While the two Tier 1 quarterbacks will be good enough to be worth passing on a top RB, these guys in Tier 2 aren’t.  They should be very good quarterbacks, but they won’t be the type of game-breakers week-in and week-out that Brady and Manning will be.   In alphabetical order:

Derek Anderson, Cle - One of the biggest questions of the 2008 NFL season is “Can Derek Anderson do it again”?   I don’t know, but I’m going with ‘yes’.  Anderson has WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow back again, healthy and ready to go.  WR Joe Jurevicius is injured, but WR Donte’ Stallworth has been brought in to help fill the gap.  If the Browns can integrate Pro Bowl returner Josh Cribbs into the passing game they could have yet another weapon.  The offensive line is still solid, Jamal Lewis anchors the running game…everything seems to be in place for a very good Browns offense.  I can’t believe I just typed that.

Drew Brees, NO – The prolific Drew Brees is worth a post of his own.

Carson Palmer, Cin – I have to tell you, this guy scares me this year.  I’m worried about Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh and their disgruntledness (I just made that word up) over the course of the season.  I’m worried about the poor condition of the Bengals’ running game.  I’m worried about the fact that last season Palmer had nine games where the number of interceptions he threw was the same or greater than the number of touchdown passes he threw.   Palmer is still a fantasy QB1 – he’s too talented and has too many weapons for a complete collapse – but I’m leery about drafting him.  He’s at the bottom of this tier.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pit – Big Ben gets the special treatment later on.

Tony Romo, Dal – A lot of people group Romo in with Brady and Manning, but I think he’s just a step below them.  I can sum up  the reason why in two words:  “Patrick” and “Crayton”.  Terry Glenn’s best days are behind him and the Cowboys have committed to Crayton with a new four-year contract.  The problem is that Crayton just isn’t the type of weapon that the Cowboys need to keep defenses from double-teaming Terrell Owens.   It’s possible that Crayton can improve into that class of player, but right now I don’t think it’s going to happen, and that limits Romo’s upside.   He’s still neck-and-neck with Brees for the third-best fantasy QB though.