Week 3 is over and few QB lessons were there for the taking if you were paying attention:
- The Eagles still have serious issues with the O-line…good luck Vince Young!
- Matt Hasselbeck appears to be the real deal.
- Tom Brady can in fact be picked off.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick is a beast, but he is not yet a Top 5 QB
Some will argue the Fitzpatrick statement due to his stats, but I always exercise caution when it is available. After this week’s contest against the Bengals, and at least one good outing against the Jets, I will comfortably consider Fitzpatrick a Top 5 elite—three great outings against sub-par passing defenses just isn’t enough for Top 5 consideration.
With that said, this week offers some interesting matchups, as well as, some interesting points you should consider, so read thoroughly my friends.
The Ryan Fitzpatrick-less Top 5 Elite
1. Aaron Rodgers, vs. DEN: Stick with me here, this might be long.
Through three games Rodgers has passed for 917 yards, 8 TDs and a single INT—thanks to the Bears last week—alongside a 71.8 completion percentage. But what you need to know is, Rodgers allows the defensive coverage to dictate WHERE he is going to pass each and every game.
With as many as 8 weapons to choose from in the air, and a Broncos team that can’t cover for squat, he is simply the best fantasy QB play this week.
The other aspect I am anticipating is Kyle Orton could get going against a suspect Packers coverage, which could make for a nice shootout here.
The nickel packages the Bronco deploy will be no match for Rodgers’ unrelenting army of pass-catchers.
2. Drew Brees, vs, Jacksonville: I think it's going to be a neck and neck race for the final Top QB in Week 4, but I believe Brees’ game against the Jaguars isn’t as good as Rodgers against the Broncos at home.
The Jaguars are a sneaky team when it comes to coverage. While they can be burned against the better passers of the league, they also posses enough speed and talent to create turnovers at the worst possible time, which Brees has been subject to this year.
The other issue I have here is the Jags won’t offer much completion, so I look for the Saints to jump out on top early, then settle in with the ground game, limiting Brees’ potential here.
3. Philip Rivers, vs. Miami: Rivers is bound to have a bad game here and there, and the Chiefs were the providers of his first poor outing of the 2011 fantasy season.
Ain’t gonna happen against the woeful Dolphins.
Rivers has a good chance to get TE Antonio Gates back as well, and you can be rest assured that Rivers will bounce back quite nicely against a very suspect Miami secondary.
4. Tom Brady, vs. Oakland: Ummmm, what the hell happened last week? Anyone?
I’m not talking about yet another Bills comeback or Brady's four interceptions, I’m talking about the fact that Brady got picked for four times but still threw four TDs.
The Pats clearly have issues against the pass this year, which is a bit unexpected. But their own passing game is as dangerous as any other elite team in the league.
The Raiders wanna be the new bullies of the NFL, but they will get their first real taste of an elite QB this week, and I don’t think it’s gonna go over so well.
5. Eli Manning, vs, Arizona: Manning got back into the good graces of the fantasy world by picking apart a very good Eagles defense thanks in part to surprise WR Victor Cruz., who is also one of my Top Waiver Wire Picks this week.
The Cardinals are simply dreadful against the better QBs in the league, and the Giants are expected to also get Mario Manningham back this week which makes matters worse for Arizona.
Let’s see, Manningham and Nicks on the outside, Cruz in the slot alongside a deadly one-two punch from the ground game….yup, Manning is in-line for a big day here.
The Remaining Balance:
| Player and Rank | Opponent | Comments |
| 6. Ryan Fitzpatrick | Bengals | The Bengals are very good at coverage. Fitzpatrick faces his first true test of the season. |
| 7. Cam Newton | Bears | Nice matchup against the Bears here, but it could be another modest day. |
| 8. Matthew Stafford | Cowboys | Stafford will find open lanes against the Cowboys, but not many. |
| 9. Jay Cutler | Panthers | A little gun shy, but still throws 27 plus per game for 300 average. |
| 10. Matt Ryan | Seahawks | Ryan and company should get back on track against Seattle. |
| 11. Jason Campbell | Patriots | The Pats are that bad against the pass. |
| 12. Matt Hasselbeck | Browns | Hasselbeck would be higher, but that Browns D is great, and not having Britt could hurt. |
| 13. Matt Schaub | Steelers | Right about where he should be. |
| 14. Rex Grossman | Rams | The Rams have issues with receivers getting behind them in the zone. |
| 15. Kyle Orton | Packers | The Packers and Broncos are likely to be this week’s shootout. |
| 16. Joe Flacco | Jets | The Raiders exposed that relenting Jets defense, and Flacco has done better against better competition. |
| 17. Eagles TBD | 49ers | I list TBD because right now Vick is a tentative go, but if not Vince Young gets the nod. Either way, the ranking will not change. |
| 18. Josh Freeman | Colts | Freeman has been a major disappointment through three games, but he could bounce back against the Colts. |
| 19. Big Ben | Texans | The Texans are just sick on D, and as good as Big Ben is, he is no Drew Brees. |
| 20. Sam Bradford | Redskins | There is no hungrier QB in the league right now. |
| 21. Kevin Kolb | Giants | Nice matchup here, but Kolb needs to show more to be elevated in the rankings. |
| 22. Chad Henne | Chargers | Not a good matchup at all. |
| 23. Tony Romo | Lions | He’ll have a nice day, but a banged up receiver corp. will limit his success. |
| 24. Mark Sanchez | Ravens | Sanchez should struggle early and often. |
| 25. Tarvaris Jackson | Falcons | The Falcons are just that bad against the pass to elevate Jackson to 25. |
| 26. Matt Cassel | Vikings | The Viking D is better than they appear. |
| 27. Donovan McNabb | Chiefs | Consequently, the Vikings offense has some work to do. |
| 28. Kerry Collins | Buccaneers | Do I have to offer any “advice” here? |
| 29. Alex Smith | Eagles | Don’t do it you cheeky monkey.` |
| 30. Colt McCoy | Titans | The Titans are rather good against the pass, and I told you that McCoy would be up and down in the rankings each week. |
| 31. Any Dalton | Bills | They picked off Brady four times for cripes sake. Imagine what they’ll do to the rookie? |
| 32. Blaine Gabbert | Saints | Yeah, good luck with that Blaine. |
