All Spotlights • Drew Brees Player Page • NO Projections • QB Projections • QB Rankings • NO Team Report
Spotlight - QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Posted on 8/18, exclusive to Footballguys.com
Jason Wood's Thoughts
To say that Drew Brees has been productive is like saying Giselle Bunchen is kind of cute. Brees was a successful starter in San Diego, but his output with the Saints has been nothing short of staggering. Since joining the Saints three years ago, Brees has been the most dominant passer in the league:
- 1,212 completions (1st)
- 1,844 attempts (1st)
- 65.7% completion rate (2nd to Chad Pennington)
- 13,915 yards (1st)
- 88 TDs (2nd to Peyton Manning)
- 1059 fantasy points (1st)
Now, to be fair, these numbers sell Tom Brady short because of his missed 2008 season. But even on a per game basis, Brees merely shares the podium with Brady, he doesn't concede the title.
Per Game Metrics (2006-2008)
- 25.3 completions/game (1st)
- 38.4 attempts/game (1st)
- 65.7% completion rate (2nd)
- 289.9 yards/game (1st)
- 1.83 TDs/game (3rd behind Brady and Manning)
- 22.1 fantasy points/game (2nd to Brady)
Coming off a 5,000-yard season (only the 2nd in NFL history), only a major injury could derail Brees from being a stellar fantasy option again in 2009. What’s shocking is that Brees seems capable of putting up monster numbers regardless of who steps into the huddle with him.
Over the last three seasons, seven different players have had at least one 100-yard receiving game:
- Marques Colston (11 games)
- Devery Henderson (5 games)
- Reggie Bush (3 games)
- Lance Moore (3 games)
- David Patten (3 games)
- Joe Horn (2 games)
- Pierre Thomas (1 game)
Brees’ Weapons Don’t Stop There. Robert Meachem, a tease last season, has been arguably the best WR in camp and is making plays in the preaseason games, too. And the TE combination of Jeremy Shockey and Billy Miller contributed 95 catches and 1,062 yards last year, and that was in spite of the fact Shockey joined the team late in the preseason. This year, you can expect Shockey (a perennial top 10 fantasy TE as a Giant) to be much better.
His offensive line keeps him safe. You can never discount injuries, after all, it only takes one hit to end a season. But most great QBs are also well protected. And in Brees’ case, the Saints line does an exemplary job of giving him time in the pocket. Last year Brees was only sacked 13 times, and over the last three seasons, he’s been sacked just 47 times; among the best in the league. For a guy who drops back to throw 600 times a season, that’s an astounding feat by the front five.
Positives
- Brees is among the league leaders in attempts, completions, yards per attempt, TDs/attempt and completion percentage. It's hard to argue he's not among the two or three most productive passers in the game today
- The Saints offensive line does an incredible job keeping Brees well protected (18, 16 and 13 sacks allowed in 2006-2008)
- The Saints have a litany of offensive weapons, and Brees has shown a propensity to hit the hot hand, he doesn't play favorites
Negatives
- You're going to have to be comfortable using a 1st/2nd round pick on your QB; many fantasy owners aren't
- Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Reggie Bush are coming off injuries
- Brees provides absolutely no value as a runner; which is often a stealth source of fantasy value for QBs
Final Thoughts
Drew Brees should be the 1st or 2nd QB off the board in nearly every league. No disrespect to Peyton Manning, but Brees has been the best fantasy QB since joining the Saints 3 seasons ago, and only a healthy Tom Brady has outplayed him over that span. With a seemingly never-ending supply of viable targets, a solid pass blocking line, and a coaching staff and system that are stable and effective, only an injury could derail Brees from another elite fantasy season.Quotations from the Message Board Thread
To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.
fightingillini:
Pencil in another big year for Brees. He's one of the most accurate passers in the NFL. He has tons of weapons to throw to, good solid RB in Pierre Thomas to keep defenses honest, and a matchup nightmare in the passing game....Reggie Bush. Should be in many shootouts this year.
The Man with the Plan:
His passing yards and touchdowns have gone up every season in New Orleans.
2006: 4418 26
2007: 4423 28
2008: 5067 34
I'm not saying. I'm just saying.
rzrback77:
I really don't see much need for a Drew Brees spotlight. He has been incredibly productive in New Orleans and now both their RBs are exceptional targets out of the backfield. He is about as sure of a sure thing that there is when considering QBs. The huge problem is that everybody realizes this. He is the first QB off the draft board in almost every draft so you have to commit to missing out on a top player at another position to draft Brees. Your best bet is for him to have a miserable game in week one or two and trade for him with a short-sighted impatient owner.
FUBAR:
Pierre should be alright, but the play makers are still Bush and the WRs. Brees may not be the best QB in the NFL, but his situation makes him the best FF pick.
Drew Brees Projections
| SOURCE | PYD | PTD | INT | RSHYD | RSHTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Wood | 4440 | 29 | 17 | 45 | 1 |
| Message Board Consensus | 4492 | 33 | 15 | 45 | 0 |