Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

After two weeks of the season down we have learned a few things about the quarterbacks this year.  We learned that Eli Manning of the New York Giants is turning the corner despite having an elite wide receiver to throw to. We learned that Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans will continue to flash his brilliant potential, that Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints is unstoppable, that JaMarcus Russell of the Oakland Raiders can’t complete a pass to save his life and that Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings still has it.

On separate note there are already some injuries mounting up at the quarterback position. Now it appears likely Kevin Kolb will start his second straight game as Donovan McNabb recovers from his rib injury. Matt Hasselbeck, who missed a lot of time with back and knee injuries last year, fractured his ribs in Week 2 and his status for Week 3 is uncertain. It appears if he progresses throughout the week that Hasselbeck will start for Seattle against the Chicago Bears but this is the same injury that has forced McNabb to miss time. St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger hurt his back last week in a loss to the Washington Redskins but he’s listed as probable and it looks like he’ll start Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers. Though Rams fans are probably wishing the injury were more serious, as it’s not like backup Kyle Boller can do much worse than Bulger anyway.

Now it’s time to check out the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Week 3 Quarterback Rankings.

1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ Buffalo Bills

Can anybody stop Brees? We say NO. The Buffalo Bills have good defensive backs but overall this defense isn’t good enough to stop a man who’s thrown for nine touchdowns and just two interceptions in two games. And while the Buffalo defense features some play-makers, such as corner Terrence McGee and safety Donte Whitner, let’s be honest here, the Bills aren’t as good as the Philadelphia Eagles, who held Brees to just 311 yards and three touchdowns. You can once again expect Brees to compete for top points at the quarterback position in Week 3.
Point Projection: 25 points

2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ St. Louis

Let’s disregard any conversation about Rodgers and his ability - or inability - to lead the Packers to a win after trailing because you don’t get points for that kind of stuff. The numbers are what you care about and Rodgers is damn good at putting those up. This week he finds himself in a very favorable match-up against a St. Louis Rams defense that is 25th in passing yards allowed. Start Rodgers with confidence as he should put on a clinic against in the Edward Jones Dome.
Point Projection: 22 points

3. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) @ Arizona

With how good the two offenses in this game are, it could turn into a high-scoring affair and that’s exactly what Peyton Manning owners are hoping for. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback will be playing on the road in Week 3 and Sunday Night Football game Manning will once again be on national TV. In a similar scenario in Week 2, Manning torched the Miami Dolphins for 303 passing yards and two touchdowns. Expect the same this week.  In case you didn’t notice, Manning tends to play well when he’s on national TV, perhaps because he knows potential endorsement deals are on the line.
Point Projection: 20 points

4. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ New England

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is no longer a guy who just turns around and hands the ball off to running backs Michael Turner or Jerious Norwood. Ryan is quickly becoming an elite passer as he’s thrown for 549 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception in the first two weeks. A lot of people perceive the New England Patriots as having a good defense and while they don’t give up a lot of yards, they rank just 16th in points allowed.
Point Projection: 19 points

5. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Atlanta

For as much talk as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made about how he feels 100 percent and that he doesn’t even notice his knee brace, it sure doesn’t appear that way on the field. Throws that he would’ve made in the past with ease are now falling incomplete and at times Brady appears hesitant to put too much weight on his knee. Still, he is Brady and he’ll find a way to get it done against and Atlanta Falcons secondary that allowed Jake Delhomme to go over 300 passing yards in Week 2. Expect Brady and the Patriots to make some adjustments on offense and put together a fine showing on their home turf.
Point Projection: 19 points

6. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Cincinnati

Of all the problems one can have with a football, you would never imagine that running the ball would be one of those for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And yet, the Steelers rank 29th in the NFL in rushing. At the same time, this has caused quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to step up his play and he has as Pittsburgh ranks 8th in the NFL in passing. No doubt about it the Bengals secondary played well against Green Bay last week but their inability to force turnovers should lead to Big Ben putting together a solid fantasy showing in Week 3.
Point Projection: 18 points

7. Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ Tampa Bay

After a sub-par performance against the Washington Redskins in Week 1, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning responded with a stellar performance against the Dallas Cowboys last week where he threw for 330 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in addition to leading the team on the game-winning drive. By the way, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is 27th in passing yards allowed and 31st in points allowed. Even with big name wide receivers you can expect Manning to hover around 250 passing yards and two touchdowns in this game.
Point Projection: 18 points

8. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. Jacksonville

After a forgettable performance in Week 1 against the New York Jets, Schaub probably was benched by a lot of owners in many fantasy football leagues. He then went out and threw for 357 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a win over the Tennessee Titans. And, in a nutshell, that’s Schaub for you. The Jacksonville Jaguars ranks 26th in the league in pass defense, and while Schaub will have a good game, don’t expect four more touchdowns. Still he should play well enough to be entrenched in your lineup as a QB1.
Point Projection: 17 points

9. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) @ Seattle

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler made an awful first impression with four interceptions in Week 1. Some fantasy football owners hit the panic button and benched Cutler in Week 2, but others didn’t and were rewarded with a good performance by Cutler against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished with 236 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Expect a similar performance from Cutler this week against a Seattle Seahawks defense that ranks second in the NFL against the pass but has not yet been tested.
Point Projection: 17 points

10. Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Indianapolis

In another example of a player who rebounded in Week 2 from horrible performances to open the season, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He went 24-for-26 (92.3 percent) to set an NFL single-game completion percentage record, one that was previously held by Vinny Testaverde (91.3 percent against Cleveland in 1993). Indianapolis has a good secondary and has yet to allow a touchdown pass but expect that to end when Warner plays host to the Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Point Projection: 17 points

11. Trent Edwards (Buffalo Bills) vs. New Orleans

Following an inconsistent preseason Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards has played really well in the first two games of the season as he has a combined 442 passing yards with four touchdowns and one interception. But last week’s performance came against a terrible Tampa Bay defense. Luckily for Edwards and the Bills, they get to face another leaky defense this week in the Saints, who rank 28th against the pass and 22nd in points allowed.
Point Projection: 17 points

12. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Carolina

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo went off in week one for 353 yards and three touchdowns, then followed that up in week two against the Giants by throwing for 127 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Expect something in between those two performances from Romo in week three as he goes against a Carolina Panthers defense that’s third in passing yards allowed but 30th in points allowed.
Point Projection: 16 points

13. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) vs. Miami

Last week in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 436 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Those are good fantasy football numbers but consider that in two games Rivers has matched each touchdown with an interception. The bottom line is Rivers is playing good football but you can’t overlook his turnovers. He should post solid statistics against the Miami Dolphins but don’t expect another 400+ yards passing.
Point Projection: 16 points

14. Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings) vs. San Francisco

Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre was brought in not only because he was an upgrade over Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson but also because he’s a better game-manager than those two. Thus far that has proven to be true as Favre has thrown for 265 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson does most of the work for Minnesota, but expect another solid performance out of Favre against the 49ers.
Point Projection: 16 points

15. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cleveland Browns

With five touchdowns and just two interceptions in the first two games Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is evolving as a passer and has become relevant fantasy football player. The Cleveland Browns are 30th in points allowed so it appears Flacco is in line for a good day. But also consider that Flacco has lost two fumbles this season and a performance more in line with last week is likely.
Point Projection: 15 points