The NFL released its All-Decade Team a few days back, and I was surprised when Drew Brees wasn’t mentioned. Instead, they went with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as their two quarterbacks.

I guess that makes sense. Brees has won only one Super Bowl, and it came prior to the just-completed decade. Brady has piled up a bunch of Super Bowls and played in a remarkable eight AFC Championship games in a row. He needed to get one of the spots. And Rodgers has also been very deserving.

But weird to see a quarterback average over 300 passing yards and 2 TD passes for a decade and not get in.

A few months back, Brees was not one of the 10 quarterbacks chosen for the league’s century team. I think he’s getting a little shorted in the grand scheme of things.

So let me instead take a brief stab at identifying the best fantasy quarterbacks of the last decade. I think it’s Brees and Rodgers, and with Brees definitely as the first-team choice.

I think for this, you’re looking at some combination of effectiveness and total production. So you look at per-game stats, and also how many games were played.

Among quarterbacks who started at least half the time, Brees put up the best per-game numbers of the decade. And prior to missing five games last year, Brees had missed only two games in nine years.

Rodgers gets the nod as the No. 2 guy. He put up similar per-game numbers as Andrew Luck, and with 56 more starts.

FANTASY QUARTERBACKS OF THE DECADE
PlayerStPassRunTDPTDRPts
Drew Brees15330622.25.1025.1
Aaron Rodgers142269182.15.1324.8
Andrew Luck86275181.99.1624.8
Cam Newton125232381.46.4624.2
Tom Brady15628032.03.1023.1
Russell Wilson128232311.77.1622.8
Ben Roethlisberger13028451.79.0522.5
Matt Ryan15928271.78.0522.4
Matthew Stafford13927971.75.0922.3
Kirk Cousins8826861.72.1722.1
Philip Rivers16027721.82.0121.5
Carson Palmer10027421.66.0320.8
Ryan Fitzpatrick116236161.53.1120.3
Andy Dalton13323891.53.1720.0
Eli Manning14726121.64.0320.0
Ryan Tannehill98235141.48.1119.9
Derek Carr9424251.52.0319.1
Alex Smith121222181.29.1118.9
Jay Cutler100224111.46.0518.6
Joe Flacco13924141.32.1018.5
Sam Bradford8323441.24.0217.4

