Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Cory Steger
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::WEEK 1 RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2010::

Finally it’s here. The 2010 NFL season kicks off with Thursday’s rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game featuring the Minnesota Vikings at the New Orleans Saints. Not only is it a rematch of what was an incredible game from last year’s playoffs, two of the league’s top quarterbacks in the Vikings’ Brett Favre and the Saints’ Drew Brees are facing off against each other. Of course there are a lot of other interesting Week 1 matchups including the Cincinnati Bengals at the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts at the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys at the Washington Redskins.

Another great thing about the first week of the season is that we’re treated to two Monday Night Football games. The first features the Baltimore Ravens at the New York Jets with a pair of young, up-and-coming quarterbacks in Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez. The second has Philip Rivers’ San Diego Chargers playing at Matt Cassel’s Kansas City Chiefs. To see where all the quarterbacks rank for the first week, continue on reading the Week 1 Quarterback Rankings.

**RANKINGS BASED ON STANDARD SCORING - 1 POINT PER 25 PASSING YARDS, 1 POINT PER 10 YARDS RUSHING, 4 POINTS ALL PASSING TOUCHDOWNS, -2 POINTS ALL TURNOVERS**

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Philadelphia

Not only did Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers earn the top spot in our preseason rankings, but he also is the top spot in the first week of quarterback rankings. Rodgers shouldn’t have any trouble putting up some good numbers against a young Philadelphia Eagles defense that’s in transition. If Rodgers’ stellar performance last season along with a young Philadelphia defense isn’t enough to sway you, consider how good he was during the preseason. Rodgers completed 77.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Expect more success on Sunday.
Point Projection: 24 points

2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) @ Houston

Since coming into the league the Houston Texans have beaten the Indianapolis Colts just once in their eight year franchise history. To say the Colts own the Texans would be an understatement. In the last six games against the Texans, Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 12 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He, too, owns the Texans. Let’s not knock too much on Houston, which is an improving team that could challenge for a playoff spot this season, but the numbers are heavily in Manning and the Colts’ favor this weekend.
Point Projection: 20 points

3. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Kansas City

No Marcus McNeill? No Vincent Jackson? No problem, at least for San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. McNeill and Jackson are still holding out for new contracts, but that shouldn’t slow Rivers down this week against a weak Kansas City Chiefs defense. The Chiefs played OK in the preseason but the defense still has a lot of young players in key roles. Rivers still has good targets to throw to without Jackson, including tight end Antonio Gates, receivers Malcolm Floyd, Legedu Naanee and Patrick Crayton, and running backs Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews.
Point Projection: 20 points

4. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Minnesota

Remember that NFC title game from last year? It was the one where Brees threw for 197 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in an overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams feature very similar starting lineups as they did last year, so this game is going to be hyped a lot. That’s just the way Brees likes it. He’s at his best when the spotlight is on him and the Saints. Minnesota’s defense is very good except at pass defense, where they are banged up and already lack coverage skills. Another good performance for Brees and the Saints is in the cards for Thursday.
Point Projection: 19 points

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

Though the defense is kind of a mess right now, the New England Patriots offense is already firing on all cylinders. The running game is struggling, but the passing game looks to be one of the most difficult to stop. There’s just too many receiving options to shut down, and that will keep the Cincinnati Bengals guessing. Also, the weakness of the Cincinnati defense is through the safeties and that’s something Brady will be able to take advantage of.
Point Projection: 18 points

6. Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Carolina

It’s easy to look at how well the Carolina Panthers defense played during the preseason and think they’ll be able to shut down Eli Manning and the New York Giants. But Carolina played against three underachieving defenses in its final three preseason games. Their secondary is not as good as it seems and they’re thin at linebacker. Manning should not have much trouble putting up points in bunches this week.
Point Projection: 17 points

7. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. Indianapolis

This game has to be one of the most intriguing matchups of the first week. Both games between Houston and Indianapolis were decided by a touchdown or less. Even though we project Manning for a better game than Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in this one, you can still expect a good performance from Schaub. Having Andre Johnson kind of helps.
Point Projection: 17 points

8. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. Detroit

As much as Jay Cutler’s first season as a Chicago Bear was a disaster, it was still pretty good by fantasy football standards. The guy throws a good amount of touchdowns that takes away some of the string from all his interceptions. He gets a good week one opponent in the Detroit Lions. Now, the Lions are improving football team but are probably still a year away from becoming legitimate. That means it should be a good 2010 debut for Cutler and the Bears.
Point Projection: 17 points

9. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) @ Washington

If the Houston-Indianapolis matchup is the most intriguing then this game is very close behind. Division rivals. Old school rivalry. Legitimate hate between the two teams. There’s so much to love about the Dallas Cowboys playing the Washington Redskins. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has improved each year he’s been the starter, and he’s also done well against Washington. Last year Romo led the Cowboys to victory over the Redskins in both games, and played pretty well doing it. OK, he played well in the second meeting. The first was ugly football by both teams.
Point Projection: 16 points

10. Kevin Kolb (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Green Bay

Philadelphia quarterback Kevin Kolb is praised by the Eagles coaches because he’s so even-keeled. When he found out he became the starter after Donovan McNabb was traded, Kolb simply said, “OK.” That coolness should help him ease into the role as starter. There are going to be ups and downs, including this week against a good Green Bay defense. Yet with Kolb, in the limited time we’ve seen him, he’s produced. Because he’s a first-year starter he’s a risky start each week but should produce enough to still be fantasy-viable. He may not lead the Eagles to a win against the Packers, but Kolb will put up some solid fantasy football numbers.
Point Projection: 15 points