1. Drew Brees : Even with Sean Peyton out last year and the merry go round at the helm, Brees still finished atop the points for QB’s in 2012. I think a repeat is in the making for this year.
2. Aaron Rodgers : Numbers wise Rodgers had a down year but with that being said he finished third in points last year and added a strong RB in the draft.
3. Peyton Manning : Bringing in Welker for the slot will amplify their offense even more than it was last year. Plus the addition of Montee Ball to the back field reminds me of when Fox had the bash brothers in Carolina.
4. Tom Brady : This is kind of high for me, but on shear talent Brady deserves to be here. Losing Welker to Denver, and the uncertainty of Gronk. I think Brady could have an off year. But I will reassess the situation closer to my next rankings.
5. Cam Newton : Third year in the league and I think it’s his time to shine. The rushing yards might dwindle a little bit if Carolina decides to run the RBs more, but inside 5 yards is Cam’s specialty. He gets you rushing TDs which other players aren’t, and I think his passing game will thrive this season.
6. Matt Ryan : With arguably the best WR duo, in Jones and White. Also added Jackson in the backfield, I’m a little cautious to see if it’s a big change from Turner.
7. Robert Griffin III : His second year in the same system, we will see how he comes back from his knee injury last year.
8. Matthew Stafford : Brought in Reggie Bush to assist their backs, should be a nice receiver out of the back. Still has Megatron, which would boost any QB.
9. Andrew Luck : Led the Colts to the playoffs last year, finished in the top 10 in fantasy. Don’t see much improvement from this year. Solid top ten QB.
   

   Jan 6, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) during the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at M

10. Eli Manning : If they keep Cruz, Eli could move up. If Cruz leaves that would only leave Nicks as the proven WR. He will move further down the totem pole if there is no Cruz.
11. Tony Romo : As a professional QB, he has his moments that make you shake your head. But in the fantasy world last year he finished right above Luck. He can have a huge game, just no consistency, and had multiple games with multiple interceptions.
12. Joe Flacco : Winning the Super Bowl last year was a high, coming into this season he lost a big target in Boldin. Still has the down field threat, so I predict a couple big games this year.
13. Colin Kaepernick : San Francisco drafted WR, TE and RB in draft. But the biggest impact players were brought in through free agency with Boldin and Manningham.
14. Russell Wilson : One of the biggest moves in free agency this year was Seattle’s addition of Percy Harvin. Still have the beast in the backfield so the passing game can only get better for Wilson.
15. Andy Dalton : Got a TE in the draft, still has Green to throw to which saves Dalton as far as fantasy goes.
16. Sam Bradford : With the loss of Jackson, I think they will have a tougher time throwing the ball this year. But they did get two WRs in this draft that has played together for a while.
17. Josh Freeman : Still has some weapons to throw to, defense was helped a lot in this year’s draft, plus the addition of Revis. So I think Freeman will get more opportunities this year, I am just not sure what he is going to do with them.
18. Matt Schaub : Added Hopkins in the draft which I think will complement Johnson in the passing game, still a strong RB coming out of the backfield.
19. Michael Vick : Brought in a good TE in the draft. They have a new head coach, could have a great year this year. Might move up in later rankings.
20. Jay Cutler : Not the most consistent QB in the bunch, but he does have a plethora of talent around him. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally.

Tune in next week as I look over the top 20 RBs. I don’t think anyone in Carolina will make that cut… Thanks for reading.

Chicago Bears 33, Washington Redskins 31 – RGIII looked more like a rookie in this one but he didn’t look horrible. He’s just having a few growing pains. QB Kirk Cousins threw 3 TD passes with the second team. Bears WR Alshon Jeffery looks like the player “they THOUGHT they were” (getting, that is – hat tip to Denny Green). The biggest concern was when Redskins OLB and Pro-Bowler Brian Orakpo injured his right pectoral muscle on a tackle – the same one he injured last year. Hopefully it’s just a strain, but a tear would keep him out possibly the entire season. It’s too early to know yet but listen for news as it develops. Redskins starting safety Brandon Meriweather hurt his knee, was helped off the field, and didn’t return in the game. I wonder if the GEICO caveman is gloating?

Houston Texans 20, San Francisco 49′ers 9 – Matt Schaub looked sharp once again and Andre Johnson looked horse-healthy on a 43 yard completion as the Texans’ first teams looked impressive once again. 9′ers RB Brandon Jacobs left the game after a tackler speared his right thigh/knee area on a tackle. It looked quite painful to be sure, but probably will wind up being a deep bruise. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter are still the top two backs and that shouldn’t change. Jim Harbaugh seems to be interweaving his new receiving bodies into his run-based offense nicely and they’ll be a force in the NFC. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me all that much if this game is a Super Bowl Preview.

