The current reining Super Bowl MVP—Aaron Rodgers—is beginning to separate himself permanently from the competition, and this week's cream-puff game against the lowly Buccaneers will surely help Rodgers achieve that feat, as well as, help fantasy owners rise above the competition.
But Rodgers isn't the only quarterback who has a great upcoming game, which is why I thought I would mix things up a bit in this week's rankings by putting some additional focus on the Top 5.
Let's see what's in store for this week's games.
Aaron Rodgers - GB - #1: The last time Rodgers' quarterback rating went below 110 was last year's NFC Championship game, and Rodgers is on track for another MVP season.
Rodgers faces a Buccaneers team that started hot, but has since fell by the wayside, especially in the passing defense department.
Ranked 29th against the pass, the Bucs have—at times—shown containment against outside receivers, but also gave up a whopping combined 412 yards 5 TDs to Matt Schaub of the Texans and Alex Smith of the 49ers.
Two QBS who are nowhere near Rodgers' caliber.
Even if TB stops the outside receiving threat of Green Bay, they will struggle all day against the other three receivers (Nelson, Jones and Finley) which should prove to be overwhelming.
Tom Brady - NE - #2: If it wasn't for Aaron Rodgers facing the Bucs, Brady could easily be considered number one here, but a close number two will do just fine.
Brady hasn't had the greatest of seasons in 2011, but he bounced back against the vaunted Jets last week in commanding fashion, reassuring owners there is plenty of gas left in the tank, the reserve tank, and the backup tank.
The Chiefs really only feature one above average corner in Brandon Flowers, but even Flowers has shown weakness against possession receivers such as the ones New England deploys in Deion Branch, and slot master Wes Welker.
After those two menacing players, the Chiefs will have to find some way two stop the one-two TE punch of Ron Gronkowski who has been on fire, and the sneaky Aaron Hernandez who is always a threat on the field.
Brady owners should have plenty to celebrate over after the Pats take care of Kansas City.
Tony Romo - DAL - #3: In the early goings, Romo owners had to be sweating bullets over his inconsistent play, but over the past two weeks Romo has seemingly put things back together.
Romo has passed for 549 yards and five touchdowns alongside a 74.9 percent completion rate, and he faces a reeling Redskins defense that should struggle heavily against the combination of Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and RB DeMarco Murray, not to mention TE Jason Witten.
It's taken Dallas all this time to find the right personnel combination, but if they keep playing at this level, the Cowboys will continue to offer fantasy owners elite options at nearly every position.
Not to mention, the Cowboys will be poised to win the NFC East.
Philip Rivers - SD - #4: Say what you will about Philip Rivers' TD:INT ratio, but the guy is playing terrible and he still puts up Top 5/10 numbers each week.
The issue with this week is that notoriously dangerous Chicago Bears defensive line, and the amount of speed they come equipped with.
The Raiders exposed the Chargers inability to deal with pure speed up front as they put Rivers through one nightmarish game last Thursday, but all the Chargers really had to do was revert to passing underneath, while adding an extra blocker for Rivers' on the left side.
I love the opportunities presented to Rivers and company via a Bears secondary that ranks 29th against the pass, and if the Chargers compensate with an extra blocker out of the backfield—which they should—owners of Rivers will enjoy a much needed solid outing.
Eli Manning - NYG - #5: I think it's time we start consistently realizing that Manning is among the best in NFL QBs.
But he's not a Jedi yet.
Now many of you may be wondering why a guy who lit up the Eagles ( in his first go-around) for 254 yards and four TDs isn't higher on this list, which is a damn fine question, so let me explain.
The Eagles are reeling, yes, but the Eagles also entered their first contest with New York with a terrible defensive approach, making their corners play more zone-coverage than anything else, which burned them greatly.
Since switching up to more aggressive man-to-man schemes, the Birds have been able to somewhat contain the competition, despite still not having an answer on how exactly to close a game.
Manning, however, should have no trouble picking apart what is left of the Bird's pride, but if anyone is hoping for a similar performance as Week 3, you may want to get ready for a slight let down.
Here's the rest of the rankings, good luck, and may the force by with you!
[table id=119 /]
