After sitting down in my favorite chair and getting myself settled, I delved into the research required to comprise Week 3’s quarterback rankings, and I gotta tell ya, there are some REALLY stellar matchups this week which made this week particularly difficult to comprise.
But I think I am going to be pretty dead on.
The theme this week will be SOLELY on matchups, and those who do not heed that word will lose out on what should be a fantastic fantasy football day for some of these players listed below.
Let’s take a look.
TOP 5 STARTS
1. Phillip Rivers vs. Kansas City: Rivers has already had two back-to-back 300 yard games against solid opponents, and even with a turnover riddled performance against New England Sunday, Rivers still came through. The Chargers host a Kansas City team that has been CONSISTENTLY bad against the pass, making this contest another near-lock for his third 300+ yard plus outing.
2. Michael Vick vs. New York Giants: The concussion and blind side protection for Vick has become an increased problem with Philadelphia, and if it weren’t for his injury and a contest that should feature more run than pass, Vick would be atop the charts in Week 3.
3. Aaron Rodgers vs. Chicago: The Bears are a good team offensively, but are actually among the bottom dwellers in pass protection. Aaron Rodgers has elevated himself to elite status as a passer, and there is no reason to consider him any lower than a Top 3 QB this week in a pivotal divisional matchup against the Bears.
4. Tom Brady vs. Buffalo: It has become clear that Brady is playing better than ever, and so are the Bills (apparently) which has this game shaping up to be another shootout for Brady and company. Brady has hovered around the three and four spot in fantasy points for QBs for two weeks now, and if it weren’t for a banged up TE situation, he would be slightly higher.
5. Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. New England: What makes Brady’s stats so good is the fact that the Patriots pass defense is sooooooooo bad. Ryan Fitzpatrick has literally come alive in 2011 already throwing for 476 yards and seven—that’s right, SEVEN—touchdowns to one interception. The Patriots stand to lose their first game of the season, and Fitzpatrick owners are in-line for one helluva game in Week 3 here.
|
Rank |
Player |
Information |
| 6. | Matthew Stafford - DET | Stafford and company take their high flying offense into a contest against the woeful Vikings. Minnesota is a good first half team defensively, but nothing more, making this game tasty for Stafford. |
| 7. | Josh Freeman - TB | Freeman has shown vast improvement this year and he gets to face an Atlanta team that is ranked in the last six in pass coverage. If it weren’t for the Bucs’ modest offensive approach, I would have him higher. |
| 8. | Matt Schaub – HOU | Schaub comes in again around the eight spot which is right about where he is leveling out each week. He’ll have a good day against the Saints. |
| 9. | Big Ben - PIT | Kudos to Big Ben for consistently putting up solid numbers instead of the back-and-forth performances each week most of us are used to. The Colts offer up another Top performance day for him. |
| 10. | Cam Newton - CAR | Yup, the guy is showing himself to be legit, so I am giving him the nod as a Top 10 guy against Jacksonville. The real problem here is Newton showed up at practice with a boot over his ankle, and the Jags are better on D than most think. |
| 11. | Drew Brees - NO | Nobody is better against the pass than Houston, and they’ll continue to show it this week against Brees and company. |
| 12. | Jay Cutler - CHI | The Packers already have issues against the pass, and without Nick Collins for the season, Cutler’s chances just got a lot better. |
| 13. | Kevin Kolb – ARI | Another showing at lucky number 13 for the Arizona wonderboy. |
| 14. | Matt Ryan - ATL | The Bucs give enough against the pass to make any quarterback look solid. |
| 15. | Joe Flacco – BAL | I want to put Flacco higher, but his inconsistent two week performance against a Rams coverage team that is better than many are telling just doesn’t seem safe. What does seem safe is my 15th ranking for Week 3. |
| 16. | Mark Sanchez - NYJ | Sanchez should have a modest day against an Oakland team that is relatively easy to pass against, particularly in the second half. |
| 17. | Kyle Orton - DEN | John Fox’s balanced offensive approach has Orton’s numbers taking a small hit as expected this season, but he should get thing going again against Tennessee this week. |
| 18. | Matt Hasselbeck - Titans | Conversely, Denver stinks on D, and Hasselbeck should have another solid week as a strong QB 2 play. |
| 19. | Sam Bradford – STL | Don’t like the guy’s options to place him any higher. |
| 20. | Rex Grossman - WSH | The Cowboys should offer a much better challenge for Grossman than what he has faced thus far. |
| 21. | Tony Romo - DAL | A rib injury and a lung injury….you do the math here. |
| 22. | Colt McCoy - CLE | Miami can’t cover their own eyes let along another team’s receiving weapons, and McCoy does marginally well against bad teams… |
| 23. | Chad Henne - MIM | …but then again, Henne should make this an interesting game |
| 24. | Jason Campbell – OAK | Yeah…Campbell against the Jets? Not a good idea. |
| 25. | Eli Manning - NYG | Manning against a MUCH better Eagles pass D spells disaster. |
| 26. | Donovan McNabb - MIN | The Vikings should drop to 0-3, but McNabb is slowly showing signs of life again. You could do far worse. |
The rest of Week 3’s candidates do not deserve a spot on your starting roster for various reasons. Whether it is a matchup issue, inexperience, or something else, these six quarterbacks deserve to be benched if you own any of them in favor of better options.
- Matt Cassel – KC vs. SD: The Chargers are that good against the pass, and Cassel is no Tom Brady. Sit him in favor of another favorable start.
- Kerry Collins – IND vs. PIT: Collins can’t seem to throw a TD to save his life or even move the chains. I don’t think you need me to tell you to sit him.
- Alex Smith – SF vs. CIN: The Bengals are that good against the pass, and Alex Smith is that bad as a passer.
- Andy Dalton – Cin vs. SF: Too young to start right now.
- Tarvaris Jackson – SEA vs. ARI: Don’t even think about it!
- Anyone who throws for Jacksonville should be dropped altogether from your roster, including Gabbert!
Hope this helps guy, and now that I am back from my Week 2 hiatus, you are free to fire away a usual with your questions.
Good luck this week!
