Consistently strong performers are the most precious of commodities for Fantasy Football owners. Spectacular studs are obviously great – you'll grab one every chance you get. But who's better for your team over the long haul – a wide receiver who goes off for 150 yards and three scores, follows that up with three games where he averages 40 yards and no scores, then has two games where he puts up 120 and two TDs? Or a guy who during that six-game stretch will get you 70 yards and a touchdown just about every week?

    The purpose of this article is to help you determine on which top-tier guy you'll pull the trigger come Draft Day. We look at each of the Top 5 quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers in the FFChamps.com rankings and break down what kind of consistency they've shown week in and week out over the last three seasons.

Quarterbacks

1. Peyton Manning/Indianapolis Colts
2007 – 4,040 yards, 31 TDs
    The reason Manning is No. 1 in our rankings is he's as consistent as it gets at the quarterback position. The 2007 season is a perfect example. With the exception of a 163-yard, zero-TD hiccup in Week 10, Manning threw for better than 200 yards and at least one score in every game except Week 4, when he had 193 yards. But even that week, he threw three TDs. We're throwing out Week 16 (95 yards, no TDs) because, as usual, the Colts basically gave him the week off because they couldn't improve their playoff position. That's the risk you'll take with Manning every season. The rest of the season was highlighted by a three-week stretch (Weeks 11-13) when he averaged 270 yards and threw 10 TD passes. He followed that up with an "off" week of 276 yards and a score before rebounding the next week with a monster 311-yard, three-TD performance. He helped quite a few Fantasy owners win their Super Bowl that week.

2008 – 4002 yards, 27 TDs
    Manning started off relatively slow by his standards, going 257/1, 311/1 and 216/1 his first three games. He bounced back to go 247/2 and 271/3 before falling to 229/0 in Week 6 (he also had two interceptions that week). But the next five weeks he had at least 220 yards and two TD passes, highlighted by a 3-TD performance in Week 9. The next week was his worst (125/0), but finished up the Fantasy season by going 277/3, 318/1 and 364/3. Again, he saved his best for last.

2009 – 4,500 yards, 33 TDs
    Manning was an absolute beast the first five weeks, never throwing for less than 300 yards and multiple TDs each game except Week 1. He didn't hit 300 in Week 6, but still had three TD passes. He put up 347 yards in Week 7 but didn't have a touchdown; that would be his last week without a TD for the rest of the Fantasy season. Down the stretch he threw for four touchdowns three times (Weeks 9, 13 and 14) and three TDs once (Week 11).

2. Drew Brees/New Orleans Saints
2007— 4,423 yards, 28 TDs
    Brees' second season in New Orleans started off really slowly. He only had one TD passing, never threw for more than 260 yards, and had a miserable 225-yard, four-interception game in Week 3. But then he bounced back the next 10 weeks in a big way, with multiple TDs every game except one. The stretch was highlighted by a 336-yard, 4-TD explosion in Week 7, and a 445-yard, 3-TD monster the following week. Unfortunately for those counting on him during their Super Bowl in Week 16, he failed to throw a touchdown pass even though he had 284 yards.

2008 – 5,069 yards, 34 TDs
    It's hard to find fault with anything Brees did in a 5,000-yard passing season, which was the main reason he was ranked by most as the No. 1 Fantasy QB heading into 2009. In 10 out of 16 games he threw for at least 300 yards, and had multiple TDs in 11 games. He went without a TD pass only once. That's the very definition of a spectacular season.

2009 – 4,388 yards, 34 TDs.
    Brees came back down to earth somewhat in '09 from a yardage perspective, and actually failed to both crack the 200-yard mark and throw a TD pass in consecutive weeks (172/0 in Week 3 and 190/0 in Week 4). Sandwiched around those two Fantasy goose eggs, however, were incredible games: 358/6 in Week 1, 311/3 in Week 2, and 369/4 in Week 5. During the Fantasy home stretch he was also outstanding (Week 10: 187/3, Week 11 371/5, Week 12 419/2, Week 13 296/3).

3. Aaron Rodgers/Green Bay Packers
2007 – 218 yards, 1 TD
    Some guy named Favre was playing in Green Bay that season. We're obviously throwing this one out.

