to recover from multiple neck surgeries that wiped out his 2011 season, and he admits his arm strength isn't completely back.

Then there's this: In his first 13 years in the NFL, Manning averaged 4,218 yards passing and 32 total touchdowns.

And this: In 2009 and 2010, he had norms of 4,600 yards and 33 TDs.

And this: Has there been a better fantasy quarterback in your lifetime? (Remember, Kurt Warner only had three huge years -- 1999, 2001 and 2008. Here, look.)

So where would you place Manning -- once as safe of a pick as you could make on draft day -- in the quarterback pecking order entering this season? I ranked him 10th, one behind another risky injury selection, Michael Vick, and one ahead of a safe choice, Matt Ryan.

The reasoning: If Manning plays the entire season, he could be better than any fantasy QB not named Rodgers, Brees, Brady and Newton.

Granted, he could also take a brutal hit that puts his career in jeopardy. But I would be willing to take that risk after the top nine QBs were off the board, knowing that I need to make sure I select another quarterback soon after.

Without further delay, our early rankings:

Rank, player, team (bye week): GP, Passing yards-TD-Int, Rushing yards-TD
1. Aaron Rodgers, GB (10): 15, 4,643-45-6, 257-3
2. Drew Brees, NO (6): 16, 5,476-46-14, 86-1
3. Tom Brady, NE (9): 16, 5,235-39-12, 109-3

4. Cam Newton, Car (6): 16, 4,051-21-17, 706-14

5. Matthew Stafford, Det (5): 16, 5,038-41-16, 78-0

6. Eli Manning, NYG (11): 16, 4,933-29-16, 15-1

7. Philip Rivers, SD (7): 16, 4,624-27-20, 36-1

8. Tony Romo, Dal (5): 16, 4,184-31-10, 46-1

9. Michael Vick, Phi (7): 13, 3,303-18-14, 589-1

10. Peyton Manning, Den (7): Did not play

11. Matt Ryan, Atl (7): 16, 4,177-29-12, 84-2

12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit (4): 15, 4,077-21-14, 70-0

13. Matt Schaub, Hou (8): 10, 2,479-15-6, 9-2

14. Jay Cutler, Chi (6): 10, 2,319-13-7, 55-1

15. Robert Griffin III, Was (10): Rookie

16. Joe Flacco, Bal (8): 16, 3,610-20-12, 88-1

17. Josh Freeman, TB (5): 15, 3,592-16-22, 238-4

18. Andy Dalton, Cin (8): 16, 3,398-20-13, 152-1

19. Carson Palmer, Oak (5): 10, 2,753-13-16, 20-1

20. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buf (8): 16, 3,832-24-23, 56-0

21. Alex Smith, SF (9): 16, 3,144-17-5, 179-2

22. Andrew Luck, Ind (4): Rookie

23. Sam Bradford, StL (9): 10, 2,164-6-6, 26-0

24. Matt Cassel, KC (7): 9, 1,713-10-9, 99-0

25. Mark Sanchez, NYJ (9): 16, 3,474-26-18, 103-6

NOTE: All statistics are from the 2011 season.

QUICK SLANTS: In the last four seasons, Rodgers has 147 combined passing and rushing touchdowns and has averaged 4,259 yards passing. ... In that same span, Brees has thrown for at least 4,388 yards and 33 TDs each year. ... Brady has a combined 79 TD tosses the last two years. ... Prior to playing a full season in 2011, Stafford appeared in 13 games in his first two NFL campaigns. ... Eli Manning has had three consecutive 4,000-yard seasons, and he has a norm of 29 TD passes in that stretch. ... Rivers, possibly because of the departure of Vincent Jackson in free agency, is underrated by some sites, despite averaging 4,399 yards and 30 TDs the last four seasons. ... Romo, who played six games in 2010, averaged 4,334 yards and 30 total TDs in 2009 and '11, when he appeared in all 16 contests each year. ... Ryan has norms of 3,941 yards and 30 total TDs since 2010. ... In 2009 and '10, Schaub averaged 16 games, 4,570 yards and 27 TDs. He could be a great value pick in the middle rounds. .. Flacco's yards passing the last three years: 3,613, 3,622 and 3,610. ... Freeman was terrible for much of last season, but was productive in 2010 (3,451 yards, 25 TDs, six interceptions). ... If Sanchez holds off the legend of Tim Tebow and starts all season, he is better than many fantasy backups. He had 32 combined passing and rushing TDs in 2011.

