Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Cory Steger  &  Marc Caviglia
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 8, 2012::

With five rookie quarterbacks starting this season, opposing defense have to be licking their chops. Most rookie quarterbacks do not produce like Cam Newton did last season. Look at Peyton Manning’s rookie season, his statistics were a mess. Thus, it should come as no surprise that three of our top five defenses this week are facing teams with rookie quarterbacks. In some cases it’s just not a good matchup, but in the case of Brandon Weeden against the Philadelphia Eagles, well, we sort of feel bad for the guy.

1. Philadelphia Eagles @ Cleveland

There is no better matchup this week than the Philadelphia Eagles defense against the Browns. Weeden is starting at quarterback, Trent Richardson is starting at running back despite missing most of the preseason and the team has no good receivers. Oh yeah, the right side of the offensive line is a mess, too. To say the Eagles are strong on defense would be an understatement. They’re strong at every position what’s scary is they have better depth than they did a year ago. Even if ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole don’t sack Weeden five or more, which they likely will, Weeden’s not going to have an open receiver to throw.
Bruno Boys Stars: *****

2. Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis

As bad as the Browns are on offense, the Indianapolis Colts may be worse. At the skill positions they are solid but the point of attack is where Indianapolis could collapse upon itself. There are four new starters along the offensive line and rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, as good as he may be one day, will find it hard to throw against Chicago’s cover-2 defense, especially since it looks like linebacker Brian Urlacher will play this week. On top of this Luck and the Colts have to play in Chicago, which is a tough road environment for any player.
Bruno Boys Stars: *****

3. Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis

It’s amazing how far the Detroit Lions have come since their 0-16 season, and though they’ve got an incredible offense let’s not forget about the defense either. The strong defensive line, feature end Kyle Vanden Bosch and tackles Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams and Nick Fairley is what makes this unit great. That’s also the reason the Lions are such a great play against the St. Louis Rams this week. The only good player up front for the Rams is left tackle Rodger Saffold, and he can’t protect Sam Bradford all by himself. Come to think of it, can Bradford even protect himself from bad passes?
Bruno Boys Stars: *****

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4. Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona

After much debate the Arizona Cardinals decided to go with John Skelton as their starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, and the Seahawks rejoiced. Skelton had three more interceptions than touchdowns last season and has a career completion percentage of 52.6. Combine with Seattle’s strong secondary featuring linebackers K.J. Wright and Leroy Hill as well as safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, and this is going to be a good game for the Seattle defense.
Bruno Boys Stars: *****

5. Houston Texans vs. Miami

Although the Miami Dolphins said they were going to give all three quarterbacks a chance to earn the starting job, it was Ryan Tannehill’s job to lose all the way. The Houston Texans are the first benefactors of this getting to face the rookie in Week 1. The Texans were second in the league in total defense last season, behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Texans are loaded with playmakers at all levels on defense, but to make it even better they drafted Brooks Reed who’s going to feature as a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme. There is simply too much defense here for the young Dolphins to comprehend.
Bruno Boys Stars: *****

6. Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati

It seems impossible that the Baltimore Ravens defense can be so good year after year but they restock the roster so well. Expect a good start to the season for the Ravens defense against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Ravens just seem to have Cincinnati’s number. Baltimore swept the season series last year, allowing the Bengals an average of 20 points per game while forcing three interceptions and giving up just one touchdown to quarterback Andy Dalton. The Bengals lack any explosiveness from the running game, which will allow the Ravens to focus most of their effort on pressuring Dalton and covering wide receiver A.J. Green.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

7. Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

One of the more under-the-radar defenses this season is the Buffalo Bills. Though they were solid last season the additions of end Mario Williams and cornerback Stephen Gilmore have strengthened the unit. With Williams, Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams the Bills have one of the strongest lines in the league. If the offseason pickups weren’t enough, consider that this week the Bills are facing the offensively inept New York Jets. Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is good for a turnover or two and some sacks this week.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