2008 – 4,038 yards, 28 TDs
    It was understandable that Rodgers was a bit uneven in his first season as The Man. He came out of the chute fairly quietly (178/1) in Week 1, but then blew up the next week, going 328/3. After not throwing a TD in Week 3, he had three straight multiple TD games. But then he fell back the next three, throwing for one, one and zero scores. His final seven weeks, however, he hit his stride, throwing multiple TDs in every game but one.

2009 – 4,434 yards, 30 TDs
   After throwing for a single TD the first two weeks, Rodgers went on a tear. In 10 of his next 12 games he threw for at least 245 yards and two scores; he had three TDs five times in that stretch. The last two games of the season he went for 237/1 and 235/1 – not horrible totals, but Fantasy owners counting on him to help them win a Super Bowl had to be disappointed.

4. Tom Brady/New England Patriots
2007 – 4,806 yards, 50 TDs
    Does anything really need to be said about this season? He not only had multiple TD games the first 10 weeks, he had at least three TD passes in every one of them. Even in his "off week" (Week 11) he still had 380 yards and a TD. He can be excused for his 140-yard, zero-TD outing in Week 14 – unless he cost you a playoff game that week.

2008 -- 76 yards, 0 TDs.
    Brady missed basically all of the season with a knee injury.

2009 -- 4,398 yards, 28 TDs.
    Brady failed to pass for a touchdown in only three games in his bounce-back season. He also threw for 300 yards or more seven times. During the Fantasy season you could really say he only had two clunkers. Two out of 14 bad games? Yeah, we'd take that kind of consistency on our squad.

5. Tony Romo/Dallas Cowboys
2007 – 4,211 yards, 36 TDs
    Romo started 2007 on fire, throwing for multiple TDs six straight weeks. After a slight lull in Week 7 (277/1) he picked it right up with 19 TDs in six games. Down the Fantasy stretch, however, he faltered, throwing for only one touchdown his last three games versus four interceptions. But you can throw out Week 16 because he was only making a cameo appearance since the Cowboys had wrapped up home field advantage in the NFC the week before.

2008 – 3,448 yards, 26 TDs
    Like the team as a whole, Romo slipped a bit in 2008. He had four three-TD games in the first six weeks but then he broke a finger against Arizona and missed the next three. After he returned he went 198/1, 341/3, 331/3 and 210/1 before going 244/3 and 252/2 his next two. Overall it was still a solid campaign even with the injury.

2009 – 4,483 yards, 26 TDs
    This was Romo's most uneven season – from a Fantasy standpoint, at least – to date. He went 353/3 in Week 1, had only one TD total the next three weeks, then had eight TDs in Weeks 5-7. He could manage only three TDs total Weeks 8-10 but then went 309/2, 392/3 and 249/2 the next three games. During the Fantasy playoffs, however, he had only one TD in Weeks 14 and 15.

Running Backs

1. Chris Johnson/Tennessee Titans
2008 – 1,228 yards, 9 TDs
    Johnson didn't crack the end zone the first three games of his rookie season, but still averaged about 90 yards. Four of his next five games were solid (61/2, 168/1, 77/1, 89/1) but then he disappeared (8/0, 64/0, 46/0). He exploded the next two weeks, going 125/2 and 136/1, but only averaged 67 yards his final two games and scored once.

2009 – 2,006 yards, 14 TDs
    Johnson's breakout season didn't start out that great, with the exception of Week 2 (197/2). In four of those first five games, however, he didn't score and didn't crack the 100-yard mark. He didn't score in Week 6 either, but that started a streak of 100-yard games that lasted the rest of the season. In those 11 games he scored in seven of them and rushed for two TDs five times. It doesn't get much more consistent than that from a running back standpoint.

2. Adrian Peterson/Minnesota Vikings
2007 – 1,341 yards, 12 TDs
    A.D. (as in "All Day," which is his REAL nickname) was the stuff of legend his rookie season. The truth is, from a Fantasy standpoint they didn't come much more inconsistent than Peterson. His great games were great – 224/3 in Week 5, 296/3 in Week 8, and 116/2 in Week 10. But his bad games were devastating to Fantasy owners who thought they could rely on him week in and week out. In three of his last six games he neither scored nor hit 50 yards rushing. In Week 13 he managed only 3 yards (with no TDs), but the biggest blow was Super Bowl week, Week 15, when he produced a mere 27 yards and no scores.