NEXT: Running backs

START

Raiders: RB Michael Bush, K Sebastian Janikowski

Chargers: QB Philip Rivers, RB Ryan Mathews, RB Mike Tolbert, WR Vincent Jackson, TE Antonio Gates, K Nick Novak

Quick slants: With Darren McFadden out with a foot injury, Bush will be the Raiders' featured back. He ran for 96 yards on 19 carries and caught two passes for 33 yards and a touchdown last week. ... Janikowski has made 13 of 14 field-goal attempts, is perfect on 19 PATs and has 58 points in seven games. ... Rivers has been disappointing (11 TD passes and 14 interceptions), but he's thrown for 2,469 yards, including 754 in his last two. He had four TD passes and three interceptions last week against the defensively challenged Packers. ... Mathews is expected to play after missing last week with a groin injury. He has rushed for 509 yards and has 30 catches for 342 yards in seven games. He hasn't scored a touchdown in his last four games. ... Even if Mathews starts tonight, Tolbert should get about 15 touches. He has six TDs on the year and has reached the end zone twice in his last two contests. ... Jackson had seven receptions for 141 yards and three TDs last week. ... In three games since returning from a foot injury, Gates has 17 receptions for 223 yards and two scores. He had eight catches for 96 yards and a TD on Sunday. ... Novak has been prolific in place of the injured Nate Kaeding, making 16 of 17 field goals and all 17 of his PATs. He is averaging 9.3 points per game.

SIT

Raiders: QB Carson Palmer, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Jacoby Ford, defense/special teams

Chargers: WR Malcom Floyd, defense/special teams

Quick slants: Palmer has thrown six interceptions in two games with the Raiders. ... Heyward-Bey has been productive, but he was shut out last week, and the Raiders' passing attack is too unreliable. ... Ford had five receptions for 105 yards and a TD last week, but he had only 11 catches for 114 yards and zero TDs prior to his breakout game. ... The Raiders' defense ranks 27th in yards allowed per game (386.5) and 30th in points allowed (27.0). ... Floyd is expected to sit tonight because of a hip injury. If he's active, I'd keep him on my bench. ... The Chargers' defense ranks seventh in yards allowed (311.6), but is 27th in points (25.5), tied for 20th in sacks (17) and has forced only 11 turnovers.

The perception -- if you look strictly at Chris Johnson's 2011 statistics -- is he got paid, then checked out.

Johnson -- after holding out of training camp, then signing a four-year, $53 million contract extension -- has 93 carries for 268 yards (2.9 yards per attempt) and one touchdown in six games for the Titans. In point-per-reception leagues, he has gone from awful to mediocre, thanks to 24 catches for 143 yards.

The same player who rushed for 2,006 yards, scored 16 touchdowns and had 50 receptions for 503 yards in 2009 is now being benched or furiously shopped in fantasy leagues.

Johnson had 23 carries for 101 yards against the Browns on Oct. 12. In Tennessee's other five contests, he has 69 rushes for 167 yards (2.4). Aside from the Browns matchup, he hasn't rushed for more than 53 yards in a game.

If you own Johnson, a few words of advice: Don't trade him. Not now, when his value is lower than it's been in his entire four-year career.

Instead, take a look back, and ahead, at the Titans' schedule.

Thus far, Johnson has faced the Jaguars (No. 10 vs. the run), Ravens (No. 3), Broncos (tied for 18th), Browns (No. 20), Steelers (No. 12) and Texans (No. 7).

Granted, a $13.25-million-a-year back should produce against the 2000 Ravens defense.

Ignore for a second the possibility that the combination of Johnson getting his money and missing training camp is a worse combination than Eddy Curry and a guaranteed contract, and consider this:

The Titans' schedule for Weeks 8 through 16 (championship week in fantasy) lines up quite favorably for the player many of us (myself included) drafted second overall.

