Outlook: After suffering through their first season without Kurt Warner in 2010, the Cardinals chose to beef up the quarterback position by acquiring Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia in return for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2nd round pick. That trade proved to be a disaster, with the Cardinals signing Kolb to a $63 million contract ($21 million in guarantees) and then watching him flop badly as the team’s starter. The Cardinals flirted with the idea of attempting to sign Peyton Manning but instead chose to pay Kolb a $7 million roster bonus and retain him as their starting quarterback in 2012. He will battle John Skelton for the starting position in training camp. While the Cardinals would prefer that Kolb win that competition, Skelton was the more impressive player in 2011, leading the Cardinals to a 6-2 record which overshadows Kolb’s less than stellar 2-6 mark. Losing offseason and training camp time hindered Kolb’s ability to pick up the Cardinals offensive scheme and he struggled with turnovers, coughing up eight interceptions and three fumbles in half a season. Look for Kolb to open the season under center for the Cardinals and for him to emerge as a lower tier QB2 provided he can get comfortable with Arizona’s offensive scheme and reduce his turnovers. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: Taken with the 8th overall selection in the 2011 draft, Locker spent most of his rookie year learning behind Matt Hasselbeck. He showed some playmaking ability in the three games that he received meaningful playing time, especially on the ground, running for 56 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries. As a passer, Locker’s accuracy is his biggest issue as he completed just 34 of 66 attempts although he did avoid throwing any interceptions. In 2012, Locker will be given an opportunity to unseat Hasselbeck to earn the starting position. While it seems likely that the team will open the season with Hasselbeck under center, Locker figures to get playing time given Hasselbeck’s injury history and declining play as the 2011 progressed. Unless he wins the job in camp, Locker should be avoided in redraft leagues but he is a decent prospect in dynasty leagues. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: Locker has won the starting QB job in Tennessee. ~ Mike Krueger

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Outlook: Every so often a team is lucky enough to land itself a franchise quarterback. And if you are the Indianapolis Colts, you hit the jackpot and end up having two consecutive eras with franchise QBs. At least, that’s the plan. The Andrew Luck era starts in 2012 and the Stanford product possesses the athleticism, intelligence and intangibles to start for the Colts from Day 1 of training camp. But that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans for your fantasy squad given the lack of talent the Colts possess on offense. While Luck makes for an outstanding dynasty league prospect, his prospects for 2012 leave something to be desired. Not only is Indianapolis attempting to rebuild its aging, leaky offensive line, the team also lacks a proven starting running back, has a pair of rookies atop its tight end depth chart and has a group of wide receivers led by 12-year veteran Reggie Wayne but with little else behind him. For Luck to emerge as a starting fantasy quarterback, he will need his supporting cast to improve greatly upon what is expected in 2012 and that’s not likely to happen. He is a low end QB2 at best. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: In past years, an analysis of Peyton Manning’s fantasy football prospects would be about how remarkably consistent and highly productive he has been. This year, it’s about his health and his role with a new team, the Denver Broncos. Reports out of Denver indicate that his arm strength is nearly back to full capacity after having multiple neck surgeries but training camp and the preseason will tell us if that is truly the case. Preseason games will also give us an indication of how well his body responds to physical contact. As to the Broncos offensive philosophy, let’s just say that they didn’t get Peyton Manning to hand the ball off anywhere near as much as they did last season. With a pair of emerging wide receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, two solid receiving options at tight end in Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreesen and an intriguing rookie out of the backfield in Ronnie Hillman, there are more than enough weapons for Manning to finish as a top five fantasy quarterback provided he can remain healthy for the entire season. More on to the consistency factor: Prior to last season, Manning had thrown for over 4,000 passing yards in 11 of 13 seasons (missing the mark in his rookie season and in 2005 when he was rested at the end of he year) and had at least 26 touchdown passes in every pro season. And we all know that he had never missed a start prior to 2011. Given his health status, Manning should be taken as the 9th or 10th quarterback but his upside is certainly greater than that. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: Manning's arm strength appears a bit shaky. He's still a solid QB1 optino but I'm backing off slightly and we'll see how he performs in the third preseason game. ~ Mike Krueger

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Outlook: Last year, I asked you whether you got the feeling that Eli is the Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy quarterbacks and the answer to that was yes. This year, there is no doubt the answer is no. Coming off a career year with 4,933 passing yards and 29 touchdowns that culminated with the Giants second Super Bowl win, Manning figures to start getting some fantasy love in 2012. There goes the chance of acquiring him as a value pick as has been the case in recent years. If you want to nitpick, you could view the departure of Mario Manningham and the downgrade at tight end to Martellus Bennett as issues but Manning seems to be at the point of his career where he can make lemonade out of lemons. Of course, when your starting wide receivers combined for 2,728 yards, you don’t need much of a supporting cast. With three-year averages of 4,319 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, Manning’s consistency and expected production in 2012 should make him no worse than the 7th quarterback off the board in your draft. The Dangerfield days are over. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: Browns president Mike Holmgren all but admitted that McCoy never got a fair shake in 2011 as he couldn’t overcome the poor performances from every other facet of the team’s offense. Despite his solid character and toughness (how many quarterbacks would have returned to the game after getting put on another planet from taking a James Harrison headshot?), McCoy may not have the arm strength to be anything more than a quality NFL backup. It remains to be seen whether he will be in Cleveland on opening day. ~ Dave Stringer

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