2008 – 1,760 yards, 10 TDs
    Peterson was much more consistent yardage-wise in 2008, hitting the century mark in 10 of 16 games. The problem was, as in the season before, he failed to crack the end zone eight times. Also, he only had two games where he scored more than once. At least he was much better down the stretch moving the chains, as he hit 100 yards in four of his last five games.

2009 – 1,383 yards, 18 TDs
   Since he had eight more TDs than he did the previous season, his dry spells weren't as long. During his first 10 games he only failed to rush for a TD twice, and he scored in all but one of his final six. It's definitely hard to find fault with an 18-TD season, obviously. But he did only have three 100-yard games.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew/Jacksonville Jaguars
2007 – 768 yards, 9 TDs
    MJD only had two 100-yard games, but you can't really judge him fairly based on his 2007 stats because he was a part-time player behind Fred Taylor. Still, he had a stretch from Weeks 4-12 where he scored in every game but two.

2008 – 824 yards, 12 TDs
    Again, Jones-Drew was more of a role player in '08. Again, he had another stretch of fantastic production, this time during Weeks 4-10 where he scored in every game except one and had multiple TDs three times. Unfortunately, he only saw the end zone once the rest of the season.

2009 – 1,391 yards, 15 TDs
    This is the season that gave us a true picture of MJD's consistently, since it was the first where he was the No. 1 running back in Jacksonville. He had a stretch from Weeks 6-10 where he hit the 100-yard mark three times, but the rest of the season he only did so twice. Two other times he made it to 97 yards – which is maddening if you're in a league that gives a significant bonus for hitting 100. TD-wise you couldn't have many complaints, however, as he rushed for at least score in eight of his first 10 games – three of those were multiple-TD performances. If there was something that stuck in the craw of Jones-Drew owners besides the dearth of 100-yard games was his lack of scoring the last six weeks. Other than single TDs in Weeks 13 and 14 he was shut out. Overall, while his numbers were great, he didn't put up enough consistent weeks to justify his status as the No. 1 overall RB headed into 2009.

4. Ray Rice/Baltimore Ravens
2009 – 1,339 yards, 7 TDs
    Rice wasn't nearly the factor in his rookie year of 2008 that he was last season, and his role is expected to greatly expand in 2010, hence his lofty preseason ranking. If you go by his 2009 stats when determining whether to pull the trigger on Rice for this season's draft, you may have good reason to pause. Again, he didn't have the amount of touches he's expected to this season, but other than a stretch from Weeks 6-10 where he scored in five games straight there wasn't really a whole lot to cheer about. In his other 11 games he only scored two TDs rushing. That's strictly looking at '09, however. With Joe Flacco having another year of seasoning at QB and Anquan Boldin likely to stretch the field from a receiving standpoint, Rice is still worth serious early first round consideration.

5. Michael Turner/Atlanta Falcons
2008 – 1,699 yards, 17 TDs
    We're throwing out the previous season because Turner only started in one game for San Diego. Turner wasn't only a beast as his totals indicate, he was also a consistent performer, scoring in 10 of 16 games. There was a stretch where he hit a dry spell, scoring only once during Weeks 4-8, but after that he only failed to paydirt once the rest of the season.

2009 – 871 yards, 10 TDs
    Injuries cost Turner most or all of four games in '09, but when he played he was a scoring machine, hitting the end zone in seven straight contests. He only had 100 yards in four games, however.

Wide receivers

1. Andre Johnson/Houston Texans
2007 – 851 yards, 8 TDs
    Johnson missed seven games due to injury, but still managed 8 TDs. While he scored four times in his last six, he only hit 100 yards once.

