Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Ryan Boser
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF DECEMBER 17 2011::

For the second consecutive week, wackiness reigned supreme on the fantasy football quarterback leaderboard. While neither is typically regarded as an elite-level starter, Matt Ryan and Tony Romo topped the charts as each threw for at least 320 yards and four touchdowns. A minor surprise, but certainly not wacky, right? How about this: Jake Locker, John Skelton and Joe Webb each started their respective Sundays on the bench, and each ended up outscoring fantasy god Aaron Rodgers. They also bested Matthew Stafford, who disappointed against a woeful Minnesota secondary. Around the league, Michael Vick was ineffective in his return to action, and Carson Palmer connected with four different Packer defensive backs. Conversely, Philip Rivers continued to rebound, and T.J. Yates gave us a Matt Schaub-like box score.

There’s no tomorrow, so let’s get those lineups locked and loaded with our Fantasy Football Week 15 Quarterback Rankings!

Standard Scoring

Pass TD: 4 points |  All Other TDs: 6 points
25 Passing Yards: 1 point |  All Turnovers: -2 points
10 Rushing Yards: 1 point |  10 Receiving Yards: 1 point

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1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ Minnesota

Drew Brees has topped 320 passing yards in four consecutive games, and he’s averaged three passing touchdowns per contest over that same four-game span. In short, he’s been the most productive fantasy quarterback in the league over the past month. Minnesota’s injury-depleted secondary is a complete disaster, surrendering 20 touchdowns to the position in their last seven games. The Vikings have done a decent job of keeping pace on the scoreboard, so expect four full quarters of complete and utter domination from Brees.
Point Projection: 25 points

2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Kansas City

The Pack dropped a 46-spot on Oakland Sunday in Lambeau, so Aaron Rodgers must have torched the Raiders, right? Well, not exactly. Rodgers completed an uncharacteristically inaccurate 17-of-30 passes for an ordinary 281 yards, two touchdowns and a rare interception. A defensive score, four field goals and a pair of inconceivable Ryan Grant touchdowns fattened Green Bay’s lead and ultimately led to early clock killing and a Matt Flynn appearance. San Francisco’s loss has all but locked up home field throughout for the Packers, so the nightmare scenario Sunday could realistically replicate itself down the stretch. Moreover, the loss of Greg Jennings (torn MCL) certainly hurts the passing game, and it stands to reason that the Pack could use these “free” games to continue to prepare their running game for the postseason. Kansas City is a middling pass defense, but with a Tyler Palko-led offense, the Chiefs figure to be buried before halftime. The hope here is that Rodgers gets his early and often.
Point Projection: 23 points

3. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) @ Denver

After a brief bout with mid-season goodness, Tom Brady is back to his usual greatness. He’s now topped 350 passing yards and thrown for three touchdowns in two of his past three outings, and he’s now been intercepted just once in his last five games. Brady’s fantasy floor is somewhere around 250 yards and two scores, and he should have no problem eclipsing that production against a Denver defense that surrendered 381 yards and three scores to Christian Ponder just two weeks ago.
Point Projection: 22 points

4. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) @ Tampa Bay

After two months of good-not-great production from Tony Romo, the Cowboy signal caller broke out at the perfect time for fantasy owners. Sure, Dallas lost, but we’re much more interested in Romo’s 321 passing yards and four touchdown tosses. The return of Miles Austin alongside Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten was simply too much for the Giants, and we can expect Tampa Bay’s bottom-ten fantasy pass defense to experience similar struggles. After all, the Bucs just gave up 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Blaine Gabbert, which is about as insulting as it gets.
Point Projection: 20 points

5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Jacksonville

Matt Ryan has been a different quarterback ever since his Week 8 bye, and he took his play to a whole new level last week, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns in a comeback victory over the Panthers. In his six games since the bye, Ryan has totaled 14 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 299-yard average. While Jacksonville appears to be a solid pass defense on paper, their secondary is decimated by injuries. In Week 13 Philip Rivers exploited the Jaguars’ deficiencies to the tune of 294 yards and three scores, so keep riding the red-hot Ryan.
Point Projection: 20 points

6. Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Washington

In his past two games, Eli Manning has totaled five touchdown passes and averaged 377 passing yards, and there’s no reason to bench the breakout fantasy star now. Washington looks good on paper, and while held Eli Manning to just 268 yards and a rushing score in the opener, the wheels have really started to come off. Tom Brady just torched them for 357 yards and three scores, and in Week 11 Tony Romo went for 293 and three. Eli is on that level, so start him with confidence.
Point Projection: 19 points

7. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) @ Oakland

Matthew Stafford had the most favorable matchup in the NFL Sunday, but he came up short with just 227 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings. Stafford was the victim of his own team, as the Lions built a big lead and kept Stafford sidelined with a pair of defensive scores. Stafford attempted just 29 passes after chucking it 47 times per contest in his previous four outings. Expect him to get back on track this week against Oakland’s bottom-five fantasy pass defense. The Raiders have surrendered multiple scores to 11 of the past 12 quarterbacks they’ve faced, and Detroit will need to keep the pedal to the metal in their push for the postseason.
Point Projection: 19 points

8. Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos) vs. New England

While Tebowmania has been a blast for Broncos fans, headline writers and talking heads, the fantasy production certainly hasn’t matched the hype. In his eight starts (in which the Broncos have gone 7-1), Tebow has averaged 151 passing yards, 1.4 passing touchdowns, .25 interceptions, 60 rushing yards and .25 rushing scores. That equates to roughly 18.6 fantasy points per game, which is solid, but hardly difference-making from a fantasy perspective. He’s essentially a matchup starter, but like a beam of light shining down from the heavens, Tebow owners have been granted a fantasy playoff matchup with the Patriots. In the past three weeks, Vince Young, Dan Orlovsky and Rex Grossman have combined for five touchdowns and averaged 348 total yards against New England’s No. 32 fantasy pass defense. If you’re ever going to use Tebow, this is the week.
Point Projection: 18 points

9. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) @ Houston

By air or by ground, Cam Newton continues to deliver. After compiling six rushing scores in his previous three games, Cam Newton failed to cash in with his legs against the Falcons, but he threw for 276 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was the first time he’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in his last five games, while his 36 rushing yards were his lowest total in his last eight. Defenses have been forced to pick their poison with the dual threat rookie, as he’s proven that he can’t be completely shut down. However, Houston’s top-three pass defense hasn’t allowed multiple touchdown passes in any of their last eight games, and they’re very good against the run as well, so nothing will come easy for Newton Sunday.
Point Projection: 17 points

10. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ San Francisco

Fantasy owners should be downright giddy over Ben Roethlisberger’s 280 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Steelers’ Thursday night victory over the Browns. After all, Big Ben had totaled just five touchdowns in his previous four games, hadn’t topped 200 yards in his last two, and Cleveland’s top-ranked fantasy pass defense had allowed just three touchdown passes in their last eight games. While Roethlisberger did suffer a fairly serious ankle injury in the game, he’ll have had 11 days of rest come Monday night, and we know that it would take the Jaws of Life to pry him out of the Steelers’ starting lineup. San Francisco has struggled against top-tier signal callers all season, so Big Ben’s a solid play if active.
Point Projection: 16 points

**BEAT THE BRUNO BOYS $350 WEEK 15 FREE CONTEST -  TOP 20 PAID**

We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 14 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $5,900 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Week 15 $350 Contest  (click to register)

11. Rex Grossman (Washington Redskins) @ New York Giants

After throwing for 252 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against New England, Rex Grossman has now connected on multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games. He’s essentially provided high-end QB2 production over the last month, and he’s a good bet to keep it going this week against the Giants. New York has been exposed by elite signal callers in recent weeks, as Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo have each thrown four touchdown passes and topped 320 passing yards. Clearly, Rex is nowhere near that level, but he did throw for 305 yards and two scores against New York way back in the opener, so a 250-and-two kind of day should be within reach.
Point Projection: 16 points

12. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) @ St. Louis

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and Andy Dalton survived a hellish five-game stretch against the league’s top four fantasy pass defenses (Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston and Pittsburgh twice). While his yardage and accuracy fluctuated throughout the five-game meat grinder, he managed to throw a touchdown in each of the games, and this week he’ll feel like he’s back in the Mountain West Conference this week against the Rams. St. Louis has put 10(!) cornerbacks on I.R., and any they’ve struggled against respectable quarterbacks all season.
Point Projection: 15 points

13. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) vs. Baltimore

Fantasy owners who’ve weathered the storm and remained faithful to Philip Rivers have been rewarded with back-to-back three-touchdown performances. Moreover, Rivers has now gone three straight games without an interception after racking up 17 in his first 10 games. While Rivers has been much better of late, his success has come against a depleted Jacksonville secondary and the bottom-tier Bills. Expect the fun to end this week against Baltimore’s top-rated fantasy pass defense. The Ravens have allowed the fewest touchdown passes (nine) in the league, and average over one interception per game, so this is an ominous matchup for Rivers.
Point Projection: 15 points

14. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. New York Jets

The good news is that Michael Vick (ribs) made it through Sunday’s tilt with Miami without any setbacks. The bad news is that he was lousy, completing just 15-of-30 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and only running twice for nine yards. The other bad news, of course, is that the Jets are a top-five fantasy pass defense. In their last four games, New York has allowed multiple touchdown passes just once, and no opposing signal caller has topped 264 yards. All things considered, Vick is a very risky play in Week 15.
Point Projection: 15 points

15. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) @ San Diego

After two consecutive clunkers, Joe Flacco finally turned in an efficient, effective fantasy performance. He completed 23-of-31 passes for 227 yards against the Colts’ bottom-tier pass defense, and his two touchdown passes marked just the second time he’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in his last 10 games. As he’s proven continually throughout the season, Flacco can’t be counted on for back-to-back useful games. San Diego is an ordinary pass defense that’s tightened up recently against lousy competition. Last week Ryan Fitzpatrick, another middling fantasy signal caller, managed just 176 yards and two interceptions, so Flacco is nothing more than a second option in two-quarterback leagues.
Point Projection: 14 points

16. Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) @ Philadelphia

Mark Sanchez might be the most difficult fantasy quarterback to figure. There’s seldom any rhyme or reason to his box scores. Despite failing to reach even 185 passing yards in any of his last three games, he’s posted four touchdowns in two of his last three outings (last week he notched two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns against the Chiefs). Indeed, Sanchez’ hidden value has come from his five rushing scores this season. Philadelphia’s enigmatic secondary has shown the talent to shut down Tony Romo, and the indifference to surrender over 300 yards and three scores to John Skelton. When a volatile quarterback meets a volatile defense, the spectrum of possibilities is vast. 
Point Projection: 13 points