If you want to look at the guys with fewer than 80 starts, they are as follows …

NON-QUALIFIERS (fewer than 80 starts)
PlayerStPassRunTDPTDRPts
Peyton Manning73299-12.37.0124.5
Blake Bortles73238241.38.1220.7
Tony Romo7226531.94.0321.7
Jameis Winston70277151.69.1423.2
Dak Prescott64247191.52.3322.4
Case Keenum6222671.18.0817.2
Marcus Mariota61214221.25.2019.2
Mark Sanchez5821561.26.1717.4
Colin Kaepernick58207371.24.1720.1
Carson Wentz56253141.73.0521.6
Jared Goff5426341.61.1120.8
Matt Schaub5326111.40.0419.0
Josh Freeman52231151.37.0819.1
Matt Cassel50195101.20.0415.7
Nick Foles4823281.35.1018.6
Blaine Gabbert4817913.94.0614.5
Michael Vick46227431.30.2822.6
Tyrod Taylor46199361.13.3020.0
Josh McCown45237111.33.2219.8
Matt Hasselbeck4321941.02.0715.9
Robert Griffin III41215411.00.2420.4
Mitchell Trubisky41209211.17.1718.5
Chad Henne402268.98.0516.3
Brian Hoyer3923621.15.0316.8
Deshaun Watson37260331.89.4126.4
Christian Ponder36172181.00.1915.6
Kyle Orton3425841.44.0319.3
Teddy Bridgewater34215121.12.1217.4
Jacoby Brissett3219717.97.2817.2
Patrick Mahomes31304162.45.1327.5
Geno Smith3118820.87.2316.2
Brock Osweiler3022081.03.0716.5
Baker Mayfield2925391.69.1021.1
Colt McCoy2820216.89.0715.7
Jason Campbell27204151.11.1116.8
Josh Allen27188411.11.6322.1
Jimmy Garoppolo2625941.62.0820.5
Sam Darnold2622781.38.1218.6
Brandon Weeden2523881.04.0417.1
Trevor Siemian2522271.12.0416.6
Matt Moore2419941.46.0816.7
Jake Locker2318524.96.1716.6
Mike Glennon2221531.45.0016.9
Lamar Jackson22193801.86.5028.1
Shaun Hill1923681.26.0518.1
Donovan McNabb1923211.95.0516.8
Kevin Kolb19213111.16.0516.7
EJ Manuel18201181.11.2217.8
John Skelton171969.71.0013.6
Rex Grossman1624911.44.0619.0
Kyler Murray16233341.25.2521.9
Drew Stanton1619591.06.0615.4
Josh Rosen161699.75.0012.5
DeShone Kizer1519328.73.3317.4
Tarvaris Jackson151928.93.0714.5
Derek Anderson142134.64.0013.6
David Garrard14195201.64.3620.5
Tim Tebow14164591.07.5722.1
Jimmy Clausen141648.50.0011.0
Kyle Allen1325091.46.2320.7
Brett Favre131931.85.0013.1
Daniel Jones12251232.00.1724.2
Gardner Minshew12237281.50.0021.0
Kellen Clemens121838.83.0814.0
Cody Kessler1216011.58.0011.6
Vince Young11184171.18.0015.7
C.J. Beathard10244191.10.4020.9
Austin Davis1022861.20.0016.8
Zach Mettenberger1020311.00.1014.8
Kerry Collins1019901.40.0015.6
Terrelle Pryor1019260.90.3021.0
T.J. Yates101538.70.0011.3
Jon Kitna9242161.56.1120.8
Brett Hundley9204301.00.2218.8
Tom Savage91792.56.0011.3
Charlie Whitehurst915413.78.0012.1
Nick Mullens8285-21.63.0020.8
Mason Rudolph819141.25.0015.0
Curtis Painter818513.75.0013.6
Jeff Driskel8181291.13.1317.5
Johnny Manziel817426.75.0014.3
Seneca Wallace816110.75.0012.0
Brady Quinn81277.25.008.1
Matt Flynn726982.29.0023.4
Matt Barkley725201.43.1419.2
Ryan Mallett72341.86.1416.1
Matt McGloin721241.14.0015.5
Dwayne Haskins7175111.00.0014.2
Bryce Petty716910.43.0011.4
Thad Lewis62169.83.1716.1
Ryan Lindley62031.33.0011.6
Troy Smith619620.83.1716.2
Devlin Hodges61468.67.0010.8
Chase Daniel5221171.20.0017.5
Dan Orlovsky521611.20.0015.7
Landry Jones5206-21.20.0014.9
Drew Lock5204141.40.0017.2
Charlie Batch52026.80.0013.9
David Blough51976.80.2014.9
Bruce Gradkowski420071.00.0014.7
AJ McCarron4194161.00.2516.8
Jake Delhomme4194-1.50.0011.6
Scott Tolzien419311.25.2513.2
Tyler Palko41872.50.0011.5
Josh Johnson415630.75.0013.8
Paxton Lynch415615.75.0012.3
Caleb Hanie415325.75.0013.1
Nathan Peterman48416.25.258.2
John Beck324710.67.3318.7
Luke McCown31815.00.009.5
A.J. Feeley31761.33.0010.3
Brandon Allen3172131.00.0013.9
Ryan Finley315826.67.0013.1
Trent Edwards312714.67.0010.4
Max Hall392-2.33.005.8
Kellen Moore2311-11.50.0021.5
Joe Webb217033.00.5014.8
Sean Mannion21482.00.007.6
Dennis Dixon212716.00.008.0
Will Grier211411.00.006.8
Luke Falk21090.00.005.5
Taylor Heinicke1274331.00.0021.0
Jeff Tuel1229171.00.0017.2
Todd Bouman122282.00.0019.9
Byron Leftwich119931.001.0019.1
Tyler Thigpen118727.00.0012.1
Greg McElroy118525.00.0011.8
Connor Shaw11779.00.009.8
Brian St. Pierre117301.00.0012.7
Kevin Hogan1140361.00.0014.6
Rusty Smith11380.00.006.9
Stephen McGee1127551.00.0015.9
Brian Brohm11060.00.005.3
Kyle Boller16129.00.006.0
Matt Leinart15701.00.006.9
Brodie Croyle1400.00.002.0
Todd Collins1320.00.001.6
Chad Pennington1190.00.001.0

—Ian Allan