Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::WEEK 5 RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 9, 2010::

After Michael Vick took over the starting quarterback job for the Philadelphia Eagles following Kevin Kolb’s concussion in a Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, things could not have gone better. He had seven total touchdowns in the first three games and led the Eagles to wins in Weeks 2 and 3.

Don’t call it a comeback…because he’s now hurt. In Week 4, Vick suffered a rib injury and left the game in the loss to the Washington Redskins. No timetable for his return has been stated, however, Vick is already reported “Out” for Week 5. Now it’s time to check out our Fantasy Football Week 5 Quarterback Rankings to find out who should replace Vick in your starting lineup.

**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. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ Arizona

Thus far New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has put up good stats, however, nothing that suggests he should be ranked as our top fantasy football quarterback in Week 5. A game against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday will change that. The Cardinals defense has really struggled to find itself as a unit this year and that’s evidenced by them ranking 23rd in passing yards allowed and 31st in points allowed. They’ve already given up seven passing touchdowns and allowed opponents to gain a whopping 96 first downs. We’ve kept Brees’ projection to just 23 points this week because the Saints offense still hasn’t had that monster game we know they’re capable of, though this could very likely be the week that happens.
Point Projection: 23 points

2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Kansas City

Ignore the Indianapolis Colts’ 2-2 record, including their last-second loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. All you need to pay attention to is quarterback Peyton Manning, who appears to be on his way to another MVP-caliber season with 11 touchdowns and just one interception in four games. Believe it or not, Manning has an interesting matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and that’s because the Chiefs are allowing just 12.7 points per game. Despite that, Kansas City ranks 25th in pass defense, so expect Manning to do his thing en route to 300-plus passing yards and multiple touchdown strikes.
Point Projection: 21 points

3. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Washington

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has already thrown five interceptions this season, which wouldn’t be too much cause for concern if he didn’t throw just seven all of last year. Yet, nobody here is panicking about Rodgers and you shouldn’t either. Chalk up his early season miscues more as nothing more than an aberration. This week’s game against the Washington Redskins should alleviate any fears you have about Rodgers. The Redskins rank 31st in pass defense, and have just three interceptions on the year. Plus, they have allowed opponents to complete 29.8 passes per game against them, which is dead last in the NFL. Look for Rodgers and the Packers to come out firing this week.
Point Projection: 19 points

4. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Oakland

As good as San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has been in the past he might be having his finest season yet, at least from a fantasy football perspective. He’s averaging 332 passing yards a game, as well as having an average of 9.4 yards per attempt. Combine that with his nine touchdowns, and the last time he started off a season this well was in 2008 when he ended up throwing for 34 touchdown passes. This week, he takes on an Oakland Raiders defense that has had his number in years past. The difference is, this Chargers offense doesn’t feature a strong run game, therefore we will see Rivers chuck the football more than the 27 attempts he has averaged in his last four contest with the Raiders. Start Rivers with confidence in Week 5.
Point Projection: 19 points

5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ Cleveland

A pattern is starting to emerge with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, and that’s a good thing. It seems every week Ryan’s going to throw between 225-275 yards with two or three touchdowns and an interception. The result from that is a decent amount of fantasy football points. We expect him to reach the higher of those numbers this week against the Cleveland Browns, who rank 24th in the league in passing yards allowed. Also consider the Browns have given up seven passing touchdowns and have just three interceptions, and Ryan looks like a good start this week.
Point Projection: 17 points

6. Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ Houston

So New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning didn’t throw a touchdown last week, but at least he didn’t throw an interception either. The numbers skewed a bit because the Giants did have an early lead against the Chicago Bears and thus they did not need to rely on Manning’s arm. The game this week against the Houston Texans could very likely turn into a shootout, and that’s why Manning’s projected for a solid game even though he hasn’t been too consistent thus far. Expect a couple touchdowns and interceptions to go along with a decent amount of passing yards.
Point Projection: 16 points

7. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Denver

With four touchdowns and just one interception in the last two games, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco appears to have turned his season around from where he was in the first two weeks. He gets another favorable matchup this week playing at home against the Denver Broncos. At home Flacco is completing 71 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions to go along his average yards per attempt of 8.5. At the same time, the Broncos defense is 17th against the pass and 21st in points allowed.
Point Projection: 16 points

8. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Tennessee

Depending on how you look at it, the bye week for the Dallas Cowboys last week could have come at a great time or a bad one. In one regard, the Cowboys and quarterback Tony Romo needed after they played so poorly in the first two weeks of the season. At the same time, they coming off a big win over the Houston Texans and maybe had started to roll. At least the bye week gave the Cowboys extra time to prepare for the Tennessee Titans, which means Romo should have at least a solid performance.
Point Projection: 16 points

9. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. New York Giants

In the four games thus far Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions when he plays at home, however, he has five touchdowns and just one pick on the road. Part of the reason for this is because the teams Schaub has played at home (Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys) are much better teams than those he’s faced on the road (Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders). While the Texans’ Week 5 opponent, the New York Giants, rank 22nd overall in points allowed, they have been better than people think at defending the pass. New York is allowing just 138.9 passing yards per game and opposing quarterbacks are averaging less than 10 fantasy football point per contest.
Point Projection: 15 points

10. Shaun Hill (Detroit Lions) vs. St. Louis

If you watched Shaun Hill quarterback the 49ers at the start of the 2009 season you figured he was nothing more than a game manager with little fantasy football value.So far, though, as a member of the Detroit Lions he has been far from that. Since taking over as starter for an injured Matthew Stafford in Week 2, Hill has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback With Stafford expected to miss another week due to a shoulder injury, Hill makes for a solid bye-week option in Week 5. While the St. Louis Rams are improved defensively, they still rank 21st in passing yards allowed and they will have trouble trying to defend Calvin Johnson. Megatron is three inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than Bradley Fletcher, who will get the honor of defending the physical wide receiver.
Point Projection: 15 points

11. Sam Bradford (St. Louis Rams) @ Detroit

Rookie quarterbacks are supposed to struggle, right? Apparently nobody told that to St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. His stats are better than any other quarterback who started as a rookie in recent years, and having led the Rams to two consecutive wins shows his stats are not meaningless either. He has a good opportunity for more stats this week against a weak Detroit Lions defense that’s giving up an average of 241 passing yards a game and 26.5 points per game.
Point Projection: 15 points

12. Kyle Orton (Denver Broncos) @ Baltimore

Whether he’s playing against a bad defense or a good one, on the road or at home, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton continues to put up games with good amounts of fantasy football points. That’s why we’re not going to put him at the bottom of the list this week even though he’s playing a Baltimore Ravens defense that has shutdown opposing quarterbacks. Baltimore is first in pass defense and fifth in points allowed, so Orton is a very risky start this week regardless of how well he’s played so far in similar situations.
Point Projection: 15 points