QB Rankings

A broken collarbone in Week 6 last year ruined what started as a possible MVP season for Rodgers. In his first five games, he completed 66.7 percent of his passes and was on pace for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. The Packers were 4-1 but went 3-8 the rest of the way with Brett Hundley taking over. Rodgers returned, at less than 100 percent health, for Week 15 with the Packers clinging to playoff hope, but he was shut down after the loss, a season wasted. Entering this season, Rodgers is without his favorite receiver, the aging Jordy Nelson, but he gained tight end Jimmy Graham, who is expected to be used more as a wideout like he was in New Orleans and gives Rodgers the best TE red-zone target he's had. Outside playmaker Davante Adams and possession slot receiver Randall Cobb return, but then it's a lot of unknowns, as the Packers hope a reliable target emerges from the next seven spots on the WR depth chart, including three rookies drafted in Rounds 4-6. Joe Philbin is back too as offensive coordinator, a position he helmed from 2007 to 2011 when Rodgers won his first MVP award. Rodgers is another year older - he says he wants to play until he's 40 - and durability is a bit of concern, though last year was the first time he missed games since his first broken collarbone in 2013.

It's not often a quarterback has a breakout season as a rookie. And Watson didn't just break out last year, he was in the MVP discussion before suffering a torn ACL midseason. Through Week 8, Watson was tied for first in the league in TD passes, second in YPA and first in quarterback rushing, leading the league's most prolific offense at 30.7 points per game. Watson showed rare poise in the pocket - he was arguably the best QB against blitzes last season. He led the league in YPA (9.5) in blitz situations and was second in completion percentage (65.6 percent) to Drew Brees, posting an NFL-high 134.5 passer rating, nearly 22 points better than the next best. What's more, the 22-year-old Watson had seven touchdowns and no interceptions against blitzes. Watson was good on downfield passing, ranking fifth in completion percentage on attempts beyond 20 yards (min. 20 attempts), but he also threw five interceptions. And if there's an area in which he can improve it's accuracy. Had he qualified, Watson would have ranked 20th in completion percentage, just ahead of Eli Manning, and his 3.9 interception percentage would have been third highest. Watson was highly accurate in college, so it's reasonable to think he can improve in his second year. Wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller are back for Watson, assuming he's available. That, of course, is the biggest concern. But the Texans are confident Watson will be ready for Week 1, and the quarterback said in mid-July that he expects to be a full-go for the start of training camp.

Wilson led the league in fantasy scoring last season - nearly 50 points more than any quarterback - thanks to an NFL-high 37 touchdowns. But it was a nonexistent running game that provided those TD opportunities, as Wilson posted career lows in completion percentage and yards per attempt. The Seahawks passed on 64.3 percent of plays inside the 10-yard line (second in the NFL), netting Wilson 15 TD passes from that range (also second), as Seattle running backs totaled minus-11 yards - the fewest in the NFL since 1991 - and never scored inside the 10. The Seahawks' two rushing TDs inside the 10 came from Wilson, who accounted for all but one of the team's offensive touchdowns. He also became the fifth QB since 1970 to lead his team in rushing. If the running game improves with first-round pick Rashaad Penny and the return of Chris Carson, the offense should be much better, but it likely will mean fewer scoring opportunities for Wilson. And either way, he could still be in trouble without 6-7 Jimmy Graham (10 TD on 24 RZ targets, both NFL highs) to bail him out at the goal line, as 6-3 WR Jaron Brown is the only pass catcher taller than 6-2 with more than 50 targets last year. The Seahawks are counting on new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for something more than last year's Russell-schoolyard-magic scheme, but the key, once again, is the offensive line, this time under new line coach Mike Solari. A full year of LT Duane Brown and the acquisition of RG D.J. Fluker have to pay off for Wilson to avoid becoming the second QB in NFL history with 40-plus sacks in six consecutive seasons (Neil Lomax).

Newton bounced back last year from a poor fantasy season in 2016, thanks mostly to his rushing production. He led quarterbacks in rushing, totaling nearly 400 yards more than he had the previous year while also scoring an additional touchdown. But his passing was just as mediocre as in 2016, with his YPA dropping to a career-low 6.7 as he struggled throwing downfield. Newton completed just 13 of 48 attempts of more than 20 yards, posting a career-low 45.3 passer rating (30th) on downfield throws. Much of it had to do with a criminally weak WR unit that offered little outside Devin Funchess, especially after Kelvin Benjamin was traded midseason. Tight end Greg Olsen missed nine full games and parts of two others with a foot injury, and running back Christian McCaffrey led the team in catches. With Ted Ginn gone, the only potential deep threat was rookie Curtis Samuel, who had 2.9 targets per game prior to his season-ending injury. That aspect should at least change this year with the additions of Torrey Smith and rookie first-round pick D.J. Moore, and Jarius Wright was signed to work underneath routes from the slot. The biggest change, though, might be the addition of offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Turner acolyte Rob Chudzinski was Newton's first offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012 when the QB had his two best seasons in terms of passing yards and YPA. Newton figures to have a better chance this year in the passing department than he's had since his MVP year in 2015, and his sustained track record as a goal-line runner - five of his rushing TDs last year came inside the 10-yard line - should protect him from whatever threat C.J. Anderson poses. Newton suffered a knee injury in the team's playoff loss but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Brady is back for another year, and why not? He only led the league in yards last season and finished top five in TDs, completion percentage, YPA, interception percentage and a slew of other stats on his way to another MVP award. He continues to be a master in the red zone, throwing a league-high 26 touchdowns without an interception, and he threw 12.6 percent of his attempts longer than 20 yards (6th) with 28 completions (3rd) on 73 attempts. Brady's durability is impressive. Outside of 2008 when he went down with a torn ACL, he's never missed a game for injury since becoming the starter Week 3 of 2001. That is, he's avoided losing a game to injury in 16 of 17 seasons as the starter. He'll be 41 this season - first-round pick Sony Michel was a kindergartner when Brady made his NFL debut - and while he's a constant, the team around him changed again this year. Dion Lewis, Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola are gone, replaced by Jeremy Hill, Eric Decker and Cordarrelle Patterson. Rob Gronkowski, who flirted with retirement, is back, but Julian Edelman, who missed last season with a knee injury, faces a four-game suspension. Brady is disproving the adage, "you can't play forever." Who wants to bet against him?