St. Louis Rams 31, Kansas City Chiefs 17 – Rams’ QB Sam Bradford looked sharp, throwing 2 TD passes on 6 of 9 passing and appears to be healthy again after an ankle injury hampered his sophomore season. Rookie WR Brian Quick had 3 catches and he was considered a talent who needs a little seasoning but seems to be developing nicely so far. Danny Amendola had 3 catches for 58 yards and a TD. Matt Cassel of the Chiefs had a nice outing as well while RBs Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles, both injured much of last season, got a little work and looked nice on a few runs. If that duo can get going, they could possibly be the best “Thunder (Hillis) and Lightning (Charles)” combo in the NFL if they live up to their talent…and if Hillis doesn’t get Strep Throat again. Rookie NT Dontari Poe’s struggles continue as he recorded a single tackle on the contest.

Seattle Seahawks 30, Denver Broncos 10 – 38 year-old WR Terrell Owens dropped a sure 48 yard TD pass from QB Matt Flynn, but the Seahawks won anyway. Peyton Manning had a good day other than a couple of interceptions – one on a tipped pass and the other on a throw that drifted on him a bit when he had to make a perfect pass. Don’t worry about Manning; he’s Manning and will be fine. Fantasy owners should take notice that Brandon Stokley and Manning seem to be getting familiar with each other again. Keep tabs on the pair; Stokley might be worth a late-round pick as a bit of a sleeper that some owners will pass over due to his age and injury history, but might see some production in this offense.

San Diego Chargers 28, Dallas Cowboys 20 – Dallas loses their second preseason game but their starting defense is really looking good. All of the Chargers’ points came in the second half. Lots going on in this game. First, Chargers’ apparent #1 receiver Vincent Brown broke his ankle and will miss at least 8 weeks. The Chargers WR group as a whole isn’t the most durable even while they have depth. QB Philip Rivers continued throwing picks like last year. It’s not all his fault, however, as his line is giving up ground so he can’t step into some of his throws. That Cowboy first-team looks pretty good on both sides but especially on defense as they have yet to allow a score in two games. Undrafted rookie free agent Cole Beasley from SMU had 7 catches and 104 yards as he stated his case for the #3 WR behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. Bryant made a would-be spectacular one-handed catch in the back of the endzone, leaping high to snag it out of the air. He came down JUST out of bounds and there was a holding penalty anyway, but the spectacle clearly demonstrated his talent and ability. They don’t make many like him.

June 12, 2012; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) during Minicamp at the Denver Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

No team has changed their style more in the past two seasons than the Denver Broncos. First, let’s look at their 2012 draft picks:

2 36 Derek Wolfe DT Cincinnati
2 57 Brock Osweiler QB Arizona State
3 67 Ronnie Hillman RB San Diego State
4 101 Omar Bolden CB Arizona State
4 108 Philip Blake C Baylor
5 137 Malik Jackson DE Tennessee
6 188 Danny Trevathan LB Kentucky

The team had a horrible run under Josh McDaniels, who gutted the team of their best talent, namely QB Jay Cutler and WR Brandon Marshall, because of his own ego problems. Mercifully, the organization fired him, put John Elway as President, and hired ex-Panthers coach John Fox.

I’ve always felt Fox was one of the better NFL coaches. He’s very good at being flexible and playing to his team’s strengths. He also has former Jaguars Head Coach Jack del Rio as his Defensive Coordinator. Del Rio’s teams always played very solid defense, so he’s a great asset to have.

As a result, the 2011 Broncos resembled almost a Wishbone-style college offense. Tim Tebow was a fullback playing QB and at 245 pounds with arms like a linebacker’s, the style worked. Tebow couldn’t complete half his passes so Fox ran, ran, and ran some more. Along with arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL, 2011 DROY Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil, the Bronco defense punished enemy QBs relentlessly.

However, they still had holes to fill and played in the weakest division in the NFL last season. They won the division with an 8-8 record and amazingly defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime in their first playoff game. That solidified Tebow’s mystery-quarterback status – a runner who can throw the ball a little bit but manages to win games. It sort of reminded me of Jim Plunkett – he played UGLY UGLY, but all he did was win games. Their styles were quite different, but the end results are similar.