-- Week 8: vs. Indianapolis (No. 31 vs. the run, 150.9 rushing yards per game allowed, nine rushing TDs allowed)

-- Week 9: vs. Cincinnati (No. 5 vs. the run, 89.5 yards, five TDs)

-- Week 10: at Carolina (No. 29, 133.4 yards, nine TDs)

-- Week 11: at Atlanta (No. 6, 98.4 yards, six TDs)

-- Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay (No. 22, 123.4 yards, seven TDs)

-- Week 13: at Buffalo (No. 30, 135.7 yards, nine TDs)

-- Week 14: vs. New Orleans (No. 15, 115.7 yards, five TDs)

-- Week 15: at Indianapolis (see Week 8)


-- Week 16: vs. Jacksonville (No. 10, 103.4 yards, four TDs)

In his first six games, Johnson faced four of the league's top 12 run defenses. In the next eight weeks, if you count Indy twice, he will play against five of the 11 worst run defenses.

If you're getting desperate, give C.J. at least this week. If he doesn't have a big game against the Colts, you have every right to bench him, trade him or make fun of him on Twitter.

If he does have his first huge game of 2011, you might be best served keeping him and hoping he will have a prolific second half of the season, while feasting on some of the NFL's worst at stopping the run.

Rivers is due, too

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers isn't nearly as high on the Potential Bust of the Year scale as Johnson, but he certainly hasn't been worth a second- or third-round fantasy pick.

Rivers is on pace for throw for 4,573 yards, but he has two more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (seven).

In Rivers' defense, tight end Antonio Gates has played in three of the six games, and he was held without a catch in one of them. Last week, with Gates back in the lineup (and catching Rivers' only TD pass), the quarterback was limited to 16-of-32 passing for 179 yards and was intercepted twice.

Remember, that was against the Jets, who have given up only four TD passes all season, compared to 11 interceptions.

Like Johnson, we should expect to see a vastly improved Rivers in the coming weeks.

Monday, San Diego will play at Kansas City, which ranks 17th against the pass. In the four weeks that follow, the Chargers will face the Packers (No. 31 vs. the pass), Raiders (No. 25), Bears (No. 27) and Broncos (No. 19).

If Gates remains healthy, Rivers should resume his 2008-10 role of being among the best in fantasy. Last season, depending on your league's scoring system, Rivers was within a few points of every fantasy player not named Arian Foster.

This season, we would settle for him being more like Matthew Stafford.

A quick note before we get to our first set of fantasy football rankings this preseason: The fact the Colts activated Peyton Manning from the physically unable to perform list Monday is enough for me to place the Colts quarterback in the top six at his position.

Yes, it might be a bit of a risk to take Manning in the third round of a 12-team league, but if you're hesitant to draft the player who has started 208 consecutive games, ask yourself the following questions:

Would you rather have Manning coming off neck surgery than Tony Romo, who played six games last year?

Would you rather have Matt Schaub, who threw for 4,370 yards in 2010 but finished nine TDs shy of Manning's 33?

Do you prefer Ben Roethlisberger, who averaged 250 yards passing per game last season, but only 1.4 TD tosses per contest?

I'd rather select Manning, even if there is a slight chance he will miss a game or two. He's 35, but still ranked in the top two of the league in yards passing (a career-high 4,700) and TD passes (33) last year.

Rank, player, team GP-Yds-TD-Int
1. Aaron Rodgers, GB 15-3,922-28-11
2. Michael Vick, Phi 12-3,018-21-6
3. Drew Brees, NO 16-4,620-33-22
4. Philip Rivers, SD 16-4,710-30-13
5. Tom Brady, NE 16-3,900-36-4
6. Peyton Manning, Ind 16-4,700-33-17
7. Tony Romo, Dal 6-1,605-11-7
8. Matt Schaub, Hou 16-4,370-24-12
9. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit 12-3,200-17-5
10. Matt Ryan, Atl 16-3,705-28-9
11. Josh Freeman, TB 16-3,451-25-6
12. Eli Manning, NYG 16-4,002-31-25
13. Joe Flacco, Bal 16-3,622-25-10
14. Kyle Orton, Den 13-3,653-20-9
15. Matt Cassel, KC 15-3,116-27-7
16. Sam Bradford, StL 16-3,512-18-15
17. Matthew Stafford, Det 3-535-6-1
18. Jay Cutler, Chi 15-3,274-23-16
19. Kevin Kolb, Ari 7-1,197-7-7
20. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buf 13-3,000-23-15
21. Mark Sanchez, NYJ 16-3,291-17-13
22. David Garrard, Jac 14-2,734-23-15
23. Jason Campbell, Oak 13-2,387-13-8
24. Donovan McNabb, Min 13-3,377-14-15
25. Colt McCoy, Cle 8-1,576-6-9

Note: Statistics are from the 2010 season.

