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Friday, September 17

Fantasy Football: Quarterback Start/Sit Rankings (Week 2)


Here they are—Quarterback Rankings for Week 2 (2010) to help you decide who to start and who to sit on your fantasy football team.


1. Peyton Manning (IND) – He obviously won’t match his monster totals from week 1, but there is still plenty to be had against a Giants secondary that allowed the 2nd most TD passes in the NFL last season. Manning is an obvious must start fantasy option for week 2.

2. Phillip Rivers
(SD) – In spite of losing the game and poor weather conditions, Rivers put up very solid numbers in week 1 against Kansas City. He should fare even better at home in week 2 against a very suspect Jacksonville pass defense.

3. Aaron Rodgers (GB) – He wasn’t quite up to par in week 1 and he will be tested again in week 2 by an underrated Bills secondary, that many forget ranked 2nd in the NFL in pass defense last season. That said, Rodgers is always money at home and he has too many weapons for Buffalo to contend with.

4. Drew Brees (NO) – While efficient, Brees didn’t wow anyone with his week 1 performance and a week 2 match up on the road in San Francisco does present some challenges, but less than stellar numbers two weeks in a row just doesn’t seem likely for Brees. If Matt Hasselbeck can find pay dirt 3 times against the Niner defense with his raggedy supporting cast, Brees should light them up.

5. Tony Romo (DAL) – The Bears will present a formidable defense in week 2, but they do have some holes in their secondary and we expect Romo to exploit each and every one with his wide array of weapons. In addition, he should have Marc Colombo back on the O-line this week which will help tremendously. Romo makes for an outstanding week 2 fantasy option.
6. Matt Schaub (HOU) – Schaub’s services were rarely needed in week 1 with Arian Foster decimating the Colts defense. Houston will have to lean more heavily on the passing game this week against a Redskins secondary that gave up plenty of yards to Tony Romo in week 1. Schaub should put up much better numbers in week 2.

7. Tom Brady (NE) – He was outstanding in week 1 completing over 70% of his passes for 258 yards and 3 scores against a solid Bengals pass defense, but things will get much more difficult in week 2 on the road against the Jets. Brady threw just 1 TD pass against the Jets in 2 games last season and that came at home. That said, the Pats offense hasn’t been this loaded since 2007 and Brady is looking as sharp as ever.

8. Michael Vick (PHI) – Vick was surprisingly sharp in week1 against a really good Packer defense. In fact, we can’t remember him ever looking that good when he was in Atlanta. Maybe Vick finally realized he is not a pure pocket QB and if he uses his best attribute (the run), he can open up the pass. If he maintains that mindset and he can keep the momentum going, Vick is capable of putting up some big time numbers on the ground and through the air against a soft Detroit defense in week 2.

9. Joe Flacco (BAL) – He only has one noteworthy game against the Bengals in his short career and that came in his rookie season. Flacco will look to make it 2 on Sunday as he will unveil his new and much improved receiving corps in Cincy. The Bengals secondary is probably better than they looked against Tom Brady last week, but there is obviously some vulnerability there and Flacco finally has the tools to exploit it.

10. Matt Ryan (ATL) – As expected, Ryan had some difficulties against a stout Steeler defense on the road in week 1. He should be much improved at home in week 2 against an unproven Cardinal secondary that showed some weaknesses against Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford in week 1.

11. Brett Favre (MIN) – He did not do his fantasy value any favors with his lackluster week 1 performance and it is obvious that the Vikings passing game needs a lot of polishing. That being said, Favre had just one mediocre performance in 8 home games last season and the other 7 were extremely impressive. Hopefully, he can rekindle some of that Metrodome magic in week 2 against a good, but not great Dolphins pass defense. At the very least, you should see improvement over week 1. Injury: ankle, back (Probable)

12. Jay Cutler (CHI) – The only real certainty when it comes to predicting Jay Cutler’s fantasy value in a given week is that, for good or bad; he is going to throw the ball a ton. It’s difficult not to lean toward the bad in week 2 against the sack happy Cowboys in Dallas and the pressure Cutler is going to face will likely force him into his signature interception mode. On the other hand, Dallas does have some soft spots in their secondary and Cutler has some great wide receivers to exploit them. So, plenty of yards and a couple of TDs aren’t out of the question.

