Here they are—Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings for Week 5 (2010) to help you decide who to start and who to sit on your fantasy football team.
(IND) - He is coming off of his worst fantasy performance of the season against Jacksonville. A game in which Manning threw for 352 yards and a pair of TDs. That pretty much says it all and the red hot Manning continues to be a must start fantasy option at home in week 5 against an improved, yet vulnerable Kansas City defense. 2. Drew Brees
(NO) - There really isn’t much to say here. Brees should be dominate against an Arizona defense that has been torched on a weekly basis so far this season. + Knee: Probable3. Aaron Rodgers
(GB) - He should easily meet lofty expectations in week 5 against Washington’s 31st ranked pass defense. The Skins are giving up an average of 305 passing yards per game so far this season.4. Tony Romo
(DAL) - Romo has played well so far this season and that trend should continue in week 5 against a Titans defense that has struggled to defend the pass in their last 2 games. Tennessee gave up 341 passing yards and 2 TDs to Kyle Orton in week 4 and 386 passing yards to Eli Manning in week 3. Our only concern is the fact that Romo tends to make mistakes under pressure and he is likely to see more pressure than he would like from a fierce Titans pass rush that leads the NFL with 16 sacks.5. Matt Ryan
(ATL) - He is just on the outside looking in with regard to being an elite fantasy QB and when the match up is right, it’s fair to put Ryan into that category. Fortunately, week 5 provides fantasy owners with an excellent match up. Ryan will face a Cleveland pass defense ranked 24th in the NFL coming off of a terrible week 4 performance in which they were torched by Carson Palmer. Anything short of very solid production from Ryan would be a surprise and a disappointment.6. Phillip Rivers
(SD) - He could be limited in his overall production a bit in week 5 as the Chargers will likely continue the trendy run heavy approach that has been so successful against a terrible Raiders run defense. That said, Rivers has yet to throw for less than 2 TDs in a game all season and Oakland has given up 2 passing TDs in all 4 of their games. So logically, what Rivers may lack in the yardage department, he should make up for in the TD column.7. Eli Manning
(NYG) - In spite of some solid yardage totals, Manning has struggled through his first 4 games accounting for 11 turnovers and finishing his last 2 contests without a single TD pass. The good news is that his fortunes should change in week 5 with his most promising match up to date against the NFL’s worst pass defense. The Houston Texans have been roasted by opposing QBs on a weekly basis and while Manning hasn’t been playing his best football, he has the tools to continue that trend against an inept secondary.8. Joe Flacco
(BAL) - He seems to have turned the corner and we like his chances to keep it rolling against a banged up Denver secondary in week 5. Only 2 teams in the NFL have allowed more passing TDs than the Broncos so far this season and Denver ranks a mediocre 17th in the league in passing yards allowed despite facing lower tier QBs in 3 of their 4 games. We also like the fact that this is game is in Baltimore. Historically, Flacco performs much better at home.9. Matt Schaub
(HOU) - Schaub may have his work cut out for him in week 5, especially if Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones are not 100% and there is a chance that one or both will not play at all. The Giants have allowed just 139 passing yards per game, they are tied for first in the NFL with 16 sacks and they have just as many interceptions to their credit as they do TD passes allowed. That said, Schaub is an elite fantasy QB and easily the best QB the G-Men have faced so far this season, so he will likely find a way to make it happen, but this is no cakewalk.10. Carson Palmer
(CIN) - While he is still a bit shaky in terms of his fantasy potential, Palmer’s big week 4 was certainly a step in the right direction and at least we know that he can still take advantage of blown coverages. The good news is that there is a decent chance that he will see more of the same against Tampa in week 5. Tampa Bay has allowed 4 pass plays of 40 yards or more in just 3 games. Other than that, the Bucs pass defense doesn’t look half bad on paper, but that is a bit misleading as well considering the quality of QB they have faced so far in Jake Delhomme, Matt Moore and Charlie Batch. Batch even managed to hit them up for 3 TDs in their last game. So, there is hope for Palmer once again in week 5.11. Kyle Orton
(DEN) - Facing a top ranked Baltimore pass defense that has allowed just 1 TD pass in 4 games will be no easy task for Orton, but in spite of the difficult match up; there are a couple of things to like here. The Ravens have yet to face a truly formidable passing attack this season and so far, the Broncos passing game has been one of the best in the NFL. We also like the fact that Orton has so many capable weapons to spread the ball around to which can make life difficult for even the best defense. Orton is a risky fantasy play for week 5, but he is more than capable of overcoming the odds.12. Brett Favre