Quick slants: Rodgers has averaged 4,131 yards passing and 33 total TDs (passing and rushing) the last three seasons. ... Vick reached 3,000 yards passing for the first time in 2010. ... In five years with the Saints, Brees has norms of 4,584 yards passing and 31 TD tosses. ... Rivers has norms of 4,324 yards and 31 TD passes since 2008. ... Brady has averaged 4,149 yards passing and 32 TDs since 2009. ... Peyton Manning has thrown for 4,000 or more yards in five consecutive seasons. His brother, Eli, has averaged 4,012 yards and 29 TD tosses the last two years. ... Prior to his injury-marred 2010, Romo averaged 4,047 yards and 29 TD tosses from 2007-09. ... Schaub has norms of 4,570 yards and 27 TD passes since 2009. ... Orton -- who has thrown for 7,455 yards and 41 TDs in 29 games since 2009 -- is underrated by many sites.

NEXT: Running backs

It's odd to have doubts about Peyton Manning from a fantasy perspective.

You can question whether or not he's clutch. You might think he's overexposed and want to harm Jim Nantz after seeing that Sony commercial 1,000 times (is it just me?).

In fantasy, the only complaint you might have with Manning is when the Colts decide to stop playing in Week 15 or 16 every year.

This season, Manning is recovering from neck surgery that will keep him out for the entire preseason. He told CBSSports.com he will need "every single second" of the next two weeks to get ready for the regular-season opener.

Coming from a player who has never missed a game in 13 years, that's saying quite a bit.

It's also going to have a dramatic effect on his fantasy value.

In my mind, there are five quarterbacks you have to take ahead of Manning on draft day -- Aaron Rodgers, Michael Vick, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady.

We've seen Manning ranked ahead of Rivers on some sites, but I wouldn't make that pick. Granted, Manning threw for a career-high 4,700 yards and had his second-best total in terms of touchdown passes (33) in 2010 (all with Austin Collie and Dallas Clark missing significant time with injuries), but Rivers is sensational, and injury-free.

The Chargers' QB threw for 4,710 yards and 30 TDs last season, and he's averaged 4,324 yards and 31 TDs the last three seasons.

That puts Manning sixth at QB, ahead of the likes of Tony Romo, Matt Schaub and Ben Roethlisberger.

ESPN has Manning ranked fifth at QB and 22nd overall, seven spots ahead of Rivers (No. 6 QB, No. 29 overall). CBS' two fantasy writers rank Manning fifth and sixth at QB, and 19th and 29th overall. The average ranking of Manning by Yahoo's writers is seventh at QB -- and a whopping No. 40 overall.

The latter number is way too low. You can be worried about Manning, but you shouldn't doubt that he will play most, if not all, of this season.

That makes him no worse than a third-round pick in a 12-team league. I wouldn't take him in Round 2 -- which is where Manning is going in ESPN (average draft position: No. 23) and CBS (ADP: No. 18) leagues.

I'd gladly take him in Round 3, after the top six QBs are off the board.

At that point, he provides very good value, and could be considered a steal.

An added bonus: It would prevent us from seeing countless shots of him on the sideline wearing jeans.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will present one of the most unique draft-day dilemmas in 2011.

If you select the best athlete at his position, are you getting the player who threw for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns in only 12 games in 2010? Or are you getting the player who runs so often he is an injury waiting to happen? Both?

Even more of a dilemma: If you own Vick in a keeper league.

Where does he fit after the best season in his career, a campaign in which two of the 12 games he played consisted of a seven-attempt effort before getting hurt (Week 4) and a second-half mop-up in place of an injured Kevin Kolb (Week 1)?

I would place him in the top eight, ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, but that's as much of a risk as I would be willing to take on Vick, who might have a difficult time avoiding injuries because of his entertaining (reckless?) style.

That brings us to our top 10 fantasy keepers at quarterback. You might be surprised by No. 1, but only if you're expecting the list to go in order of the biggest names in the business.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (age 27): In his last three seasons, he's averaged 4,131 yards, 29 touchdown passes and four rushing TDs. He also ran for 356 yards in 2010 -- and you might recall that he's had a pretty decent postseason.