13. Donovan McNabb (WAS) – He will certainly have a much easier go of it in week 2 against a Houston secondary that got absolutely lit up by Peyton Manning in week 1. Unfortunately, McNabb is no Peyton Manning and he does not have the number of quality targets that Peyton has in his arsenal. Regardless, the cupboard is not completely bare for McNabb in Washington and he is capable of putting up very respectable numbers against the Texans. Injury: ankle (Probable)

14. Eli Manning (NYG) – The fear with Eli in week 2 is that the Giants will almost certainly employ the same run heavy approach that worked so well for Houston against the Colts in week 1, thus limiting his chances for fantasy success. For that reason, we don’t love Manning in this match up, but it is also quite possible that the Colts could jump out to an early lead in this game. In which case, the Giants would be forced to abandon the running game in favor of the pass.

15. Carson Palmer (CIN) – He was fairly mediocre in his 2 starts against Baltimore last season, but adding T.O. and Jermaine Gresham to the equation should buy him a few more fantasy points this time around.

16. Kyle Orton (DEN) – He isn’t likely to blow up against any defense, but Orton is a capable and efficient signal caller. That is what is expected of him against Seattle in week 2. The Seahawks actually looked much better than advertised on defense in week 1, but they will have a more difficult go of it on the road in the thin air of Denver.

17. Chad Henne (MIA) – He was pretty underwhelming in week 1, which was not a huge surprise against a solid Bills pass defense. Henne should have better luck in week 2 with Brandon Marshall considering Minnesota’s glaring weakness at corner back, but Henne still has some glaring weaknesses of his own that make him no better than a QB2 for this match up.

18. Jason Campbell (OAK) – A favorable week 2 match up against a bad St. Louis defense holds promise for Campbell, but if the Raiders offensive line doesn’t block any better than they did in week 1 against the Titans; even the Rams could get the better of him.

19. Derek Anderson (ARI) – He wasn’t bad in week 1 and he should only get better as he develops a better rapport with his receivers. That said, the Falcons will present Anderson with a much bigger challenge than the Rams did in week 1.

20. Vince Young (TEN) – He put up solid and very efficient numbers in week 1, but that was against the Raiders. Young will have a much tougher row to hoe against a stingy Steeler defense in week 2.

21. Matt Cassel (KC) – Even with the bad weather and the tough match up, Cassel should have given fantasy owners more than 68 passing yards. He will give you more in week 2 against Cleveland, but that isn’t saying much.

22. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA) – Surprisingly, Hasselbeck managed to find pay dirt 3 times (1 on the ground) at home against the 49ers in week 1. He isn’t likely to be nearly as fortunate in week 2 against a quality Bronco secondary on the road in Denver.

23. Alex Smith (SF) – We had high hopes for Smith in week 1 and he turned out to be one of the bigger busts of the week. Oh well, it is only one week and there may still be a glimmer of hope left for him, but it is fading fast. Smith may have better luck at home against the Saints on Monday Night, but don’t count on it.

24. David Garrard (JAC) – Garrard far exceeded expectations tossing 3 TD passes in week 1. Do not expect a repeat in week 2 against San Diego. He typically struggles in road games and he is dealing with a bad back this week. Injury: back (Questionable)

25. Sam Bradford (STL) – Despite throwing 3 picks against Arizona in week 1, the rookie signal caller didn’t look half bad. There is definitely plenty of fantasy upside here for the future. Unfortunately, this is the present and Bradford still has a ways to go. Regardless, there is some potential for success in week 2 with a decent match up against the Raiders, although it is still far from failsafe being his first ever test on the road.