Tebow’s now a New York Jet and all we DO know about him is that he’s on the punt-protection team there. Yeah, that’s what I’d use a former first-round QB pick on. *yawn*

That takes us to Peyton Manning. The biggest unrestricted free agent in NFL history (and most publicized) picked the Broncos over 5 or 6 other suitors. Manning and Elway connected on a level no other organization could match since Elway is a Hall of Fame Super Bowl-winning quarterback himself. There’s little question that Peyton will wind up in Canton as well, but his presence will dramatically change the offensive outlook for 2012.

Gone are the days of 60+ rush attempts and student body left, student body right runs. Peyton has a vast array of talents, but running is definitely not one of them. He won’t be pushing Cam Newton’s rushing records. Ever.

What he WILL do is deliver patented pinpoint passes to a group of so far pedestrian WRs that do show some talent but were handcuffed by Tebow’s lack of ability last season.

As for off-season moves, they signed WR Brandon Stokley, who happens to be one of Peyton’s best friends and an ex-teammate, to a one-year contract. He’ll likely work the slot and be a reserve but their history means Stokley should be on the same page as Manning in pretty much any situation.

They also signed TE Jacob Tamme from Indianapolis. Tamme was a backup but played outstanding football when Manning’s favorite target, TE Dallas Clark, went down with an injury. That’s TWO new weapons that have a history with Peyton. Tamme could either start or be the 2nd TE in double-TE sets. They also signed Bengals reserve WR Andre Caldwell to put into the mix.

Manning’s main WR targets are Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. Thomas has been hampered by injuries in his first two seasons but shows a lot of ability when he’s on the field. Oftentimes, it’s the third NFL season when players break out if they’re going to, and having Peyton throwing him passes will certainly help.

Eric Decker should be the most dangerous WR on the team. In 2011, even with Tim Tebow throwing passes, he had over 600 yards receiving…and 8 TDs. He has a nose for the endzone and could really blossom.

The Bronco running game only has to be good enough to make defenses play more “honestly,” but they’ll know the biggest threat is Peyton’s arm. The Broncos have punishing RB Willis McGahee and underachieving former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno. Moreno’s production has fallen in each of his first three seasons and really needs to step up his play this year. The running game looks good enough with McGahee to give the team a lot of things for defenses to worry about.

In 2011, the Denver pass defense was excellent. Veteran shutdown corner Champ Bailey still has gas in the tank, although his skills are beginning to diminish with age. Their two pass-rushers I mentioned earlier are as good a duo as you’ll find, but they were rather soft up the middle against the run.

2007 All-Pro DT Ty Warren missed the entire 2011 campaign due to injury, and it showed with their difficulties in stopping the run. He should be healthy in 2012, giving the defense an instant boost. For good measure, the Broncos got a great value pick in round two with DT Derek Wolfe. If Warren plays to his old form and Wolfe can step in and be solid while he’s learning the NFL game, this defense WILL be a force to be reckoned with.

As such, the Broncos ranked 20th in overall yds/game defense in 2011 and came on strong in the second half of the season. That’s John Fox’s influence showing as a “defensive guru” showing. He loves the 4-3, and those two DT additions should really shore up a defensive line that was last season’s weakness. It should become a strength now with Brodrick Bunkley providing depth or starting depending on the development of rookie Derek Wolfe in the preseason.

At linebacker, things won’t change much other than players moving up/down the depth chart. They should once again field LBs D.J. Williams, Joe Mays, and Von Miller.

The secondary is probably the biggest concern. Both starting CBs are at least 30 yrs old (Bailey and Andre Goodman) and longtime veteran safety Brian Dawkins retired at age 38. Look for the Broncos to hit the secondary hard post-2012 season and in the 2013 draft. It was Von Miller’s development and the defense gelling in the second half that improved their overall pass defense.

So, where does that put the team? They were 8-8 last season, a division champion, and won a playoff game so the bar is set rather high. As for the draft, it appears they sprinkled in rookie help at most positions, not concentrating on any single one. They even picked up Arizona State QB Brock Osweiler as they know Manning only has 2 to 3 years left in his incredible career, so they are looking to the future as well.

With that in mind, the addition of Peyton Manning means the team took….

…the maximum 3 steps forward. They should be an offensive dynamo with a lot of depth at WR if someone can step up to the plate. Manning’s coach-on-the-field style will help the youngsters learning curve, and the addition of TE Tamme provides some measure of security. Manning himself is worth 2 stars and the forecast is for the rush defense to improve nicely. Every team has holes, but their pass rush roughly negates the “average” secondary – but Champ Bailey is still an anchor.

If Manning can return to 90% of his old self, look for the 2012 incarnation of the Denver Broncos to win 12 games in a weak division and push the Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens for a Super Bowl berth.

Next up….the Detroit Lions.