2. Philip Rivers, Chargers (29): He threw for a career-high 4,710 yards and had 30 TD tosses in 2010. Rivers has averaged 31 TD passes the last three seasons, a span in which he's throw for more than 4,000 yards each year.

3. Peyton Manning, Colts (34): He will be 35 on March 24, but even in a "down" year in which many of his weapons were injured, Manning threw for 4,700 yards and 33 scores. In the last five years, he's averaged 4,328 yards passing and 31 TDs.

4. Drew Brees, Saints (32): Since 2008, he's thrown for at least 4,388 yards and 33 touchdowns each year, though he was intercepted a career-high 22 times in 2010.

5. Tom Brady, Patriots (33): He threw for 3,900 yards and 36 TDs, with only four picks, in 2010, and Gisele's husband has averaged 4,149 yards and 32 TDs the last two seasons.

6. Matt Ryan, Falcons (25): Ryan was very productive in Year 3 (3,705 yards and 28 TDs), and his touchdowns have increased by six each season (from 16 as a rookie to 22 in 2009 to ... you get the idea).

7. Josh Freeman, Buccaneers (23): What a second season. Freeman threw for 3,451 yards and 25 TDs, with a 95.6 rating and 364 yards rushing.

8. Michael Vick, Eagles (30): In his first extensive action since 2006, he posted career highs in TD passes (21), passing yards (3,018), rushing TDs (9) and passer rating (100.2).

9. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (28): He threw for 3,200 yards and 17 TDs, with two rushing scores, in 12 games. He's a winner, but in fantasy, he's only had two big seasons -- 2007 (34 total TDs) and 2009 (4,328 yards passing, 28 total TDs).

10. Eli Manning, QB, Giants (30): He's averaged 4,012 yards and 29 TDs the last two seasons, but he threw a career-worst 25 interceptions in 2010.

Honorable mention

11. Matt Schaub, Texans (29): He's averaged 4,570 yards and 27 TDs since 2009.

12. Joe Flacco, Ravens (26): He threw for 3,622 yards, only 9 better than the year before, but his TD passes increased from 21 in 2009 to 25 in 2010.

13. Tony Romo, Cowboys (30): An injury ended his season after six games, but don't forget his 2007-09 production (91 total TDs).

NEXT: Running backs

START 'EM

-- 49ers: TE Vernon Davis, K Jeff Reed.

-- Chargers: QB Philip Rivers, WR Vincent Jackson, WR Malcom Floyd, K Nate Kaeding, defense and special teams.

Quick slants: Davis has 744 yards and six touchdowns on the season, and he has nine catches for 196 yards and two scores in his last two games. ... In two games with San Francisco, Reed has scored 26 points and is perfect on seven field-goal attempts. ... Rivers has endured his only "slump" of the season, throwing for a combined 691 yards, three TDs and two interceptions in his last three games. With 3,868 yards and 26 TDs on the season, you have to play him every week. ... Jackson made it through an entire game last week, but had only two catches for 29 yards and one rush for 14 yards. Just a hunch: With Floyd banged up, this will be Jackson's breakout game. ... Floyd is a difficult call, since he missed practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury, but he's expected to play and he had four catches and two TDs last week. The Chargers' receiving corps is banged up, so they need him tonight. ... Kaeding is averaging 7.6 points per game. ... San Diego's defense is ranked first overall (265 yards per game), first against the pass (173) and fourth vs. the run (91.6).

SIT 'EM

49ers: QB Alex Smith, RB Brian Westbrook, RB Anthony Dixon, WR Michael Crabtree, WR Josh Morgan, defense and special teams.

Chargers: RB Mike Tolbert, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Patrick Crayton, TE Antonio Gates, TE Randy McMichael.

