Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::WEEK 17 RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 1, 2011::

Though most fantasy football championships were decided in Week 16, there are still some leagues that waited until the final week of the season to settle on a winner. We are here with you until the end, so we’ve got you covered with some fresh positional rankings, starting off with the Fantasy Football Week 17 Quarterback Rankings.

You’re going to see a lot of familiar names near the top of the list, like Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. Yet there is a surprise when you get to No. 12. Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos, really? Yes, we have Tebow ranked as a QB1 this week.

One thing to take note of, be sure to follow the news on your players all week, especially the ones on teams that have already locked up a playoff spot. You don’t want to play somebody who’s only going to play two quarters or less this week. The following rankings were done with the thought that all quarterbacks will play a full game. We will be updating them throughout the week.

**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) vs. Chicago

Apparently Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is OK after all. After missing one week because of a concussion, he came back last week against the New York Giants and threw for 404 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The thing is, Rodgers faces the Chicago Bears defense this week, and the Bears are giving up about 12 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. When Rodgers played at Chicago in Week 3 he threw for 316 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Expect similar numbers the second time around, but with another touchdown as well.
Point Projection: 20 points

2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Tennessee

At this time of year we’re used to seeing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on the bench with his team having already clinched a spot in the playoffs. This season, however, is different. The Colts need to win or tie, or have the Jacksonville Jaguars lose, to make it into the playoffs. That means Manning’s going to play this week, and against the Tennessee Titans he should have a big game. The Titans are giving up about 15 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and the last time Manning played Tennessee he threw for 319 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Manning and the Colts have a lot to play for this week, and it will be reflected in their performances this week.
Point Projection: 19 points

3. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Denver

Who would’ve thought that in last week’s matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals that it would be Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer putting up the huge numbers instead of San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers? Rivers still threw for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but his owners have to come expect more, especially at this time of year. The good news is that Rivers should have a big game this week against the Denver Broncos. Not only are the Broncos giving up about 17 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, but Rivers threw for 233 yards with four touchdowns and one interception against Denver in Week 11.
Point Projection: 19 points

4. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Tampa Bay

The pass defense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is solid as they’ve only given up one 20-point performance all season. However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bad week for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Brees and the Saints still are a step above the improving Buccaneers and it shows. The last time Brees played Tampa Bay was Week 6 and he threw for 263 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. You can expect a similar performance from Brees the second time around, especially since the Saints are at home.
Point Projection: 19 points

5. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. Jacksonville

It hasn’t exactly been the season the Houston Texans and quarterback Matt Schaub were hoping for, but at least they can try to go out with a win this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. When Schaub faced the Jaguars in Week 10 he threw for 314 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Jaguars have allowed 17 or more fantasy points in two of their last three games, which means it will be another good week for Schaub. Yet, expect Houston to have running back Arian Foster heavily involved in the mix as well, so expect a repeat of Week 10 for Schaub.
Point Projection: 17 points

6. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Carolina

Realistically the Carolina Panthers have nothing to play for this week because they’ve already sealed up the first pick of the draft. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose, however, playing against the Atlanta Falcons this week means the Panthers are headed for another loss. When the Atlanta Falcons faced the Carolina Panthers in Week 14 there was a heavy dose of running back Michael Turner, which limited the opportunities for quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan will play well this week as long as the Falcons don’t hand the ball off 50 times.
Point Projection: 16 points

7. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cincinnati

The last time Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco faced the Cincinnati Bengals it was Week 2 of the season, and Flacco threw for 154 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in a loss. It’s amazing how things can change. Since then the Bengals spiraled down into a bunch of losses and Flacco has grown immensely as a passer. Flacco has only thrown four interceptions in the 13 games he’s played since then, and, oh yeah, 24 touchdown passes as well. The Bengals were one of the better defenses against opposing quarterbacks but have now given up double digit fantasy points to quarterbacks in four straight games.
Point Projection: 16 points

8. Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos) vs. San Diego

Looks like Tim Tebow can play in the NFL after all. The Denver Broncos quarterback went 16-for-29 for 308 yards with one touchdown and one interception, as well as 27 rushing yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Houston Texans. To be fair, Houston’s defense is terrible but Tebow is a rookie and looks to be more developed than some thought he would be at this point. The thing that makes Tebow intriguing is his potential to score a rushing touchdown, which he’s done in consecutive weeks now, which can greatly add to a quarterback’s fantasy total. The San Diego Chargers have a good defense but they gave up four touchdowns to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, and now that the Chargers have nothing to play for. Tebow still has a lot to play for considering he’s trying to impress whomever becomes his future boss.
Point Projection: 16 points

9. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Miami

So in last week’s win over the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for just 140 yards but he also had three touchdowns and no interceptions. In that game he extended his streak to 319 pass attempts without an interception, breaking the old mark of 308 set by Bernie Kosar of the Cleveland Browns in 1990. Not only is Brady throwing a lot of touchdowns, he’s set a new record for pass attempts without an interception. He may be playing the best football out of anybody in the league right now. Don’t expect that to stop this week against the Miami Dolphins. The only way Brady doesn’t rack up a ton of points this week is if the Patriots take a big lead early and hand the ball off to running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead a lot. Still, that would likely happen after two or three touchdowns from Brady.  **WILL START - NO GUARANTEE HE PLAYS FULL GAME IN WEEK 17**
Point Projection: 15 points

10. Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ Washington

What are we to make of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning? The guy has a career-high 30 touchdowns as well as a career-high 24 interceptions. He threw four touchdowns in Week 15, then threw four interceptions last week. We like Manning a decent amount this week against a Washington Redskins defense that’s giving up about 17 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. When the Giants beat the Redskins in Week 13, Manning threw for just 161 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. That’s mostly because an early lead and a strong running game let the Giants play on cruise control in that game. Don’t expect things to be as easy the second time around, which means Manning will have to be more involved.
Point Projection: 15 points

11. Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) @ New Orleans

There may not be a more promising second-year skill-player than Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman. Freeman’s thrown 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions this year, and in last week’s win over the Seattle Seahawks he threw for 237 yards and five touchdowns. This week’s game with the New Orleans Saints offers a true test for Freeman. Last time he faced the Saints he threw for 219 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Though we expect a slightly better performance from him this time, it won’t be by much against a team that’s limiting quarterbacks to about 10 fantasy points per game.
Point Projection: 15 points

12. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Cleveland

So Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t thrown more than one touchdown in a game since Week 11. Last week he had one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, but still the lack of production from Roethlisberger is a bit concerning, though the team is winning. This is unfortunate because Roethlisberger has a good matchup with the Cleveland Browns this week. The Browns aren’t exactly the pushovers they used to be, but they did allow Roethlisberger to pass for 257 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in Week 6. However, because Roethlisberger has been so average lately, though he did beat up on the Carolina Panthers last week, you don’t want to rely on him to win you a title.
Point Projection: 15 points