Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Cory Steger       

- Edited by Marc Caviglia     

Fantasy football leagues may have finished for the season but fantasy football lives on in the various playoff challenges out there. Hey, as long as there’s meaningful football being played we’re going to continue with our rankings. Below we’ve got the Wild Card round rankings, and rookies look to play a prominent role this week. To find out where Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson fall this week you’ve got to continue reading on.

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 2, 2013::

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs. Minnesota

It may be the rookies taking the spotlight in the Wild Card round but it’s Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers who takes the top spot in the rankings this week. Rodgers gets to face the Minnesota Vikings, a team he’s quite familiar with. In two meetings during the regular season Rodgers had five touchdowns and one interception against the Vikings. Rodgers had four touchdowns against Minnesota last week, though with the teams playing in Green Bay this week and not in the dome, don’t expect four touchdowns again.
Point Projection:  21 points

2. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) @ Washington

Why is it that, at the finish of the regular season Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was only owned in less than 50 percent of standard leagues? The guy averages almost 17 fantasy points per game, has thrown just two interceptions in his last eight games, and he has scored 19 or more fantasy points in five of his last six games. He cannot be ignored any longer. He’s got a great matchup this week against a Washington Redskins defense that gave up 16.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks during the regular season. Expect Wilson to bring up that number.
Point Projection:  19 points

3. Robert Griffin (Washington Redskins) vs. Seattle

Though he only had 100 passing yards last week Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin still put together a solid fantasy performance. That’s mostly attributed to his 63 rushing yards, his rushing touchdown, and that he didn’t turn the ball over once. Griffin has a tougher matchup this week with the Seattle Seahawks, and while you should expect more passing yards as the Redskins may need to pass a lot since it’s expected they’ll be playing from behind, they could come with some turnovers as well.
Point Projection:  18 points

4. Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) @ Baltimore

If Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck hasn’t had his welcome-to-the-NFL moment, then he’s going to get it this week with a road playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. Luck, who’s been a bit interception-happy this season, ended the season going three games without a pick. It’s unlikely he’ll continue that streak this week against the Ravens but he should do well enough to get a good amount of fantasy football points. A road playoff game, however, means Luck is a risky pick this week.
Point Projection:  17 points

5. Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

It is the second consecutive season in which the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals play each other in the Wild Card round, but it’s the first for quarterback Matt Schaub. Schaub missed last year’s because of an injury, but will get to experience the Bengals this year. What makes the Cincinnati defense tricky is the pressure the Bengals get from their defensive line, as evidenced by their 51 sacks this season. Schaub should do OK enough considering the Bengals can be beat deep, but the Texans will auto utilize a lot of running as well, which limits Schaub’s potential.
Point Projection:  15 points

6. Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Indianapolis

We never been fans of players sitting in Week 17 before a playoff game, but that’s what Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco did last week. After playing just the beginning of the game against Cincinnati last week Flacco watched the rest from the sideline. This is relevant because in the three games prior to Week 17 Flacco had seven touchdown passes. That momentum may have been killed, and let’s be honest, Flacco’s never been a model of consistency.
Point Projection:  15 points

7. Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Houston

The last time Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton had multiple touchdown passes in a game it was Week 12 against the Oakland Raiders. The Bengals have gotten by recently on the strength of their defense, not Dalton’s arm. That’s unlikely to change this week, either. Houston gave up just 14.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, and Dalton will be lucky to hit that number this week.
Point Projection:  13 points

8. Christian Ponder (Minnesota Vikings) @ Green Bay

Why do the Minnesota Vikings even have a quarterback, other than to hand the ball off to running back Adrian Peterson? Given the Vikings credit, they won 10 games and made the playoffs with Christian Ponder at quarterback, but that doesn’t mean he should warrant any fantasy consideration. Ponder had three touchdowns against the Packers last week but that type of performance is an aberration for him. To expect him to come anywhere close to that type of performance again this week would be unreasonable.
Point Projection:  12 points

WILD CARD ROUND RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)