Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::WEEK 10 RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF NOVEMBER 13, 2010::

It is finally coming to an end. No, not the fantasy football season. We’re talking about the end of bye weeks for the 2010 season, and Week 10 is the last of them. That’s great because after this we’re going to be at full strength for the stretch run. However, if the NFL was trying to save the best for last then it accomplished that goal with the four teams on bye this week. Those four teams include the Green Bay Packers, the New Orleans Saints, the San Diego Chargers and the surging Oakland Raiders. Three of those quarterbacks - Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers - are among the league’s and fantasy’s elite. As for Oakland, Jason Campbell has five touchdowns against one interceptions in his last three games and head coach Tom Cable is considering sticking with him as the starter moving forward.

To see how we rank the signal callers not on bye this week along with their full projections, continue reading our Fantasy Football Week 10 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. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Cincinnati

Last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was just the second time this season Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has failed to throw two or more touchdowns in a game. Last time Manning threw less than two touchdowns in a game was in a Week 5 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. In his next game Manning threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in a win over the Washington Redskins. The Cincinnati Bengals are statistically one of the better defenses against opposing quarterbacks from a fantasy perspective, but that’s partially because they’ve played against bad quarterbacks like Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers, Seneca Wallace of the Cleveland Browns, as well as seeing bad performances from guys like Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins. Typically, good quarterbacks have smoked the Bengals, and that’s going to be the case again this week.
Point Projection: 21 points

2. Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Dallas

It’s only been three weeks since Eli Manning and the New York Giants played the Dallas Cowboys. Much has changed since then, however. Dallas dumped head coach Wade Phillips and promoted offensive coordinator Jason Garrett in his place. Yet, let’s not expect some miraculous turnaround here. The Cowboys have given up eight passing touchdowns in their last two games and are giving up almost 17 fantasy points a game to opposing quarterbacks. In New York’s Week 7 win over Dallas, Manning threw for 306 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. We would expect a similar performance from Manning the second time around, though one less touchdown and one less interception sounds more like it.
Point Projection: 19 points

3. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Washington

Coming off a rib injury didn’t seem to affect Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick at all in last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts. Vick went 17-for-29 for 218 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and he also ran 10 times for 74 yards and a score. This week Vick gets a shot at revenge against the Washington Redskins, the same team that caused his rib injury in Week 4. The Redskins are the fourth-worst defense against opposing quarterbacks, giving up an average of almost 17 fantasy points a game. Also, the Redskins gave up four passing touchdowns to the Detroit Lions in Week 8. Expect another good game from Vick, provided the Redskins don’t hurt him again.
Point Projection: 19 points

4. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) @ Jacksonville

With Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, a quirky pattern has emerged this season. Every mediocre or bad game from him has been followed up by a multiple-touchdown performance. Last week Schaub was mediocre in a loss to the San Diego Chargers, throwing for 266 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. What better way for Schaub to rebound this week than a game with the Jacksonville Jaguars? Jacksonville is the second-worst defense against opposing quarterbacks, giving up around 19 fantasy points a week to them. Plus, the Jaguars have allowed six multiple-touchdown games to quarterbacks this season. So yeah, don’t read too much into Schaub’s game last week and keep him firmly planted in your lineup.
Point Projection: 18 points

5. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) @ Pittsburgh

The New England Patriots did not take care of business last week in a loss to the Cleveland Browns, but statistically quarterback Tom Brady did alright. He passed for 224 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Brady has now gone three games without an interception, a good sign that things in the passing game are fine without receiver Randy Moss. The problem Brady runs into this week is the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Pittsburgh is giving up around 11 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, though if there’s one player that can break that mold it’s Brady.
Point Projection: 16 points

6. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. New England

Since returning from his suspension for violating the league’s conduct policy, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has been up and down. This week should be more of the good since he’s facing the New England Patriots, who have been giving up big games to opposing quarterbacks all season, including giving up 194 total yards and two rushing touchdown to Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns last week. However, the Pittsburgh running game will likely also play a big part in this game as well and that could limit Roethlisberger’s points.
Point Projection: 16 points

7. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) @ Atlanta

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has really picked up his play in the last three games. During that stretch Flacco has thrown seven touchdowns with no interceptions, and his last pick came in a Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Atlanta Falcons defense is no pushover, yet in its last two games it’s given up six touchdown passes. In fact, the Falcons have given up three 20-plus point games to opposing quarterbacks this season, and the four games where they were good came against struggling quarterbacks such as Dennis Dixon of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Derek Anderson of the Arizona Cardinals, Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers and a combined effort of Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme of the Cleveland Browns. Expect a solid performance from Flacco but the potential is there for something better.
Point Projection: 16 points

8. Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. Carolina

In last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman had his third multiple-touchdown game of the season, but it came at the cost of two interceptions and a 50.0 completion percentage. However, this week presents a good opportunity for Freeman to bounce back. The Panthers have had four games where they’ve allowed 15 or more fantasy points to opposing receivers, and they’ve given up four passing touchdowns in the last two weeks. Also, when Freeman faced Carolina in Week 2 he threw for 178 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. We would expect a slightly better performance from him the second time around.
Point Projection: 16 points

9. Vince Young / Kerry Collins (Tennessee Titans) @ Miami

The Tennessee Titans were busy on their bye week, dealing with the hamstring injury to wide receiver Kenny Britt (who’s expected to be out 6-8 weeks) and claiming Randy Moss off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. It remains to be seen how Moss will fit in with the Titans but having a player of that caliber is never a bad thing, and could be a boon to Young, and if he can’t play Kerry Collins, with the Titans lacking a true No.1 reciever. The Miami Dolphins are coming off a loss to the Baltimore Ravens where they allowed 266 passing yards and two touchdowns to quarterback Joe Flacco. Miami only has five interceptions all year and Young and Collins have thrown five combined, so regardless of the quarterback it should be a solid performance.  **YOUNG WILL BE A GAME-TIME DECISION. IF HE CAN’T GO, COLLINS WILL START**
Point Projection:  Young - 15 points; Collins - 15 points

10. Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) @ San Francisco

Despite being a rookie St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is growing up on the job and doing so in a quick manner. In his last three games before last week’s bye he threw five touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s been a big reason why the Rams are 4-4 right now. The San Francisco 49ers defense is a good matchup for Bradford considering they’ve held just one quarterback to single-digit fantasy points this year, and are allowing an average of 15 fantasy points a game to opposing quarterbacks. Expect another solid performance from the St. Louis rookie.
Point Projection: 15 points

11. Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Indianapolis

Despite the poor play of the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Carson Palmer continues to stay fantasy relevant. He does just enough to keep you coming back for more even though you know you shouldn’t. That’s the case this week when he faces the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis has given up an average of around 12 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but they did give up two 20-plus point performances already. Plus, the Colts are giving up an average of 345 yards per game, so there will be some room for Palmer to exploit as long as he doesn’t have too many turnovers.
Point Projection: 15 points

12. David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Houston

Do not pay much attention to David Garrard’s four-touchdown performance in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are having an awful season and are a mess. The Houston Texans are the worst team statistically against opposing quarterbacks, giving up about 20 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. However, we’ve seen Garrard’s inconsistency before and it’s has to make you wonder if this matchup is too good to be true for him? That said, owners who have their stud quarterback on a bye should consider taking a gamble on Garrard.
Point Projection: 15 points