Quick slants: Smith threw for 255 yards and three TDs last week, his first game since Week 7, but I wouldn't play him against a defense that has one more interception (13) than TD passes allowed (12). ... Westbrook is a tempting play in point-per-reception leagues after he caught six passes for 87 yards and a TD last week against Seattle. In standard formats, however, I wouldn't start him because he's had only 18 carries for 54 yards in the two games in which Frank Gore has missed. ... Crabtree had one catch for 1 yard last week, and he hasn't had more than 48 yards in a game since Week 10. ... The 49ers' defense ranks 11th overall (327.4 yards per game), but is 20th against the pass (227). ... Tolbert has 10 TDs on the ground, but he split 32 carries with Mathews last week, and the rookie is San Diego's featured back when healthy (which hasn't been often). ... Mathews had 16 carries for 65 yards and a TD last week, his first appearance since Week 9, but Tolbert gets the majority of the goal-line work. ... Crayton is out with a wrist injury. ... Gates is doubtful with foot and ankle injuries. ... With Gates out last week, his replacement, McMichaels, had only two catches for 26 yards.

Last season was the year of the quarterback, leaving many of us to question our past belief that you don't take a passer in the top half of the first round -- or in my case, never in the opening round.

As we wrote in our preview column, a record 10 quarterbacks had at least 4,000 yards passing in 2009, and 17 finished with more than 3,500 yards. A dozen QBs had at least 25 touchdown tosses, also an all-time mark, and 18 had 20 TDs or more.

From 2000 to 2008, the average was four 4,000-yard passers, nine 3,500-yard passers, six QBs with 25-plus TDs and 11.6 with 20-plus scores.

Does that mean you take Drew Brees in the overall top five? I wouldn't, but I would take him at No. 6 in leagues in which you get six points for a TD pass, and I might even select him in that spot in the formats in which TD throws are four points.

With that in mind, here are our top 24 QBs, with more numbers to follow after the rankings.

Rank, player, team GP-Yds-TD-Int-Rush yds-TD
1. Drew Brees, NO 15-4,388-34-11-33-2
2. Aaron Rodgers, GB 16-4,434-30-7-316-5
3. Peyton Manning, Ind 16-4,500-33-16-(-13)-0
4. Tom Brady, NE 16-4,398-28-13-44-1
5. Philip Rivers, SD 16-4,254-28-9-50-1
6. Matt Schaub, Hou 16-4,770-29-15-57-0
7. Tony Romo, Dal 16-4,483-26-9-105-1
8. Kevin Kolb, Phi 5-741-4-3-(-1)-1
9. Brett Favre, Min 16-4,202-33-7-7-0
10. Eli Manning, NYG 16-4,021-27-14-65-0
11. Joe Flacco, Bal 16-3,613-21-12-56-0
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit 15-4,328-26-12-82-2
13. Jay Cutler, Chi 16-3,666-27-26-173-1
14. Matt Ryan, Atl 14-2,916-22-14-49-1
15. Donovan McNabb, Was 14-3,553-22-10-140-2
16. Carson Palmer, Cin 16-3,094-21-13-93-3
17. Chad Henne, Mia 14-2,878-12-14-32-1
18. Matt Cassel, KC 15-2,924-16-16-189-0
19. Matthew Stafford, Det 10-2,267-13-20-108-2
20. Matt Hasselbeck, Sea 14-3,029-17-17-119-0
21. David Garrard, Jac 16-3,597-15-10-323-3
22. Vince Young, Ten 12-1,879-10-7-281-2
23. Matt Leinart, Ari 8-435-0-3-(-6)-0
24. Kyle Orton, Den 16-3,802-21-12-71-0
NOTE: Statistics are from the 2009 season.

QUICK SLANTS

Brees has thrown for at least 4,388 yards in each of the last four seasons, and he's averaged 30.5 TD passes in that span. ... In the last two years, Rodgers has accounted for 67 scores (58 passing and nine rushing). ... Manning has thrown for at least 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns in each of his 12 NFL seasons. ... In Weeks 2 and 3 last season, Kolb played for an injured McNabb and threw for 718 yards and four touchdowns, and he rushed for a score. ... In 2009, Favre had a career high in TDs and recorded his lowest interception total. ... The Steelers’ Roethlisberger will be suspended for at least the first four games of the season.

PAST PREVIEWS

-- Kicker rankings

-- Defense and special teams rankings

-- All player rankings

Later this week: We'll preview the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

Sixteen weeks -- or if you're in a league that inexplicably plays its championship game in Week 17, aka The Game The Colts Refuse To Play -- weren't enough, so you entered a fantasy postseason pool.

