Fantasy Football: Is New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees a fantasy starter?

If you’re playing in a standard 12-team league, will New Orleans Saints legend and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees be a fantasy starter? Short answer: yes.

Drew Brees will not be the league’s best fantasy quarterback in 2019. While he may captain the New Orleans Saints to the league’s best record, his fantasy numbers likely won’t be what they once were.

Brees is just two years removed from a league-leading 5,208-yard season. He was dominant, throwing 37 touchdowns, an average of over two per game. However, over the past two seasons, his numbers, especially for fantasy purposes, have dipped.

Last season, Brees threw for under 4,000 yards which was the first time he failed to hit 4k this decade. While fantasy owners may’ve been worried, Brees’ Saints were 13-2, the best finish of his career with the team eventually losing the last game, entering the playoffs at 13-3 so the team’s owner and dedicated fanbase certainly weren’t.

As for this season, Brees could be in store for an impressive year. Brees will have an offense full of weapons, potentially the most firepower he’s had in the past half a decade mainly due to the addition of tight end Jared Cook.

The team retained star wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara, both top-tier fantasy options at their respective position. While they’re both worthy of a start and even an early-round pick, is their quarterback?

Brees finished last season as the No. 10 fantasy player in most leagues. He was the No. 8 overall quarterback with running backs Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley both recording more points than Brees.

This season, with the addition of Cook, Brees should be a top-ten fantasy quarterback yet again. Most rankings have Brees in the top ten but just barely. However, ESPN’s fantasy guru Matthew Berry isn’t a fan. He ranked Brees the 12th best quarterback.

In Berry’s rankings, there a few wild cards like Kyler Murray and Ben Roethlisberger. Will Big Ben continue to thrive without Antonio Brown and will Murray excel against NFL defenses in his rookie season? If both those don’t happen, Brees is again a top-10 QB, even in Berry’s ranking.

If you’re looking for consistency, Brees has been the league’s best fantasy quarterback over the past five seasons combined. He’s a solid threat that typically doesn’t have negatable games.

So, go ahead, if you’re in the tenth round and have no QB, draft Brees. Believe in Brees, but don’t expect just the 40-year-old to take you to the promise land.