Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

WEEK 3 RANKINGS  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE |  K | DEF

Now that we’ve got two weeks behind us we’re started to see some trends emerge. It’s time to give props to two quarterbacks are starting to really emerge - Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers. Ryan looks like he is evolving into an elite quarterback both in real life and fantasy football with six touchdowns and no turnovers in his first two games, both wins for the Falcons. Smith is finally displaying the skill that made his potential worthy of the top draft pick in 2005 having led the 49ers to wins over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions with four touchdowns and no interceptions. They are just two quarterbacks who we like a lot this week.

Week 3 of the NFL is significant for two reasons. First it’s significant because we’re starting to see some trends like the strong play of Ryan and Smith. However, it’s also significant because Week 3 is the last week of the regular season without any teams on bye until Week 12. So enjoy the last full slate of games, and take a look at our Fantasy Football Week 3 Quarterback Rankings.

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2012::

 
1. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) @ Tennessee

It was expected that quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the Detroit Lions offense would struggle against the San Francisco 49ers last week. However, the extent to which the Lions struggled was still amazing. It goes to show just how good that San Francisco defense truly is. Stafford ended up with 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception, however most of his production came in the fourth quarter when San Francisco already had control of the game. Stafford’s performance last week is not indicative of the caliber of player he is, and we’ll get see more of what he’s capable of this week against the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee ranks 20th in the league in passing yards allowed and 30th in points allowed, so it’s safe to expect a big bounce back for Stafford and the Lions this week.
Point Projection: 22 points

2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Seattle

A win is a win but last week’s victory for the Green Bay Packers was an ugly one. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers struggled throughout most of the game but ended up with 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 2012-13 season is still very young but we’ve yet to see the Rodgers of last season, the one that slung the ball all over the field and into the end zone many times. Of course Rodgers is going to break out sooner than later, and while we don’t expect a mammoth game it’s realistic to expect more out of Rodgers this week against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle did well last week against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Cowboys did shoot themselves in the foot with a lot of dropped passes.
Point Projection: 21 points

3. Eli Manning (New York Giants) @ Carolina

Let’s be honest, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is not going to throw for 500 yards ever again. In last week’s comeback win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Manning threw for 510 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He attempted 51 passes. Part of the reason is because the Giants were behind most of the game but Manning also threw a lot because running back Ahmad Bradshaw left the game with a neck injury. Manning could very well get into another shootout this week against the offensive-minded Carolina Panthers. It’s likely Bradshaw is out as well and though the Giants have some capable backups they will put this game on the arm of Manning.
Point Projection: 21 points

4.Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins) vs. Cincinnati

It’s amazing how quickly Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin has adjusted to running an NFL offense. It was expected that Griffin would experience a lot of growing pains having primarily run a shotgun spread-style offense at Baylor, but he’s shown a lot of poise under center and in the pocket. It also helps that he’s so quick on feet, as displayed by his 82 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in last week’s loss to the St. Louis Rams. Griffin also has made good plays through the air and he’s been able to limit his turnovers. The Cincinnati Bengals were supposed to have a good defense this season but so far they’ve been torched by the Baltimore Ravens and had a difficult time stopping what is an otherwise inept Cleveland Browns defense. The point projection below is a modest one, Griffin has tremendous potential this week.
Point Projection: 20 points

5. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. Kansas City

Is it too early to hit the panic button on Saints quarterback Drew Brees? Not having head coach Sean Payton around has clearly taken a toll on Brees in the Saints. In two games Brees has more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3), he’s completing 54.5 percent of his passes and has an average yards per attempt of 6.6, which is the lowest mark of his career since 2003. If there is a team that will allow Brees and the Saints to get back on track it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are last in the league in points allowed, and have given up five passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks already. So no, do not hit the panic button on Brees just yet. Better days are ahead for him and this Saints offense.
Point Projection: 20 points

6. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. New York Giants

As good as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is he can’t do everything by himself. Panthers running backs had just seven carries in Week 1 and Newton struggled. Carolina had much more balanced game plan in last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints, with Panthers running backs carrying the ball 27 times. Newton rebounded after a poor Week 1, throwing for 253 yards with one touchdown and he ran the ball for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Giants have been beaten through the air repeatedly in the last two weeks, and currently rank 21st in passing yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. Expect a lot of fireworks from both teams in this game, making Newton a great start with a lot of upside.
Point Projection: 19 points

7. Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Tampa Bay

After an awesome game and a big win against the Giants in Week 1, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo was sure to follow that up with another good game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, right? Apparently not. Romo and the Cowboys had trouble moving the ball against the Seahawks, who held Dallas to 296 total yards of offense, 251 of which came through the air from Romo. Romo completed just 57.5 percent of his passes with one touchdown and one interception, but he should rebound this week against a Tampa Bay defense that gave up 510 passing yards and three touchdowns to Eli Manning last week. Just because the Buccaneers gave up that many yards to Manning doesn’t mean you should expect the same out of Romo this week. Temper expectations until we see that Romo can be more consistent.
Point Projection: 19 points

8. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) vs. Atlanta

Without running back Ryan Mathews and tight end Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continued to get the job done. In last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans Rivers threw for 284 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Both Mathews and Gates are expected to play this week, which is a good thing because the Chargers face a real test this week when they play host to the Atlanta Falcons. As good as Atlanta is they have trouble defending the pass and to make things worse the Falcons are without standout cornerback Brent Grimes, who tore his ACL in Week 1. Because Mathews returns expect more of a balance game plan from San Diego, one that will still feature enough Rivers to make him a great start.
Point Projection: 18 points

9. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) @ Baltimore

Like the example of Brees above, it is not quite time to hit the panic button on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady’s only thrown one interception thus far and his quarterback rating is 94.7. However, seeing Brady and the Patriots struggle to move the ball with any kind of consistency at home against the Arizona Cardinals is a concern. The offensive line has had trouble protecting Brady but the wide receivers have also struggled to get open. Now Brady and the Patriots are without tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is out with an ankle injury, for at least two weeks. It’s not time to hit the panic button yet but keep a close eye on the situation.
Point Projection: 17 points

10. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ San Diego

It’s only been two games so don’t look now, but Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan may have finally taken the next step from a good quarterback to an elite one. After an impressive performance against an aggressive Denver Broncos defense last week Ryan is now completing 70.1 percent of his passes and has five passing touchdowns, one rushing and no turnovers. In fact, Ryan has been so good that it was difficult to put him this far down the list. However, the thing with Ryan is the Falcons use him only as much as they need him. When the Falcons get a lead the rely heavily on the run, and that’s not a bad thing because it wins games. The problem is it limits Ryan’s fantasy potential, just as it could this week against a good San Diego Chargers defense.

Point Projection: 17 points

11. Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) vs. Houston

If it weren’t for that first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons last week then Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning likely would’ve ended up with some pretty good numbers in the team’s loss. However, Manning threw three interceptions in that first quarter and the Broncos were never able to recover despite making it close towards the end. Manning is in for an extremely difficult matchup with the Houston Texans this week. Houston currently ranks first in the league in passing yards allowed, total yards allowed and points per game allowed. Most quarterbacks would be projected a lot lower than this against that caliber of defense but what separates Manning from the rest is his ability to make adjustments, something he does better than most quarterbacks have ever done. This is a risky matchup because the Texans are so good, so while we believe Manning should rebound with a good game, if you have a quarterback with a better matchup you may want to consider starting that player over Manning.
Point Projection: 17 points

12. Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers) @ Minnesota

Nobody foresaw the rough and rocky start to Alex Smith’s career after he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2005. Let’s give credit to Smith though, who seems to have finally developed into a good, albeit not great, quarterback. Smith has 437 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in his first two games. Not only that but he looks comfortable running an offense now whereas before he looked like he was just happy to convert a long third down. Smith has been the benefactor of a great running game and some terrific play calling as well. The Minnesota Vikings rank 11th in the league in passing yards allowed but thus far they’ve faced Blaine Gabbert and Andrew Luck, and the Vikings have yet to force an interception. Expect more of the same from Smith this week as he is quickly becoming a fantasy-relevant quarterback.
Point Projection: 17 points

13. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) vs. St. Louis

To say that Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler struggled against the Packers last week would be an understatement. Cutler went 11-for-27 for 126 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions, and he was sacked seven times. This came one week and throwing for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. So which Cutler are we going to get this week? Cutler is not as bad as he showed last week. The Bears fell behind and lost running back Matt Forte. The Packers defense knew was what coming and it showed. Don’t expect that same kind of performance from the St. Louis Rams defense this week. As long as Cutler avoids Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan he will be OK.
Point Projection: 16 points

14. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Oakland

It’s to know what to expect out of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a weekly basis. His yardage and touchdowns thus far have been good but across his career Roethlisberger is known as somebody who’s inconsistent from a week to week basis. The Steelers shouldn’t have too much trouble with the Oakland Raiders this week so expect solid numbers from Roethlisberger. However, an early lead could lead to a lot of running because the Steelers don’t run the score up anybody if they don’t have to.
Point Projection: 16 points

15. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Arizona

So remember that panic button that was mentioned earlier? Yeah, we’re in need of it now. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has thrown for 688 yards in just two games, but he’s got got twice as many turnovers (8) and he does touchdowns (4). The Eagles are 2-0 on sheer luck more than anything, but certainly not because of Vick’s arm. Knowing just how much Vick can light up a scoreboard we’re not prepared to throw him at the bottom of the list yet, but he could be in for another tough game this against and Arizona defense that handled the Patriots last week.
Point Projection: 16 points

16. Matt Cassel (Kansas City Chiefs) @ New Orleans

If it weren’t for the turnovers Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel would be off to a pretty good start. He’s averaging 279.5 yards per game and 7.5 yards per attempt, which would both be career highs for all season in which he attempted 25 or more passes. The problem is those three interceptions and two lost fumbles. Cassel and the Chiefs continue to shoot themselves in the foot and if he could just hold onto the ball better he would be fantasy relevant right now. Cassel has a good chance to bounce back against the Chiefs this week against the Saints, who are currently 26th in the league in passing yards allowed, 32nd in total yards allowed and 31st in points allowed.
Point Projection: 16 points