Take a look at this list of fantasy QBs, in order of Average Draft Position. The ADP is from Antsports’ 12-team league drafts from 8/1-9/1, and the last number on each line is the player’s average points per game in Antsports’ High Performance scoring system.

QB7 (5.09) Derek Anderson, 9.5
QB8 (5.11) Donovan McNabb, 30.4*
QB9 (7.04) Jay Cutler, 28.5
QB10 (7.05) Matt Hasselbeck, 10.6
QB11 (8.04) Brett Favre, 15.3
QB12 (8.07) Marc Bulger, 10.3
QB13 (8.08) Eli Manning, 20.4
QB14 (8.09) David Garrard, 11.7
QB15 (9.04) Matt Schaub, 18.5*
QB16 (9.07) Phillip Rivers, 26.4
QB17 (9.11) Jake Delhomme, 13.0
QB18 (10.04) Jon Kitna 19.8
QB19 (10.05) Aaron Rodgers, 26.7
QB20 (10.12) Vince Young, 7.9*

* only one game of data is included

Save for Favre, Delhomme and maybe Schaub, each of these quarterbacks is either greatly outperforming or severely underperforming in relation to their preseason expectations. I see two distinct groups: Boom and Bust.

Boom: McNabb, Cutler, E. Manning, Rivers, Kitna and Rodgers

Bust: Anderson, Hasselbeck, Bulger, Garrard and Young

Sure, it’s early, but think about it this way – if you had a QB in the Bust group, is there any possible trade for a player in the Boom group (i.e. Anderson-McNabb, Hasselbeck-Cutler, etc.) where you wouldn’t pull the trigger? I was high on Garrard before the season, but after two weeks of watching the Jaguars disappointing pass offense in action, I’d be more than willing to make a Garrard-for-Kitna swap if the opportunity presented itself (although Kitna is a little dicey because his job isn’t that secure). Likewise, if you have a Boom player, would you trade him for any of the players in the Bust group? I wouldn’t.

Chances are that a few quarterbacks in each group will return to the mean. Some in the Boom group will cool off while some in the Bust group will heat up. But right now, there is a big disparity within this group of quarterbacks.