8. New York Jets vs. Buffalo

OK, so this game will be a battle of the defenses. For the impressive improvements the Bills made to their defense they basically did nothing with the offense. They signed quarterback Vince Young and he has already been cut. The Jets, as bad as they are on offense, feature a terrific defense that was fifth in the league in total defense. They were also one of five teams to force more interceptions than passing touchdowns allowed, which does not bode well for Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

9. New Orleans Saints vs. Washington

There was little doubt the Washington Redskins were going to go with Robert Griffin as their starting quarterback this season. Griffin has looked pretty good in the preseason but he is going to experience growing pains as a regular starter now. This week’s matchup with the New Orleans Saints is intriguing because the Saints will be without linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith, both suspended for their actions in bounty-gate. Even without those two playmakers on the field the Saints aggressive defense will be able to contain Griffin through his rookie jitters.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

10. Atlanta Falcons @ Kansas City

The Atlanta Falcons were very close to being a top-10 defense last season. This week, they are a top 10 defense as they face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the Falcons are still susceptible to the pass that shouldn’t be a problem against the Chiefs and quarterback Matt Cassel. The Chiefs have only one legitimate receiving option in Dwayne Bowe, their running back Jamaal Charles is coming off an ACL injury and their other running back Peyton Hillis is still disappointing Cleveland fans. As usual, the Falcons defense will not wow anybody but they will get the job done.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

11. New England Patriots @ Tennessee

It would be easy to focus on the New England Patriots poor defensive performance last season and see the Tennessee Titans headed for a good game this week. However, consider that the Titans are starting Jake Locker at quarterback, making him the outright starter for the first time since he was drafted last year. Locker didn’t throw an interception last year but completed a low number of passes, and it doesn’t help that wide receiver Kenny Britt is suspended for this Week 1 game. Though the Patriots didn’t make huge changes to the defense they did draft standout linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who’s already been plugged in as an immediate starter.
Bruno Boys Stars: ****

12. Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver

Not many Week 1 matchups are as intriguing as the one between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. This is a rematch of last season’s wild card game where the Steelers kept the Broncos in check all game until that fluke touchdown pass by Tim Tebow. Tebow has been replaced by future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning at quarterback. To make things worse for the Steelers they are without safety Ryan Clark, who is out because of his sickle-cell trait that makes it dangerous to play in high altitudes. Normally being ranked 12th is a good thing but for the Steelers defense it’s a disappointment.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***

13. Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle

Most weeks the Arizona Cardinals defense would not find itself this high up on the list. However, they face the Seahawks this week and the Seahawks are starting rookie Russell Wilson at quarterback and will likely be without running back Marshawn Lynch and wide receiver Golden Tate. Wilson may have won the quarterback job with a solid preseason but he is very much a rookie and is likely going to struggle. There’s a reason he was not drafted in the first two rounds and it’s because he’s simply not that good.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***

14. San Francisco @ Green Bay

This is an usual position in which to find the San Francisco 49ers defense. The 49ers ranked fourth in total defense last season and didn’t lose any key playmakers. However, as good as the San Francisco defense will be this season, this is one week they won’t play well. Facing the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau will do that to you. Consider the strength of the 49ers defense is against the run, and the Packers, if you haven’t heard, are pretty good at passing the ball. This is one of the few weeks you need to bench the San Francisco defense.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***

15. Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore

Overall the Bengals have a very solid defense that will be boosted by the addition of cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. However, Kirkpatrick is likely to miss this week’s game against the Ravens while he recovers from a knee injury. Plus, for as solid as the Bengals are they just don’t play well against the Ravens. In two games against Baltimore last season the Ravens averaged 27.5 points per game. The Cincinnati defense may only be considered as an option in deep leagues this week, and even then the Bengals are still a poor start.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***

16. New York Giants vs. Dallas

Recent matchups between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys have always been exciting to watch. The bad part about that is the games have been fun to watch because of how well the offenses have played. The Giants have a good defense but are dealing with some injuries at cornerback, making them weak against a strong Dallas pass defense. The Giants hope here is that their terrific defensive line can pressure Dallas quarterback Tony Romo into sacks and turnovers, and while that will likely happen it won’t be quite enough to make the New York defense a good option this week.
Bruno Boys Stars: ***