Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 29, 2011::

With Tom Brady and Michael Vick on bye, the league’s quarterback roll call lacked its usual luster in Week 7, but it was not without big-time performances. Drew Brees stole the headlines in a 62-7 trouncing of the Colts, completing a surgical 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five scores. Below the fold, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton also flirted with fantasy perfection.

All was not rainbows and butterflies in the land of signal callers, however.  Philip Rivers’ disappointing season sank to new depths, and Matthew Stafford ended his worst outing of the year with a knee/ankle injury that has put his Week 8 status in question.

Finally, it was a week of much-anticipated debuts across the league. While Tim Tebow looked terrible for approximately 57 minutes of his first 2011 start, he saved face with late fantasy football production and an overtime victory. Nimble Vikings’ rookie Christian Ponder took the defending champion Green Bay Packers down the wire, and looked much better than his 40.6 percent completion rate would suggest. Last and absolutely least, new Raiders’ Carson Palmer played like Carson Daly, further indicting the Bengals of robbery in the first degree.

The quarterback kingdom will be without its (current) king this week, as Aaron Rodgers takes his turn on the couch. Check out the challengers to his throne in our Week 8 Fantasy Football 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

1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ St. Louis

With 325 yards Sunday night, Drew Brees’ NFL record four-game streak of at least 350 passing yards finally came to a merciful end. Brees’ final throw of the evening came with 1:41 left in the third quarter, and when the dust had settled he’d tossed more touchdowns (five) than incompletions (four). Expect him to pick up right where he left off against St. Louis in Week 8. The Rams’ bottom-ten fantasy pass defense is surrendering a league-worst 2.2 touchdown passes per game.
Point Projection: 25 points

2. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. Minnesota

Against a legitimate Washington defense, Cam Newton continued his assault on the NFL record books. His career-best 59 rushing yards included his seventh rushing touchdown, which tied the rookie quarterback record. Moreover, Newton completed 18 of 23 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, marking his most efficient professional effort. A transcendent talent, the sky is truly the limit with Newton, and Minnesota’s shaky defense will present little resistance. Outside of a dynamic pair of defensive ends, the Vikings’ defenders are injured, incarcerated or incompetent. It should be another field day for Newton.
Point Projection: 23 points

3. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. New England

Whether it’s motorcycle accidents, multiple rape accusations or ugly streaks of quarterbacking, we’ve learned to never count Ben Roethlisberger out. After totaling just three touchdowns in his first four games, Roethlisberger’s averaged 263 yards and three touchdowns in his last three games. He has an outstanding opportunity to stay hot this week against the No. 32 fantasy pass defense of the Patriots. New England is ceding a staggering 332 passing yards per game, so Big Ben shapes up as an elite play in Week 8.
Point Projection: 22 points

4. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) at Pittsburgh

Tom Brady came back down to Earth in his three games prior to the bye, totaling “only” 836 yards and five scores after rolling up 1,327 and 11 in his first three affairs. Chock it up to the new haircut. This week Brady goes to Pittsburgh, which for most quarterbacks is the rough equivalent of a gazelle crossing the Nile River. However, while Pittsburgh ranks No. 3 in fantasy pass defense, Kevin Kolb managed 272 yards and a pair of scores last week, and Brady transcends matchups anyways. As usual, start Brady and don’t think about it.
Point Projection: 21 points

5. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Dallas

Despite numerous minor injuries, a dramatically increased turnover rate and much-improved defensive scheming, Michael Vick has still been a good fantasy quarterback for the 2-4 Eagles. While he’s well off last year’s epic pace, Vick’s still averaging 262 passing yards, 62 rushing yards, 1.5 touchdowns and 1.5 turnovers (19 standard fantasy points) per game. After a rough start, Dallas has showed significant improvement in recent weeks, holding Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady both in check in Weeks 4 and 6, respectively. In his only meeting with the Cowboys last year, Vick threw for 270 yards and a pair of scores, and added a third on the ground. He should be fresh and healthy coming out of his bye, and while he’s been a riskier play this season, the massive upside is still there.
Point Projection: 20 points

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6. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) @ Denver  **QUESTIONABLE - EXPECTED TO START ON SUNDAY**

Matthew Stafford (knee/ankle) was reportedly in a walking boot Monday, and while it appears that he has a good chance of playing in Week 8, fantasy owners should not be without concern. After a scorching start, Stafford’s production has slowly slipped. Last week his eight-game streaks of multiple passing touchdowns and at least 200 passing yards were each snapped with a 183-yard, one-touchdown disappointment against Atlanta. The sputtering Lions will hope to have Stafford back under center this week in Denver against the Broncos’ No. 31 fantasy pass defense. Prior to Matt Moore, all five opposing quarterbacks had accounted for multiple touchdowns against Denver, so if Stafford’s active he has a golden opportunity to get back on track. 
Point Projection: 19 points

7. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) @ Philadelphia

Tony Romo’s production the past two weeks has been underwhelming. Against the No. 32 Patriots and the No. 23 Rams pass defenses, Romo’s combined for a pedestrian 483 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Where guys like Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees would blow the top off of those matchups, Romo’s simply taking what’s there. This week he’ll face a Philadelphia secondary that’s been surprisingly beatable, allowing 2.0 touchdowns per game to opposing quarterbacks. However, no signal caller has cracked 300 yards against the Eagles, and they picked off four passes in their last game. When a gunslinging quarterback meets a gambling secondary, the spectrum of possibilities is vast. Philadelphia’s horrid run defense may ultimately be the path of least resistance for the Cowboys.
Point Projection: 18 points

8. Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Miami

With an emerging cast of talented pass-catchers at his disposal, Eli Manning comes out of his bye on pace for 4,741 yards and 32 total touchdowns. Both would be career highs. On paper, Miami’s a bottom-five fantasy pass defense, but in reality they’re an average pass defense with a 517-yard, four-touchdown smackdown by Tom Brady on their tab.  Still, they’ve allowed multiple touchdowns or 300 yards to every opposing signal caller this season, so Manning makes for a strong play at home. 
Point Projection: 18 points

9. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Kansas City

Philip Rivers is a great quarterback. We know this. The notion that he’s playing through an injury is gaining steam, and frankly, it’s the only thing that makes any sense. Rivers has now thrown three touchdowns and five interceptions in his past four games, and he’s averaging an ordinary 250.5 yards in that same four-game span.  Prior to their six-interception effort against Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer last week, Kansas City’s fantasy pass defense ranked well below average. Still, Rivers managed just 266 scoreless yards and two interceptions in this same meeting back in Week 3, and until further notice he should be handled as nothing more than a matchup play. Despite his struggles, he’s worth considering as your QB1 option in Week 8.
Point Projection: 17 points

10. Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos) vs. Detroit

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was practically unwatchable, but Tim Tebow’s two late fourth quarter touchdown passes salvaged an otherwise miserable season debut for Tebow. As expected, he chipped in 65 rushing yards to go with just 161 passing yards, and we can continue to expect unconventional—yet typically effective—box scores going forward. Detroit’s No. 7 fantasy pass defense has allowed multiple scores just once in seven games, totaling eight touchdowns against 10 interceptions. You obviously can’t expect a big passing day here, so like most weeks, fantasy hopes and prayers will ride on Tebow’s legs. That said, he legs are good enough to make him a low-end QB1 option this week
Point Projection: 16 points

11. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. Jacksonville

Shockingly, Matt Schaub’s fantasy production has improved without Andre Johnson. He averaged 240 yards and 1.75 touchdowns in four games with the freak of nature in the lineup, and 311 yards and 1.67 touchdowns without. Go figure. Johnson’s status for Sunday will likely be up in the air until late in the week. Want another shocking fantasy tidbit? Jacksonville’s actually been good against the pass—they’ve surrendered nine touchdowns and six interceptions in six games, holding guys like Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger to a touchdown a piece. Schaub’s thrown just four touchdowns in the teams’ last three meetings, so this matchup isn’t nearly as favorable as it would appear on the surface.
Point Projection: 16 points

12. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Arizona

Joe Flacco’s been all over the board this season, ranging from 163 scoreless yards and an interception to 416 total yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. On Monday night, he was bad Flacco, as the signal caller had just eight passing yards at the half and could only muster 137 total yards and a score The potential for a big game on any given day is clearly there, and with a matchup like Arizona, he becomes an enticing start, especially in a six-team bye week. Last week Arizona’s No. 27 fantasy pass defense was torched for 361 yards and three scores by Ben Roethlisberger, so Flacco’s worth strong consideration here.
Point Projection: 16 points

13. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills) vs. Washington

Through the season’s first six games, Ryan Fitzpatrick put up low-end fantasy QB1 numbers, averaging 246 yards and two touchdowns per contest. Those averages were bolstered by a scorching start, as Fitzpatrick sputtered a bit into his bye. He’ll look to get back in the groove at home this week against a Washington defense that’s surrendered just five passing touchdowns and no 300-yard passers through six games. Fitzpatrick’s recent cold spell sunk his stock back down to matchup-play status, and this is not a favorable matchup.
Point Projection: 15 points