Top 15 quarterbacks for 2013

Editor's note: Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg and Nathan Zegura will share a snapshot of their rankings in January to give owners something to ponder.

Top 15 quarterbacks for 2013
Jamey Eisenberg	Dave Richard	Nathan Zegura
1. Aaron Rodgers, GB	1. Drew Brees, NO	1. Drew Brees, NO
2. Drew Brees, NO	2. Peyton Manning, DEN	2. Aaron Rodgers, GB
3. Tom Brady, NE	3. Aaron Rodgers, GB	3. Tom Brady, NE
4. Cam Newton, CAR	4. Tom Brady, NE	4. Cam Newton, CAR
5. Peyton Manning, DEN	5. Cam Newton, CAR	5. Peyton Manning, DEN
6. Matt Ryan, ATL	6. Matt Ryan, ATL	6. Matt Ryan, ATL
7. Matthew Stafford, DET	7. Matthew Stafford, DET	7. Matthew Stafford, DET
8. Tony Romo, DAL	8. Tony Romo, DAL	8. Tony Romo, DAL
9. Andrew Luck, IND	9. Andrew Luck, IND	9. Robert Griffin III, WAS
10. Eli Manning, NYG	10. Robert Griffin III, WAS	10. Andrew Luck, IND
11. Robert Griffin III, WAS	11. Russell Wilson, SEA	11. Eli Manning, NYG
12. Russell Wilson, SEA	12. Eli Manning, NYG	12. Josh Freeman, TB
13. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	13. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	13. Colin Kaepernick, SF
14. Colin Kaepernick, SF	14. Colin Kaepernick, SF	14. Russell Wilson, SEA
15. Andy Dalton, CIN	15. Andy Dalton, CIN	15. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
I'll take Rodgers at the top spot again because he's finished as the No. 1 or 2 Fantasy quarterback each of the past four years. Even in what was perceived as a down year for him in 2012 he was just two touchdowns and 100 passing yards behind Brees for the No. 1 spot. ... Peyton Manning just had his fifth year with at least 4,300 passing yards and 30 touchdowns and has the best receiving corps in the NFL. ... I was already concerned about Griffin before his knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL because he struggled toward the end of his rookie year. After Week 7 he had just two games with more than 19 Fantasy points with both coming against two terrible defenses in Dallas and Philadelphia. He remains a No. 1 quarterback in 2013, but don't draft him before Round 6. And it is imperative to pair him with a high-end No. 2 option like Roethlisberger or Kaepernick. ... Stafford had 21 fewer passing touchdowns in 2012 than he did in 2011, and he finished as the No. 12 Fantasy quarterback as a result. He also had Calvin Johnson get tackled at the 1-yard line five times. Give him those 30 points if Johnson ended up scoring, and he moves up to No. 8. He'll rebound. ... Eli Manning had five games with at least three touchdowns at home in 2012 and three games on the road with no touchdowns. He's a top bounce-back candidate with a healthy Hakeem Nicks and a developing weapon in Rueben Randle. ... I love the upside of Wilson and Kaepernick, but they have a lot to prove to be considered reliable. Wilson obviously has the better track record since he was a Top 12 Fantasy passer in eight of his final nine games. Kaepernick did that in just four of his seven starts. -- Jamey Eisenberg
Be prepared to pass on a quarterback in Round 1, if not the first few rounds in typical leagues with 12 teams or fewer. There's just too much talent on the board when everyone needs to start just one quarterback. The best plan could be to wait until the third, fourth and fifth rounds to snare a passer. I like any of the Top 12 quarterbacks to be my starter in 2013. ... I originally had Griffin inside my Top 5 but couldn't see myself picking him over the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Since then he's suffered a major knee injury and has fallen to 10th overall. That ranking is wholly dependent on him being available for the start of the season; any indication that he's behind in his rehab and he'll slide out of the Top 12 for sure. Also, anyone who drafts RG3 should also plan to pick another quarterback within the Top 15 in case he's not ready or not as effective as we hope. ... Putting Luck and Wilson as low-end starters is a nod to both of them improving this offseason. The key with taking either one of them is to also draft a veteran as a backup. Landing Luck/Roethlisberger or Wilson/Dalton should provide some stablility (and depth) at the position with Round 6-9 picks. ... It's eerie how all three of us have similar rankings -- the top 15 players are the same and they're basically tiered similarly. That could suggest that Fantasy owners will think similarly on Draft Day and the order in which quarterbacks will get taken will be predictable. -- Dave Richard
The quarterback position is deeper than ever as we head into the 2013 season. All 15 of these guys have Top 10 potential to me and I think we have a couple of tiers of distinction here. ... Brees, Rodgers and Brady are the cream of the crop and my Top 3 but I would not take them in the first round. ... Newton and Peyton Manning are the next two on my list and all could potentially finish No. 1 overall at the end of the year. ... Stafford (who will have more touchdowns in 2013) and Ryan could both finish in the Top 3 and even Romo could make a massive jump with Dez Bryant going to the next level. ... Griffin has dropped from No. 5 overall in the first release of these rankings to No. 9 given his recent ACL/LCL surgery. ... I am not at all worried about RG3 the passer and expect him to be ready to go early in the year, but he could see a drop off in his rushing totals and that uncertainty is why he is down. ... Griffin will move back into the Top 6-7 depending on his recovery and ability to be the dual threat quarterback that made him so productive for Fantasy owners. ... That gives us nine very elite quarterbacks and if Luck can cut down on his turnovers (do not forget that Peyton Manning chopped off 11 turnovers in his second season) we have 10. ... Eli will bounce back with a healthy Hakeem Nicks along with Rueben Randle's continued development. ... I know that the Buccaneers really want to get a top pass catching tight end for Freeman, who could easily be a Top 5 quarterback if he cuts down on his turnovers. ... Kaepernick and Wilson (I'd like to see more consistent passing yardage) could easily jump into the Top 7 with their ability to both run and pass the football and Big Ben is a solid No. 15 on the list. ... The quarterback position is loaded and if you snag one of the first eight, you will be in great shape in 2013. If you miss on those guys, you still have a great chance to get an elite point producer -- Nathan Zegura