Few athletes in any sport have delivered decade-long periods of dominance like the one Tom Brady produced from 2007 to 2016. It borders on total mastery of craft. Over the past 10 NFL seasons, Brady’s passer-rating was 102.5. He averaged 7.8 yards per attempt. Six percent of his throws resulted in touchdowns. He’s had the lowest interception rate in the league in four of the past eight seasons, including the last two. He’s led his team to seven conference title games and four Super Bowls in 10 years. Since 2007, his regular season record as a starter is 113-28-0.

Brady’s absolute ownership of the NFL can’t really be denied, even by those who view his franchise as a sort of roving Death Star. We’re under no obligation to like the Patriots, but facts are facts. Brady has been almost impossibly good.

Just look at some of the key stats he produced to bookend his ridiculous 10-year run:

2007 – 300.4 YPG, 68.9 cmp%, 8.3 Y/A, 8.7 TD%, 1.4 INT%, 16-0 record

2016 – 296.2 YPG, 67.4 cmp%, 8.2 Y/A, 6.5 TD%, 0.5 INT%, 11-1 record

Absurd. Brady’s supporting cast has changed, but the numbers have not. He turned 40 in August, yet there have been no signs whatsoever of a decline in performance.

We can feel certain that a decline is coming at some point, of course. The full list of QBs who’ve produced quality seasons after 40 is basically just Brett Favre (2009) and Warren Moon (1997). There is no precedent for a quarterback playing well in the NFL for any significant, sustained period of time beyond age 41.

But Brady is an all-time talent with a legendary dedication to task, and a much-publicized, well-branded nutrition/training/lifestyle plan. There’s no arguing with his results. It would be madness to bet against him, at least for the next season or two. You shouldn’t need an expert to tell you that he needs to be among the top three quarterbacks selected in any fantasy draft, regardless of format.

Brady’s receiving corps took a hit when Julian Edelman (ACL) was lost for the season, but the Pats clearly have the talent and depth — and the otherworldly quarterback — to manage around the injury.

Where do all those Edelman targets go?

First of all, we need to reinforce the fact that these are not just any targets. We’re talking about 9-10 targets per week from one of the most efficient, productive passers in NFL history. If any single player were in line to receive them all, that guy would vault into must-start territory.

Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to be quite that tidy. We should expect Edelman’s 150-160 targets to be distributed broadly and unevenly, boosting the value of several players to varying degrees without creating an every-week star. Sorry. Rob Gronkowski, already the consensus No. 1 TE, jumped a few spots in my overall ranks to No. 15. Gronk was limited to a half-season in 2016, as he underwent another back surgery, but he was plenty valuable when he played. He’s healthy at the moment and reportedly living clean (or clean-ish).

Gronk only caught 25 balls last season on 38 targets, but it’s worth noting that he averaged by far the highest yards-per-catch of his career (21.6). His average depth of target was over 15 yards, so, in a small sample, he was used in a fundamentally different way. I’m not quite on board with Hribar’s prediction that Gronk will lead the league in receiving yards, but I appreciate the process behind the bold call. Gronkowski obviously didn’t need a bump in targets to cement his spot as our game’s top tight end; draft him anywhere in Round 2, with a mix of hope and dread.

Brandin Cooks, acquired in the offseason via trade, previously figured to see 110-120 targets for New England, and that total jumps a bit on the Edelman news. Cooks is still a burner, a versatile receiver who can line up anywhere, running vertical routes and quick-hitters. He’s an unsolvable problem for opposing defenses within the context of this team’s offense, with Gronk on the field and a dangerous ground game behind Brady. No one should be surprised if Cooks finishes the season as a solid WR1 in PPR formats. His red-zone role is less certain, although Edelman actually led this team in targets inside the 10-yard line last season (9). Like Gronkowski, Cooks is a bankable second rounder.