Each week leading up to the NFL season, Fantasy Madman Drew Loftis and Roto Rage Jarad Wilk will debate which of two fantasy options is the better draft pick. This week: quarterbacks.

Matt Ryan vs. Drew Brees

Drew: Ryan – Ryan has outscored Brees in two of the past three seasons. Both have a marquee wide receiver (Ryan’s Julio Jones to Brees’ Michael Thomas). Beyond that, Brees doesn’t have a lot to lean on. None of the trio of Ted Ginn and Austin Carr or Cameron Meredith in the other two WR slots inspire any confidence. As mundane as Atlanta’s Mohamed Sanu is, he is a more worthy target than his Saints counterparts. And Ryan also has budding young talent Calvin Ridley. Ryan’s running game isn’t as potent – with Devonta Freeman being inferior to Alvin Kamara. Both have serviceable tight ends (Austin Hooper and Jared Cook). Considering recent trends, better receiving talent on the Falcons and better rushing talent on the Saints, we are going to draft Ryan ahead of Brees every time.

Jarad: Brees – True, Brees did not break the 4,000-yard mark for the first time since 2005. True, Brees is 40 years old. It’s also true that Brees’ options seem limited beyond Kamara and Thomas. Have limited options ever stopped him before? He threw for 32 touchdowns in 2018, the fourth-highest TD percentage (6.5) of his 18-year career. He threw just five interceptions, the lowest mark of his career (obviously not including the fact he threw none as a rookie in 2001 while playing in one game). Another thing to be mindful of: No Mark Ingram. While the Saints brought in Latavius Murray, he’s not going to give N’awlins that same type of production and break for Kamara. It’s not crazy to believe the Saints will rely on Brees’ arm a bit more this year.

Cam Newton vs. Kyler Murray

Drew: Newton – Sure, Newton’s shoulder issues are a concern. Yeah, we know he can be erratic. But man, when he is good, he is good. He was rolling last season until being derailed by a shoulder injury, and finished terribly. He averaged 25.1 fantasy points per week through the first eight games. He averaged 17.3 in his six thereafter. If we split the difference, we still like Newton better than a rookie QB with a rookie head coach on a team with a suspect offensive line and marginal receivers. There are far more Sam Darnolds and Josh Rosens in the NFL than there are Robert Griffins and Russell Wilsons.

Jarad: Murray – Should there be doubt about Murray being a top-tier fantasy quarterback? Of course, for all the reasons you mentioned as well as the fact he’s barely taller than a third-grader. But, there were also doubts about Baker Mayfield last year, and he only threw for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns in 14 games (13 starts). Murray threw for 4,361 yards, 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for Oklahoma, the same school that produced last year’s No. 1 pick in Mayfield. Murray also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns. Normally, I would say go with Newton because of the experience factor, but after seeing players like Patrick Mahomes, Mayfield and Lamar Jackson take over games with little NFL experience, and the success of 5-foot-11 Russell Wilson over the years (some without a great offensive line), you have to believe there’s a reason the Cardinals are betting he’s the future.

Jameis Winston vs. Ben Roethlisberger

Drew: Winston – Big Ben has lost his top WR in Antonio Brown. His running back safety valve up until last year, Le’Veon Bell, is officially gone. He is 37 years old. We’re not afraid to roster or play Roethlisberger, but we expect significant regression from last season, his best in terms of yards and TDs. On the other hand, we expect Winston to have one of his better seasons. He has a new offensive-minded coach with a long resume of NFL success in Bruce Arians. And though Big Ben has JuJu Smith-Schuster (and not much else), Winston’s options of Mike Evans, rising youngster Chris Godwin and huge-upside tight end O.J. Howard are quite superior. Any leftover uncertainty is alleviated by the fact the Steelers can always turn to the run with James Conner, as he showed last season. The Buccaneers have quintessential JAG Peyton Barber and second-year RB Ronald Jones, who was impressively unimpressive his rookie season (1.9 yards per carry).

Jarad: Roethlisberger – Every year, it seems as if Roethlisberger is doubted. He’s too old. He doesn’t have the weapons. He’s not a good human being. Sure, the loss of Brown hurts, but he still has a ton of weapons in Conner, Smith-Schuster, tight ends Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble, and rookie wideout Diontae Johnson. They also added Donte Moncrief, who is still just 25 years old, James Washington and Eli Rogers. Big Ben is coming off a career year, and while he may not reach those numbers, he will definitely exceed the expectations of a QB who’s being drafted as someone who wouldn’t even start in a 12-team league. Winston has upside and weapons, but Roethlisberger, who has thrown for 20 or more TDs every year since 2011, has the history of putting up solid numbers when not much was expected of him.

Dak Prescott vs. Tom Brady

Drew: Prescott – Another argument of the Fountain of Youth over the Fountain of Geritol. Prescott will be 26 and coming off a strong season. Brady will be 42 and has seen his efficiency decrease. Prescott outscored Brady last season, and that was without a full season of Amari Cooper at his disposal. He also inherits new slot target Randall Cobb, an upgrade over Cole Beasley. And Brady has to adjust to life after Rob Gronkowski. Add in Prescott’s rushing production, and you should expect him to score more fantasy points than Mr. Best Ever once again.

Jarad: Brady – Wait, so you’re saying a 26-year-old mobile quarterback offers more than a 41-year-old quarterback who’s only ever been mobile when he’s driving around in a car (he’s never rushed for more than 110 yards in a season — and that was back in 2002)? Shocker. Brady will not have his safety valve in Gronk, but that’s never stopped him from putting up big fantasy numbers (or winning). Brady may not have been as efficient in 2018, but he still threw for more than 4,000 yards for the 10th time in his career and 29 touchdowns. He may not be as athletic as Prescott (he never was), but he doesn’t have to be when he’s in a system he can operate with his eyes closed. Brady may be old, but he’s far from extinct.

Kirk Cousins vs. Lamar Jackson

Drew: Cousins – The Vikings have one of the league’s best 1-2 WR tandems in the league in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The Ravens, well, their most established WR is Willie Snead, who hasn’t cracked the top 68 since 2016 in New Orleans and has never had to fill the role of the primary WR. So quite literally, if you pick Jackson ahead of Cousins, you are doing so specifically for his rushing prowess. We will stipulate Jackson will score plenty of rushing points, but at the rate he did last season? We doubt it. Plus, the Ravens added RB Mark Ingram, who is far more established than anyone in the backfield last year during Jackson’s rookie season, thus we expect him to get plenty of opportunities. Plus, Jackson isn’t built like, say, Cam Newton, and is more comparable to Robert Griffin III, and that body type hasn’t historically held up physically. And there is the whole Wildcat worry, that a gimmick offense will hit a wall once defenses find an effective counter strategy, which we expect to happen.

Jarad: Jackson – There is no denying the fact the deadly duo of Thielen and Diggs make the Ravens’ receiving corps look like the bench players of a pee wee football team — even with the addition of Marquise Brown, who is recovering from February foot surgery, and a deep corps of tight ends. However, the Ravens have a new offensive coordinator in Greg Roman, who believes in exotic formations and running the ball. Roman, along with Ingram’s presence, should help Jackson remain upright. In his seven starts, Jackson ran the ball 117 times. In a full 16-game slate, he was on pace to have 270-plus carries, a running back’s workload. That is not sustainable. Ingram will take the load off Jackson, making Jackson less predictable and more effective when he runs with the ball, as well as when he throws it. Jackson is only 22 and is far from a finished or polished product. What you saw last year (the interceptions, the fumbles and the “always running” approach) is not indicative of who he will be this year.