There has been a lot of discussion over the past couple of weeks on various websites about who the No. 1 quarterback for fantasy football will be during the 2014 season. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Peyton Manning was going to lead the list and could even be a first-round pick in fantasy drafts this summer. There is a growing wave of activity though that is pushing Drew Brees up draft boards to a point where he is now growing picked before Manning in some leagues and with experts as well.
A look at the numbers shows that Brees threw for just 315 yards less than Manning last season or an average of around 20 yards per game. That would be only a single point difference in most leagues per game. The 2014 schedule is much easier on Brees than Manning as well. Manning has to face six of the top 11 defenses from last season while Brees will have to face teams like San Francisco and Carolina but doesn’t have the same number of top defenses facing him.
This leads back to fantasy football. There is no doubt that Brees and Manning are both top-flight quarterbacks and both are going to be taken very early in drafts. The playoff schedules are also something worth noting while making a decision. Brees have two home games along with a road game in Chicago during Weeks 14-16.
While the first game is against Carolina, it is in the Superdome. The Bears were awful on defense last season and while changes were made, there is no way of knowing at this point how that unit will come together. Atlanta in Week 16 doesn’t strike fear either in a dome game. During that same time, Manning is home against Buffalo, a solid defensive team along with road games at San Diego and Cincinnati. There are going to be some tense moments involved in those games especially in the Cincinnati game which is the Monday Night game in Week 16 to decide many fantasy championships.
It is hard to argue against taking either one of the quarterbacks but it is starting to look more and more like Brees might be the one to take over Manning now. Both of them are going to come off the board in the second round between picks 12 and 20 but it is going to come down to which quarterback an owner likes better. It is something worth thinking about as preparation continues for the 2014 fantasy football season.