Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

WEEK 5 RANKINGS  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE |  K | DEF

It’s nice to get into the middle of the season, with the exception of one thing and that is bye weeks. The bye weeks are in full swing now until Week 12, and this week we’ve got some big name quarterbacks on bye such as Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys and Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions. Of course, after some up and down performances thus far both of those guys could use a break right now.

One big name quarterback to get back on track last week was the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers. In last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints we saw the Rodgers of old as he threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and just one interception. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots also had his finest game of the season, throwing for 340 yards with three touchdowns in a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills. There are some other big names we expect to have big games this week, but with four teams on bye the overall projections thin out a bit after that.
Let’s get it started with our Fantasy Football Week 5 Quarterback Rankings.

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF OCTOBER 2, 2012::

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Indianapolis

Although it took four games for it to happen, it finally happen. Rodgers had that monster-type of game that his owners had hoped would happen more often when they were spending high first-round draft picks on him. The question with Rodgers is, are we going to continue to see big performances like this? For at least this week the answer is yes. Going against the Indianapolis Colts is a terrific matchup for Rodgers. Aside from being able to play in perfect conditions inside the dome, Rodgers gets to face a Colts defense that’s ranked just 24th in points allowed per game. Though the Colts have done OK against opposing quarterbacks so far you must consider they’ve faced Jay Cutler, Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert. Indianapolis also has just one interception thus far.
Point Projection: 23 points

2. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ Washington

There is no quarterback in the league off to a better start than Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. He’s got multiple touchdowns in every game so far, three three-touchdown games, he’s completing a ridiculous number of his passes. He’s consistent and exceptional, everything you could want in a fantasy quarterback. You can expect more of the same from Ryan this week against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins may have the worst pass defense in the league as they rank 31st in passing yards allowed, and they gave up three touchdown passes in three of their first four games this season.
Point Projection: 22 points

3. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Denver

So remember a couple weeks ago when we suggested that it was getting close to panic switch time for Brady? Yeah, we’re going to ask that that is struck from the records. Brady is fine as evidenced by his outburst against the Bills last week. Now, Brady does have a history of playing well against the Bills so it shouldn’t have been a surprise but nonetheless it was good to see the Brady of old. Brady has another good matchup with the Denver Broncos this week. Denver has given up eight passing touchdowns and forced just two interceptions this season, including getting torched by Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans for four touchdowns in Week 3. Don’t expect four touchdowns from Brady as the running game will soak up some of the scoring, but he is still one of the best starts this week.
Point Projection: 21 points

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4. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) vs. San Diego

Of course we expected some fireworks from last week’s game between the Saints and the Packers, and we weren’t disappointed. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees ended up with 446 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Though the production was welcome from Brees, those type of numbers are more of an aberration than anything. Most weeks Brees scores around 20 fantasy points, which is about what you can expect again from him this week against the San Diego Chargers. San Diego has given up seven touchdown passes thus far but they’ve also forced five interceptions and seven sacks. This is a team that can generate pressure on the quarterback, so don’t expect what we saw out of Brees last week to happen again this week.  However, he is stil a top five quarterback play.
Point Projection: 20 points

5. Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos) @ New England

When Denver plays at New England this week we’ll get to see Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning playing against his old nemesis in the Patriots. Of course Manning’s on a new team but that’s not going to stop most of the media from overblowing the story all week long. Yes the Patriots have an improved defense and yes Manning has a history of not playing well against New England but things have changed. Manning’s faced some of the league’s toughest defenses already this season in Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Houston and out of those three he had only one bad game - against the Falcons in Week 2. Don’t let the ghost of Manning’s past at Foxboro haunt your decision to start him this week, he’s going to be fine.
Point Projection: 19 points

6. Robert Griffin (Washington Redskins) vs. Atlanta

Despite being a rookie Washington Redskins quarterback has done nothing but good things up to this point in the season. He’s going to continue to do good things the rest of this season and for a while into his career as well. Although he’s been over 20 fantasy points in each of his games thus far it’s time to dial back the expectations for this week’s matchup with the Falcons. Aside from Cam Newton’s three touchdowns last week the Falcons have been giving up an average of just 8.3 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Griffin is mobile like Newton but it’s inaccurate to suggest that because both are mobile that Griffin will get three touchdowns against the Falcons as well. If anything, the Falcons’ experience against Newton last week gives them an edge in this matchup.
Point Projection: 19 points

7. Eli Manning (New York Giants) vs. Cleveland

Last week New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw for 309 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was another good but not great from Manning, who’s become the model of consistency. He never wows you with his fantasy production but you always count on a good amount of points from him. Expect Manning to have one of his finest games of the season this week against a Cleveland Browns defense that’s been poor without the presence of cornerback Joe Haden. Haden’s final game of his four-game suspension is this week, and in his absence the Browns have given up seven touchdowns and forced just two interceptions in their last three games.
Point Projection: 19 points

8. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) @ Kansas City

Are we at the point yet where Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens can be considered an elite quarterback? Flacco continues to trend that way, especially following last week’s performance where he threw for 356 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and an interception. Expect another elite performance from Flacco this week against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that’s not been able to stop anybody yet. Kansas City has given up 10 passing touchdowns thus far and forced only two interceptions. Flacco would be higher up on this list except for the fact that the Ravens could employ a run-heavy offense after getting an early lead.
Point Projection: 19 points

9. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. Seattle

In multiple articles last week we stated our concern for Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. Newton eased some of that concern by throwing for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushing nine times for 86 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Falcons. However, the concern with Newton is still real. He’s been inconsistent this season, and a lot of his fantasy points have come from what he’s done on the ground. It’s tough to rely on those rushing totals, especially against a Seattle Seahawks defense that’s second against the run and second in points allowed per game. Still, Newton proved to us last week he can make plays and the upside is there.
Point Projection: 18 points

10. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Miami

As far as nicknames go Andy Dalton’s may be one of the worst. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, who’s also known as the ‘Red Rifle’ has been playing very well thus far despite the awful moniker associated with him. He’s now had three consecutive games with 20 or more fantasy points, and although he does have four interceptions this season he’s never had more than one per game. Forget sophomore slump, Dalton is evolving into one of the league’s better quarterbacks and he’s doing so with a wide receiver corps that features A.J. Green and a bunch of no-names. Keep the expectations for Dalton this week a bit modest considering the Miami Dolphins have given up six passing touchdowns but also forced five interceptions.
Point Projection: 17 points

11. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ New Orleans

It’s good to see a quarterback rebound from a bad performance in the next week, and that’s exactly what San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers did last week in the win over the Chiefs. Rivers threw for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and he could’ve done more had Jackie Battle not decided to steal the show. Expect Rivers to have one of his best games of the season this week against a Saints defense that is struggling. New Orleans has given up seven touchdowns and forced just two interceptions, and they rank just 24th against the pass and 29th in points allowed per game. As long as his running backs don’t take all the touchdowns Rivers is a great play this week.
Point Projection: 17 points

12. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Philadelphia

Though Ben Roethlisberger got off to a great start this season with eight touchdowns and just one interception in the first three games, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed that early bye week to get some key players healthy. One of those players is running back Rashard Mendenhall, and they’ll need him for this week’s game with the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia ranks second in the league in passing yards allowed per game but just 17th against the pass. Though the Steelers have leaned on Roethlisberger thus far, expect a more well-rounded attack from them this week, and that will limit the quarterback’s potential.
Point Projection: 15 points

**2012 BRUNO BOYS FANDUEL WEEK 5 CHAMPIONSHIP —$5 TO PLAY (110 ENTRIES MAX)—$8,000 IN PRIZE MONEY** 

We’ve partnered with FanDuel.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  In Week 5, we are offering a $500 worth of cash prizes and a the winner gets a seat in our Week 11 Bruno Boys Championship Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win $8,000 in prize money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S JUST $5!!

Please use this link to enter for JUST $5 in Week 5:  $500 IN PAYOUTS/ SEAT IN BBFC  (click to register)

13. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Pittsburgh

It only took until the fourth week of the season before we saw an Eagles game that didn’t feature a single Michael Vick turnover. The Philadelphia quarterback had 241 passing yards with one touchdown and no interceptions or fumbles in the win over the Giants last week, an encouraging sign given how poorly he had started the season. One game, however, does not make up for everything Vick did wrong at the beginning of the season. Plus, it’s not like he exactly lit up the Giants either. The Steelers rank third in the league in passing yards allowed, and are boosted this week by the return of linebacker James Harrison and safety Troy Polamalu. Vick is still a risky play, especially with the matchup this week.
Point Projection: 15 points

14. Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Buffalo

In last week’s win over the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith only threw for 143 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Smith didn’t do much, mostly because he didn’t need to. The 49ers still managed a 34-0 win because of a strong running game and also because of how many times the Jets shot themselves in the foot. Expect Smith to be more involved in this game. The Bills are capable of moving the ball and putting up points, and that’s going to force the 49ers to use the passing game more than they did last week. The good news for Smith is that the Bills are 23rd in pass defense and 30th in points allowed per game.
Point Projection: 15 points

15. Christian Ponder (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Tennessee

Following consecutive games in which he had two touchdown passes with no interceptions, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder had a dud in last week’s win over the Detroit Lions. In that game he threw for 111 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Though the Vikings won the game it would’ve been nice to see Ponder be a little more productive against a weak Lions pass defense. Expect to see more out of Ponder this week against the Tennessee Titans. The Vikings had the lead all game last week and played it safe with Ponder to keep the Lions offense off the field. They’ll need Ponder more this week against a Titans offense that should be able to keep pace.
Point Projection: 15 points