Upside by Mike Anderson
Tom Brady is a winner. He has poise in the pocket, a team first attitude, and a desire to be the best. It's that kind of drive that makes great quarterbacks. Take Brady's desire and 2 Super Bowl MVPs, add in a dominating running back in Corey Dillon, and you have a recipe for success.

Brady is coming of his second straight impressive season with 3620 passing yards, 23 passing TDs, and a rushing TD. Without a lot of hype surrounding those stats, he was a Top 12 QB in virtually every fantasy football scoring system.

The Patriots haven't had a dominating WR under Brady's tenure with the team, however, WRs Deion Branch and David Givens are both coming into their own. Without really adding anything, the Patriot's WRs are stronger as a group from the start of last season, just getting an extra year in the system.

The addition of dominating RB Corey Dillon will improve the entire Patriot offense this season. Prior to last season, Dillon had a six year stretch where he carried the ball 1,865 times for 8,061 yards, and scored a total of 53 times. That's a yearly average of 310 carries, 1,343 yards, and almost 9 touchdowns. Until Jamal Lewis topped it in 2003, Dillon held the all time single game rushing record with 278 yards, set against Denver in 2000.

With Dillon taking the pressure of the passing game, look for Brady to get more opportunity, and climb solidly into the Top 10 of all quarterbacks this season. He is a winner, and strives for excellence on the field.

Downside by Chris Smith
Make no mistake about it, Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. He brings poise and maturity to the position beyond his years and could go down as one of the all-time greats if he keeps up at this pace. However as a fantasy quarterback, he is average at best and with the signing of Corey Dillon this season, I expect to see the Patriots run more in 2004 and pass less.

Reasons to worry

• The Patriots may be passing less and rushing more in 2004



• The Patriots often change their offensive focus week-to-week. He could throw for 300 yards one week and 100 the next



• He isn't a threat to add many fantasy points rushing the football



• Having Dillon on board could mean more redzone touchdowns via the ground game

Bottom Line
In all honesty, Brady's fantasy worth depends on when you take him in your drafts. If you can land him as the 12th or 13th quarterback taken, he will serve you well in fantasy football (but keep in mind he could be streaky during the season). However if he goes in the top ten this season, he will be overvalued for the numbers he is likely to put on the board. The Patriots will be able to feature a much stronger rushing attack this season and that could really cut down on opportunities for Brady. With perhaps the best defense in the NFL, the Patriots will be content to burn up time by running the ball with Corey Dillon to win football games once they have the lead. I expect a few hundred less passing yards touchdowns this season from Brady.