(MIN) - There may be more to Favre’s struggles in 2010 than his lack of a big play WR, but that is the most notable difference between last season and this one and at the very least; the addition of Randy Moss should go a long way in patching up a broken Vikings passing game. Moss’ mere presence will help open up the passing game as a whole and Favre‘s chances for fantasy success improve considerably with him in the fold. On the glass half empty side, it isn’t a lock that Favre and Moss will click right off the bat, so expectations of immediate success fall more so into the category of wishful thinking than highly probable . While the Jets have struggled a bit against the pass, this match up is not failsafe. This defense is still dangerous and they will have key players in Darrelle Revis and Calvin Pace returning from injury this week. + Ankle, Elbow: Probable13. Shaun Hill
(DET) - You may or may not be surprised to know that Hill has been one of fantasy football’s top scorers at the QB position in 2 of the last 3 weeks. While he will face a much improved Rams defense in week 5 that is no longer a pushover, we still like his chances at home in this game. Hill is really starting to click with Calvin Johnson and if they can keep that rapport going in week 5, it will be a big day for both of them. Hill makes for a great bye week replacement.14. Sam Bradford
(STL) - He continues to show improvement on a weekly basis and Bradford will be in store for his most promising match up so far this season in week 5 against Detroit. The Lions rank 26th in the NFL against the pass and only 1 team has allowed more passing TDs. This game could easily turn into a shootout that produces very solid fantasy numbers. Therefore, Bradford is more than serviceable as a bye week fill in or bad match up replacement.15. Mark Sanchez
(NYJ) - There is plenty to like about Sanchez heading into week 5. To name a few, he hasn’t thrown an interception all season, he has 8 TD passes in his last 3 games and he finally gets big play WR Santonio Holmes in the mix this week. The bad news is that he will face a Minnesota pass defense that has been equally impressive so far this season. The Vikings are giving up just 189 passing yards and 1 passing TD per game on average. They even managed to make Drew Brees look very average, so Sanchez will have his work cut out for him on Monday Night.16. Ryan Fitzpatrick
(BUF) - He’s not an elite QB, but Fitzpatrick has already made a substantial difference in the Bills offense and we like the fact that he is just as dangerous on the ground as he is through the air. He was one of fantasy football’s top QBs in week 4 and there is a very good chance he could repeat in week 5 against a struggling Jacksonville defense that ranks among the NFL’s worst. Fitzpatrick may not be the safest of fantasy QBs, but he is probably worth the gamble in week 5.17. Kevin Kolb
(PHI) - He has the weapons to do some real damage in week 5, but Kolb has been a bit shaky so far this season and a desperately talented 49ers defense will be at their best at home. Consider Kolb a risk-reward fantasy prospect with this match up.18. David Garrard
(JAC) - It is very plausible that Garrard could put up some big numbers against a really bad Buffalo defense in week 5, but his complete disregard for consistency also leaves room for skepticism, especially on the road where Garrard tends to struggle more than he does flourish. All in all, he is probably worth the gamble as a boom or bust bye week replacement in week 5.19. Donovan McNabb
(WAS) - While McNabb is still a very capable QB, his role in Washington so far has been that of a “game manager” which rarely translates into fantasy success. He probably won’t hurt you against Green Bay in week 5, but McNabb isn’t likely to put you over the top either. + Thigh: Probable20. Bruce Gradkowski
(OAK) - He’s far from juggernaut status, but all things considered, Gradkowski has done an admirable job so far. Unfortunately, that job will get much more difficult against a top flight San Diego defense in week 5. + Shoulder: Questionable21. Matt Cassel
(KC) - He was outstanding in his last game and Cassel has had 2 weeks to prepare for an Indy defense that was anything but outstanding in their last game. It all sounds great until you remember Cassel’s overall track record of mediocrity.22. Alex Smith (SF) - We would like to say that we like his chances for a big performance at home against Philly, but we don’t. Smith shows flashes of greatness, but they are very short lived and hope is fading fast.
23. Vince Young (TEN) - He may do just enough to help the Titans win in week 5, but don’t count on him doing the same for your fantasy team.
24. Josh Freeman (TB) - Freeman is a capable fantasy QB with the right match up, but even his best weeks have a ceiling and a week 5 match up against a great Cincinnati defense is not exactly fantasy friendly.
25. Todd Collins (CHI) - For that one person in a deep league that had to pick up Collins because they have Cutler and their other QB is on a bye. All we can say is, sorry and good luck.