Quarterback has always been the cornerstone of every NFL franchise. With the league throwing more than ever before, that only adds to the emphasis of the position. In the entire history of the NFL, only two players have thrown for over 5,000 yards...until 2011, when Drew Brees (the only two time member), Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford all passed the mark. Not to mention Eli Manning was just 67 yards shy of joining them. Perhaps the largest ranking development though was the meteoric rise of Cam Newton, who had the greatest rookie QB season ever. Let's take a look at all of the rankings movement.

Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers remains at the top. As he should.

Matt Stafford just needed to stay healthy to reach his potential. He's been in the Top 10 for a while now, but moves way up to No. 2 right now. He'll play next season at age 24.

Cam Newton (3) had Beast upside coming into the league, but no one thought it would shine through as brightly as it did this early. He passed for over 4,000 yards and 21 TD's while completing 60% of his passes. That alone is impressive, but when you add in the 706 rushing yards and QB record 14 rushing TD's, he's elite. It's not all good, as he did throw 17 INT's and looked like a rookie at times. He might regress some next year stat wise, but has more upside than any QB in the NFL. Another season like 2011 next year and he'll be giving Rodgers a serious run at No. 1.

Eli Manning (7) has been riding the QB2/QB1 fence for a few years now, but 2011 put him over the edge. He's making better decisions, throws a great deep ball and has elite receiving options. He's a legit QB1 even if his numbers regress some next year.

Two aging Beasts remain inside the Top 10 because of continued elite production and weapons. Drew Brees (5) and Tom Brady (8) continue to help fantasy owners win championships, but remember it's time to start developing an heir apparent.

There are a number of QB's with a lot to prove next season. Josh Freeman (9) has flashed Beastly upside in 2010, but regressed this season. He needs a big 2012 to move up the rankings. Sam Bradford (11) is basically all projection at the moment, having followed up his solid rookie season with an injury-riddled sophomore year. He needs more weapons to work with and will only be 24, but 2012 is a big year for his development. Joe Flacco (14) has QB1 upside, but seems to have stagnated in 2011. He's been expected to make the leap for a few seasons now and some are growing frustrated that he is stuck as a QB2. Next season will tell us a lot. Mark Sanchez (20) has fallen out of favor according to many, but managed an impressive fantasy season. He has QB2 upside, but really needs to show improvement in his real life game.

If it wasn't for Cam Newton, another rookie may have been getting more attention. Andy Dalton (15) threw for almost 3,400 yards, had 20 TD's and just 13 INT's for the up and coming Bengals. His physical tools cap his upside, but could be a solid QB2 for many years. And throwing to AJ Green doesn't hurt.

The question marks surrounding Peyton Manning (18) and his age drop him way down on the list. If he's healthy and gets a change of scenery, he might just be on a mission.

Carson Palmer's (21) trade to the Raiders breathed new life in his Dynasty lungs. He remains mistake prone, but could have QB2 value with all of the talent surrounding him.

Where to rank Tim Tebow? We have him at 22 right now and it looks like he'll go into 2012 as the starter. He has QB1 upside if only his play keeps him on the field. High risk, high reward type of talent.

Matt Flynn (24) has been on the Dynasty radar for some time, learning under Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy. While the Dynasty hype is not likely to match the performance, he has enough talent/football accumen to open some eyes. He could find himself getting a starting job this offseason. Right now, he has QB2 upside but he's one to track closely.

After Flynn, the next 5 QB's in our rankings (Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kolb, Alex Smith and Colt McCoy) have limited upside as QB2 types, but have serviceable value given opportunity. Smith might be the one most likely locked in as a starter for the next few seasons, the others have a lot to prove.

Touted rookie Blaine Gabbert (33) is only this high based on his potential. He had a Clausen-esque season and finds himself in need of a huge leap in 2012. The physical tools are there, but the production has not matched up.

TJ Yates makes an appearance at number 38, showing enough to make him a handcuff for Matt Schaub (17) owners and possibly more down the road.

Matt Moore (40) had a solid showing in the 2nd half of the season for the Dolphins. He is capable of being at least a back-up in the NFL and a solid QB3 if he finds himself some work.

The bottom of the QB list is filled with young back-ups that offer some upside as potential handcuffs and possibly future starters. Once the NFL Draft happens in April, highly touted rookies Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III will debut prominently on this list. Check back often as we are always making sure our Dynasty rankings reflect the true short term value and long term upside of a given player. We'll be going through our rankings by position in the coming weeks...coming up next are the Running Backs!