There is a large disparity in how quarterbacks are scored across different leagues but the main differences revolve around the point value of a passing touchdown and yardage points. Changing those will obviously change the numbers, but does surprisingly little to change player rankings within a year and nothing to their relative performance year to year within their position.

What we have seen the past five years is the top spot swapped back and forth between Daunte Culpepper and Kurt Warner. In 1998, Steve Young held the spot which pretty much was just an older version of Culpepper. The difference last year was Warner falling off the map.

Each of the past five seasons have shown a relative consistency in the number of fantasy points scored by the top six or top twelve players with little variation. Unlike kickers and defenses, there is a significant difference between owning the best and 12th best quarterback. An extra five to eight points per game can easily spell the difference between losing and winning.

The past two seasons have been remarkably similar through the top 24 players and one more season like that will cement the NFL standard of diverse passing games and the value of a running quarterback. In almost all years, there ended with a top three quarterbacks which were a clear step up from the fourth and those from the fourth to the twelfth spot were less different top to bottom. So where did these guys come from?

Ends up that they were not really hiding the prior season. This is not a position with overnight wonders. At least not outside Kurt Warner and even that no longer applies.

The two top six stars of the prior season that did not make it back to the top 12 at least the next season were Elvis Grbac (2000) and Warner (2001). Warner had the thumb injury to point at as well.

Overall, there is a definite trend for the best fantasy quarterbacks to remain either the best or at least a viable starter for a fantasy team. The reasoning is explored further in a companion article this season - The Running Quarterback. The top pocket passers like Manning remain productive enough to bang around the top echelon and the rushing quarterbacks are scoring enough points either by pass or run to offer almost unheard of consistency in fantasy points for the quarterback position.

This is the reason why the quarterbacks appear so deep this season. Every year witnesses at least a couple of players having a big passing year, but they are now squeaking into the top dozen fantasy quarterbacks that is becoming resident with the very best pure passers and the top rushing quarterbacks. Certainly having the very best quarterback makes a difference, but only Manning and Culpepper present the lowest risk to be a top player. There are a full dozen quarterbacks that will either have a big passing year or that will have a good rushing season and pass enough to challenge the highest levels.

After Manning and Culpepper, the two top of their style of play, the others all offer a similar risk and reward. The fantasy points produced by quarterbacks do not change much year to year and progressively each season the actual names of the quarterbacks are changing less and less.