New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees may be 41 years old, but he remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The New Orleans Saints star doesn't have the arm strength of Patrick Mahomes, the mobility of Lamar Jackson or the hardware of Tom Brady, but somehow, he manages to make it work, even in his old age.
As a matter of fact, Brees is always a candidate to break his own record for single-season completion percentage. The man has completed over 70 percent of his passes in each of the last three years, so saying he is accurate is an understatement.
But at some point, you have to wonder if the wheels will fall off. Father Time is undefeated, after all.
Still, based on his track record, Brees will likely be sought out by many in Fantasy Football drafts this year. The question is, just how effective will the perennial Pro Bowler be in 2020?
Here is Drew Brees' fantasy football outlook for the coming season.
2019 Drew Brees Fantasy Stats
Brees' 2019 campaign was cut short due to a thumb injury that sidelined him for five games early on in the season. As a result, Brees simply did not have the volume of other quarterbacks and finished 22nd among all signal-caller in total fantasy points.
The good news is that when Brees actually was on the field, he remained elite, ranking eighth in average points per game.
Overall, Brees threw for 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions en route to his 13th Pro Bowl appearance, so clearly, the dude can still play at a high level.
As per usual, Brees relied heavily on wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara last season, and new tight end Jared Cook also carved out a role.
Brees lacked a true No. 2 wideout, but he still made it work and had the Saints' offense humming more often than not.
2020 Drew Brees Fantasy Projections
Assuming Brees stays healthy, there is a lot to like about the veteran heading into 2020.
The most important thing to note here is that New Orleans actually added a No. 2 receiver this offseason, bringing in Emmanuel Sanders to supplement Thomas in the aerial attack.
This will mark the first time Brees has had a legitimate secondary wide receiver in what seems like forever, and it should make his job that much easier.
Of course, we already know Thomas and Kamara will serve as dependable options for Brees. Cook will likely continue to produce, as well. There is no shortage of weapons for Brees this time around, so there is a very strong possibility that he will have a monster year in 2020.
We do need to keep in mind that Brees is getting older, though. Regardless of how talented his offensive weapons are, it won't matter much if Brees suddenly falls off a cliff. I don't think that will happen, because Brees' style should age well and I don't think he will rapidly go from elite to mediocre in one year. But it is something to monitor for sure.
I expect Brees to throw for 4,000 yards for the first time since 2017. With Sanders now in tow, I see no reason why he shouldn't hit that number. Brees hasn't thrown 600 passes since 2016, but with more weapons heading into this season, it wouldn't be surprising to see Sean Payton turn Brees loose a little more.
As far as touchdowns, Brees tallied 32 in 2018 and was on a 39-touchdown pace in 2019, so he should be able to rattle off 30 touchdown passes with relative ease in 2020.
Rank at Position
The days of Brees throwing for 5,000 yards are probably over, so he will no longer be one of the top three fantasy quarterbacks in the NFL barring a drastic turnaround.
Dual-threat signal-callers like Mahomes, Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson all have an edge over Brees because of their versatility. It's a bit dicier in the cases of Watson and Wilson, but taking current trajectories into consideration, they are probably better picks than Brees going into this season.
Where Brees ranks will largely depend on how other quarterbacks in his range perform. Will Dak Prescott repeat or improve upon his brilliant 2019 campaign? How will Brady fare in Tampa Bay? Is Aaron Rodgers on the decline? Will Ben Roethlisberger rebound from his elbow injury? What about Matt Ryan? How will he bounce back from a lackluster season?
Because Brees has been so consistent, we have to mention those other signal-callers when determining his rank. There has been much more variance with those names over the past couple of years than there has been with Brees, and we also can't forget young and upcoming throwers like Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Daniel Jones, all of whom are dual threats.
If Brees is able to stay healthy, he should be a top 10 fantasy quarterback in 2020. He has the weapons at his disposal, and we know he has the ability. You can feel pretty comfortable taking Brees in your draft knowing what to expect.
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