2008 – 1,575 yards, 8 TDs
    It's amazing what having a real quarterback can do for a receiver, isn't it? Johnson blew up in a big way in 2008, establishing himself as a truly elite wideout thanks largely to the emergence of Matt Schaub. Still, though, it was somewhat of a rollercoaster ride for Johnson owners. Out of Johnson's first 10 games he missed the 100-yard mark in half of them, although he did reel off four straight in Weeks 4-7. TDs were pretty sparse the first 11 weeks, however, as he only scored three of them. That changed the last five weeks as he scored in four games.

2009 – 1,569 yards, 9 TDs
    A.J. still had a hard time stringing together 100-yard games, posting six out of 16. When he was big he was huge – 149/2 in Week 2, 101/2 in Week 5 and 193/2 in Week 13. Unfortunately, he scored in only three other games.

2. Reggie Wayne/Indianapolis Colts
2007 – 1,510 yards, 10 TDs
    Wayne put up huge totals in several games, but even when his yardage totals weren't strong he still scored most of the time (38/1 Week 4, 66/1 Week 11, 42/1 Week 13). You can't ask much more out of your Fantasy Football wide receiver than that.

2008 – 1,145 yards, 6 TDs
    Wayne's numbers obviously dipped in '08. After scoring in four of his first five games, he only hit the end zone twice the rest of the season. And he didn't crack 50 yards in five games. A definite down year, but also an aberration.

2009 – 1,264 yards, 10 TDs
   Throw out the last two games of the season when Wayne only totaled 54 yards and didn't score. Look at the first 14 contests – you know, the ones that actually meant something to the Colts – and he was a machine, scoring in nine of them. He scored in six of his first seven games, and helped a lot of teams advance in their Fantasy playoffs with a 132/1 in Week 14. Sure he had a hiccup in 2008, but for the most part, look up "wide receiver consistency" in the dictionary and you'll see Wayne's picture.

3. Randy Moss/New England Patriots
2007 – 1,493 yards, 23 TDs
    Twenty-three TDs – at least one all but three games. Enough said.

2008 – 1,008 yards, 11 TDs
    Moss dipped as did the entire Patriot offense after Tom Brady went out for the season with a knee injury in Week 1. Even though he had a lot of clunkers, Moss still managed to score multiple TDs in three games. As far as consistency goes, however, he was consistently mediocre at best.

2009 – 1,264 yards, 13 TDs
    Last season was probably a truer indication of how much you can count on Moss. Like most receivers, he was hit-and-miss TD-wise in 2009. He scored in only two of his first seven games, then hit paydirt in six of his last nine. He was especially money in Week 15, scoring three times even though he only had 45 yards receiving.

4. Calvin Johnson/Detroit Lions
2007 – 756 yards, 4 TDs
    Johnson had decent numbers in his rookie year, but week-to-week he was a disappointment. He scored once in each of his first two games, then only twice more the rest of the season. And he only hit 100 yards once.

2008 – 1,331 yards, 12 TDs
    Johnson scored 10 of 16 games, including a stretch of eight TDs in 10 games from Weeks 5-14. He also hit the 100-yard mark five times, but only three times after Week 2. Overall, though, he was not only worthy of a No. 1 Fantasy WR, he was an extremely consistent one.

2009 – 984 yards, 5 TDs
    Johnson suffered through an injury-plagued season in 2009, missing two games and being largely ineffective in three more (Week 5, 2/0, Week 8, 27/0, Week 11, 10/1). Other than a three-week stretch (Weeks 10-12) when he scored in each game, he hardly saw the end zone at all. He's got some great potential this season – mainly because Matthew Stafford should emerge at quarterback and the Lions may have a strong running game – but make sure you weigh all options extremely carefully before devoting a high draft pick on Johnson.

5. Miles Austin/Dallas Cowboys
2009 – 1,320 yards, 11 TDs
    Until he possibly saved the Cowboys' season with a 250-yard, 2-TD explosion in an overtime win over Kansas City, most people had no idea Austin had been in the league since 2006. Even last season, he had been mostly an afterthought with a total of 81 yards and a touchdown through the first four games. After K.C. in Week 5, however, Austin took off. He scored at least once in his next three games, then after a two-week lull scored in four straight. Even though he didn't tally a TD in Week 15, he did have 92 yards. There's no reason to believe he won't get every chance to once again display that consistency in 2010, as he's unquestionably Tony Romo's No. 1 option.