Whether it's a league in which you have an actual draft or one in which you pick a certain amount of players, but not more than one from each playoff team, there are three questions to keep in mind.

1. How many games will Player X give you? 2. What is his likely lineup of opponents? 3. Do Mark Sanchez and Braylon Edwards really have to get selected?

With that in mind, here are my rankings for the top quarterbacks, with running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and defenses to follow later in the week.

QUARTERBACKS

12. Mark Sanchez, Jets: He's thrown eight more interceptions (20) than touchdown passes (12), and he hasn't accounted for a score in five games.

11. Carson Palmer, Bengals: Sanchez or Palmer will play into Round 2 at least, but neither should be much of an option unless you're in a 12-team league or you're forced to select two QBs. Palmer has had only five games with two or more touchdown throws.

10. Joe Flacco, Ravens: He's thrown one or zero TD passes in 10 of 16 games, and there's a strong chance his team will be one-and-done.

9. Donovan McNabb, Eagles: The good: He tallied 24 TDs (22 passing, two rushing) in 14 games. The bad: He had one TD in two losses to the Cowboys, whom the Eagles will play Saturday night on the road.

8. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: With 4,434 yards passing, 30 TD throws and five scores on the ground, he's much better than this ranking. But the Pack would have to win at Arizona and likely at New Orleans just for you to get more than two games from Rodgers.

7. Kurt Warner, Cardinals: Rodgers is better, but Warner would seem to be more likely to play a pair of games, and would you really be surprised if the Cardinals beat the reeling Saints in the divisional round?

6. Tom Brady, Patriots: Wes Welker's knee injury bumps Gisele's husband down a couple spots, and then there are the broken ribs and fractured ring finger from which Brady reportedly is suffering. Sixteen of Brady's 28 TD passes occurred in four games.

5. Tony Romo, Cowboys: If Dallas defeats Philadelphia for a third straight time, Romo would face a Vikings defense that has allowed 26 TD tosses. In his last six games, Romo has 1,859 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

4. Brett Favre, Vikings: He finished the regular season by throwing for a combined 637 yards and six TDs, with no picks, in Weeks 16 and 17, and his NFC playoff opponents could be the Cardinals (No. 23 vs. the pass), followed by the Saints (No. 26).

3. Drew Brees, Saints: This might be one spot too low for an MVP candidate who plays for the NFC's No. 1 seed, but the next QB on the list is playing for a team that has won 11 straight. Brees had mediocre numbers in Weeks 15 and 16 (556 yards and two TDs), then rested in the regular-season finale -- all Saints losses.

2. Philip Rivers, Chargers: His likely Round 2 opponent, the Patriots, have given up 25 TD passes, and he seems to have as good of a chance of any QB to play three postseason games. Rivers accounted for a TD in 15 of 16 games.

1. Peyton Manning, Colts: When the Colts actually cared, Indy was 14-0 and Manning had 4,213 yards passing (300.9 per game) and 33 TDs. Indy's first-round opponent (the Ravens, tied for No. 8; Jets, No. 1; or Bengals, No. 6) is guaranteed to rank in the top eight against the pass, but, barring a huge upset next week, Manning will play two games at home -- and the Colts actually will be trying.

TUESDAY: Running backs

We'll keep this brief today, but before we get to the start-and-sit lists, here's a link to today's column on the fantasy prospects of Jerome Harrison, Michael Bush and those difficult-to-figure-out Indianapolis Colts.

Good news for owners of Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates: The Titans are terrible defending the pass (No. 31 at 265 yards per game). Tennessee has allowed the second-most touchdown passes (28), but does have 19 interceptions. The Titans are effective against the run (No. 9, 100.4 yards per game), but have yielded 12 TDs on the ground.

The Chargers rank 21st defending the run (116.9 yards per game, only eight rushing TDs allowed) and are No. 13 vs. the pass (213 yards per game, 21 passing TDs allowed).

Good luck in your championship game, and Merry Christmas.

START

Chargers: QB Philip Rivers, RB LaDainian Tomlinson, WR Vincent Jackson, TE Antonio Gates, K Nate Kaeding

Titans: RB Chris Johnson, K Rob Bironas

SIT

Chargers: RB Darren Sproles, WR Malcom Floyd, defense and special teams

Titans: QB Vince Young, WR Kenny Britt, WR Justin Gage, defense and special teams