Here are our fantasy football rankings for QB.1. Tom Brady (NE) – The additions of randy Moss and Welker have catapulted Brady from solid fantasy QB to maybe the best fantasy QB. There is not a defense in the NFL that can stop Brady and this offense right now. He should make it look easy this week against the Bengals. He’s a lock for a monster.
2. Donovan McNabb (PHI) – From a passing stand point, McNabb has never looked better than he did last week. He has obviously developed a strong chemistry with Kevin Curtis, at least against weak secondaries, which is what McNabb faces again this week with the Giants. He should have another big game. Don’t expect a repeat of last week but it’s not out of the question.
3. Brett Favre (GB) – He has looked like the Favre of old so far this season. He will be trying to break Marino’s touch down record this week in Minnesota, so who should be extra inspired this week. This is a great match up against a defense that focuses more on stopping the run. We see Favre having a great game.
4. Tony Romo (DAL) – He is been nothing short of sharp accumulating a QB rating of 112 this season. He should continue to create big plays for this offense and get into the end zone on a regular basis. Good match up at home vs. St. Louis.
5. Peyton Manning (IND) – Manning faces his biggest test of the young season this week against a tough Denver secondary. If anyone can find their weakness, it’s Manning. No QB in the NFL studies more film or works as hard in preparation. He will find a way to get the job done.
6. Jon Kitna (DET) – Kitna continues to throw for plenty of yards, touch downs, and interceptions. Look for the same this week against a battered Bear’s secondary. The only drawback for him this week fantasy wise is his propensity to throw the pick and get sacked. If those stats aren’t a big issue in your league, he’s definitely your man, and even if they are issues; He is still a good play.
7. Carson Palmer (CIN) – He has a big test in front of him this week in the form of the New England defense. The Pat’s D has made life miserable for opposing QB’s this season, but Palmer is too talented, and has too many weapons to be shut down. Tough match up.
8. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA) – He is played very well to this point in the season. A meeting with rival San Francisco may provide a few bumps with their improved secondary, but Hasselbeck loves to spread the ball around, which will give the Niners trouble. We like his chances this for another solid performance.
9. Phillip Rivers (SD) – He finally proved his worth as a fantasy QB last week. On paper he has his best match up of the season against the Chief’s defense but Rivers has struggled against them in the past. He seems to be playing with more confidence and should be able to overcome past issues against this defense in week 4.
10. Jay Cutler (DEN) – He is showing some signs of improvement but more importantly there are no signs of regression. He is making plays in the offense, now he must learn how to win big games (something he never had the luxury of learning at Vanderbilt). He should stay on par again this week with another decent outing. He is a better option in yardage heavy leagues than TD heavy leagues but that should change.
11. Eli Manning (NYG) – This week’s match up features a bit of a challenge for the unpredictable QB. He has had both success and failure against the Eagles in his young career. Manning is hard to analyze but we expect a pretty good game.
12. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) – After an amazing week 1, Roethlisberger has once again positioned himself as a middle of the road fantasy QB. We expect slightly better numbers from last week, so don’t anticipate a huge game, but he shouldn’t be a let down by any means.
13. Chad Pennington (NYJ) – He has played very well when he has actually been in the game. A poor run defense has allowed opposing offenses to chew up clock and yards, keeping him off the field, and limiting his stat line. If he can get more than 20 pass attempts this week, he should be an effective option.
14. Steve McNair (BAL) – He seems like a great fantasy option this week against a bad Brown’s defense but he is still troubled by a groin issue which has taken him out of two straight games late. He will likely start but not finish in this one making him a bit risky. He should put up good numbers relative to the time he plays.
15. Joey Harrington (ATL) – Apparently the Leftwich signing did in fact light a fire under Harrington. He should regress a bit this week against a solid Texan’s defense that gave Peyton Manning some trouble last week. We expect a decent outing for Harrington, but no replay of week 3.
16. Jeff Garcia (TB) – He has proven that he is still a great QB, just not a great fantasy QB. He is very efficient in running the offense and limiting mistakes but he does not post the big numbers required to be a solid fantasy option. The good news is he won’t hurt you. Pretty good match up this week.
17. Alex Smith (SF) – Smith played his best game of the season last week but he was still fundamentally bad. He must quit throwing the ball like a high school 2nd stringer if he is ever going to have success and live up to his potential. Smith has confidence but has regressed in his skills, something that could correct its self any week. He enjoyed two pretty good games last season vs. Seattle. If he can correct the issues, he will do the same this week
18. Matt Schaub (HOU) - He returns to Atlanta to face his former team which should inspire him. The only problem is that Schaub is very short on fire power. It’s a good match up for him but he will be limited to scab WR’s and backs as targets. We think he will make the most of his situation but that’s a bad situation to be in.
19. David Carr (CAR) – He is most likely going to be named the week 4 starter. Carr looked extremely polished in relief of Delhomme last week and seems poised to have a pretty good game vs. Tampa. This could go either way, but if you are in need of a QB this week, Carr just might save your butt and help you win a close one.
20. Trent Green (MIA) - He would be a good fantasy QB if his TD to INT ratio didn’t suck so badly. He can move the ball down the field but he needs to start finding the end zone instead of opposing players. Green has a fair match up this week, but we expect more of the same.
21. Marc Bulger (STL) – The odds are certainly stacked against him this week. Let’s do the list: rib injury, decimated offensive line, no Steven Jackson, and he is coming off maybe his worst game ever. This guy has a ton of talent but with so much going against him, it is a good week to bench him against Dallas.
22. Brian Griese (CHI) – Griese gets his first start in almost two years this week replacing the ineffective Rex Grossman. It is unclear whether or not Griese can get this offense in gear, but he has good leadership skills, and pretty good accuracy. This is a great match up against a poor secondary, but unless you have no other option, or you’re a gambling man or woman (political Correctness); we say give him at least a week to see what he has.
23. Daunte Culpepper (OAK) – Culpepper will likely make his first start of the season this week. It is hard to tell what to expect from Culpepper but he did have a strong preseason for what that’s worth. QB’s have had pretty good success against Miami this season. Culpepper will also have an axe to grind against the team that gave up on him, which almost always inspires good play. He could be a nice surprise but it’s kind of doubtful.
24. Matt Leinart (ARI) – He is dangerously close to losing his job to Kurt Warner and will likely give up some snaps in this week’s game. He will also likely be without Anquan Boldin this week. He is at best highly risky this week against the blitz happy Steeler defense. Hopefully, the threat of losing his job will inspire him to concentrate on football and this may be a good thing in the long run for those of you who have him.
25. Derek Anderson (CLE) – As expected, last week proved that this guy is human after all. Anderson faces his first real test against the Ravens, so his numbers will likely dip again this week.
26. Damon Huard (KC) – He played fairly well last week but was not especially effective from the fantasy perspective. He seems to be improving but doesn’t have what it takes as a fantasy starter. Avoid him unless you don’t have that option in which case you better learn to love him, that, or keep Brodie Croyle on the back burner
