Re-ranking Rest of Season QBs
- Aaron Rodgers-GB – No explanation needed here. Rodgers is far and away the best real life and fantasy QB in the NFL.
- Andrew Luck-IND – Luck is off to a rough start, but I believe most of his struggles can be attributed to defensive match ups. Luck has always played a high risk, high reward type of game, requiring a bit of luck (see what I did there), to put up numbers. He has a halfway decent schedule the rest of the way, and I expect his production to correct itself.
- Tom Brady-NE – Brady and the Pats have reverted back to their old ways, running up scores even when they’re up 40 points in the 4th quarter. Brady has been the biggest beneficiary of this play style, but I have a hard time believing he keeps up these kinds of numbers (371 yards/game, 3 TDs/game). While I don’t want to overreact to Luck’s poor start, I think it wise to do the same with Brady’s hot start. He will continue to be elite, but at a slightly lower rate. Brady looks like a great sell-high candidate at the moment. If you can net top 10 RB or top 5 WR value for him, pull the trigger while you can.
- Russell Wilson-SEA – Wilson has been good, not great through 3 games. Seattle seems to be figuring out how to use Jimmy Graham, and Wilson’s numbers should improve as Graham gets more comfortable. Wilson is still one of the most consistent fantasy options and should be considered a strong buy-low option.
- Peyton Manning-DEN – After a rough Week 1 performance, everyone and their mother was ready to write off Manning’s fantasy value. Since then, he has thrown for 580 yards and 5 TDs in Weeks 2 and 3. I expect Manning to be somewhere in between these two versions of himself, which is still good for solid QB1 numbers.
- Carson Palmer-ARI – Palmer has quietly become one of the best values in fantasy as a late round draft pick or Week 1 waiver wire pickup. Palmer has far outperformed expectations to this point. He is on pace for 48 TD passes, so don’t expect this kind of production to continue. However, if he throws an average of 2 TDs per game the rest of the season and continues his modest yardage average (267/game), he will be good for 35 TDs and 4300 TDs, good for the 35 year-old’s best stat line as a pro.
- Matt Ryan-ATL – Julio Jones, Julio Jones, Julio Jones. Ryan’s value is 100% tied to Julio’s production and health. So long as Julio is running routes for the Falcons, Ryan has a top 10 QB baseline with top 5 potential if guys like Roddy White and Leonard Hankerson can put up average numbers.
- Eli Manning-NYG – Much like his big bro, he had a rough Week 1 and was largely written off. I expect him to put up top 10 numbers the rest of the way as he throws bombs to Odell Beckham Jr.
- Cam Newton-CAR – Newton has pleasantly surprised fantasy owners thus far. He has been an average to below average passer, but as always, his rushing ability has made him valuable. He has next to no weapons besides Greg Olsen, which might just be enough for Newton continue towards a huge bounce back season.
- Ryan Tannehill-MIA – I wasn’t high on Tannehill to start the season, but I’m beginning to change my tune a bit. Despite terrible team play, he has still been a top 10 guy. My only issue with Tannehill is upside; I just don’t see a ton of it. He will very rarely throw for more than 2 TDs. With that said, he should be fairly consistent with a high week to week floor.
- Phillip Rivers-SD – Rivers has been slightly underwhelming thus far, but he is one of the more steady options available. With Antonio Gates back next week, expect low end QB1 numbers from Rivers.
- Marcus Mariota-TEN – He impressed once again in Week 3, and has established himself as a decent fantasy option. He has a Week 4 bye, and plays Buffalo in Week 5, so don’t expect much until Week 6 against Miami.
- Andy Dalton-CIN – Dalton has simply been a beast to this point. He faces KC, Seattle and Buffalo the next three weeks, so temper your expectations a bit. The Bengals running game has been awful through three games, giving Dalton the chance to throw the ball a lot more and bolster his value.
- Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is expected to miss 4-6 Weeks, and I believe he will bounce right back to elite status upon returning. If you had him before the injury, don’t drop him unless you are extremely desperate.
- Drew Brees-NO – If he’s healthy, he is borderline top 10 with decent upside. If news comes out that he will miss significant time, consider Brees 100% droppable. In the meantime, he is very questionable for Week 4, and reports on his injury are largely wavering. If he doesn’t miss any time and is at full strength, this ranking is far too low. Just keep in mind that even at full strength, Brees is barely a top 10 QB.
- Tyrod Taylor-BUF – Taylor has been one of the biggest surprises thus far, and seems far more talented than any of us previously believed. He is in a great situation with solid weapons, with the ability to tack on an extra 4 or 5 points every week with his legs. Taylor should be rostered in all 12 team leagues.
- Sam Bradford-PHI – Bradford still has decent upside, but just hasn’t shown anything yet. He has a great upcoming schedule, though, facing New Orleans and the New York Giants in Weeks 4 and 5. I’m not sure he’s startable this week, but if he does produce in Week 4, consider him a great start in Week 5.
- Derek Carr-OAK – Carr has been nothing but awesome thus far, and has a great weapon in Amari Cooper. The Raiders seem to finally have a run game with Latavius Murray, which provides some much needed structure to their offense. Carr has fantastic upside and at this point should at least be considered as a strong bye week fill in.
- Michael Vick – PIT – Vick has been dropped into one of the best fantasy positions in the league. He is still good enough to put up low end QB1 numbers while Roethlisberger is out, and should likely be rostered in the mean time.
- Matthew Stafford-DET – He faces the Seahawks and Cardinals in Weeks 4 and 5, so don’t expect anything good til Week 6 at home against Chicago. Calvin Johnson does not appear to be an elite WR option anymore, and Stafford is struggling as a result.
- Joe Flacco-BAL – As usual, he has been fairly inconsistent, putting up 0.7 points in Week 1, with 21.6 and 20.5 in Weeks 2 and 3 (standard scoring). He faces Pittsburgh, Cleveland and San Fran the next 3 Weeks, so consider him a decent short term option if you lost Romo or Big Ben.
- Tony Romo – DAL – While I don’t believe Romo is worth holding onto, I do believe he will become a valuable asset when he gets healthy.
- Colin Kaepernick-SF – Kaep will continue to be incredibly inconsistent, as he has been for the first three weeks. Coming off perhaps his worst game as a pro (67 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs), his value has never been lower. He will likely finish higher than this ranking, but his inconsistency turns me off.
- Alex Smith-KC – Smith is a much better real life QB than a fantasy QB, but he still has value if you’re streaming QBs. When the match ups are nice, feel comfortable starting Smith.
- Teddy Bridgewater-MIN – Despite being a popular breakout candidate in the preseason, Bridgewater has largely struggled. AP appears to be back to his old ways, and Bridgewater’s receiving corps looks pretty sluggish. He has only thrown an average of 25 times a game, not nearly enough to produce good numbers. Expect the Vikings to continue running the ball, as Bridgewater gets less work in the passing game.
- Blake Bortles-JAC – Bortles has flashed his great potential, I’m just not buying into it. There are so many other options with just as much or more upside, without the low floor.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick-NYJ – Fitzpatrick will have plenty of big time games this season. With that said, he will have plenty of stinkers where he throws for 3 picks. He is a decent streaming option, but not much more.
- Jameis Winston-TB – Winston does not appear to have the upside we believed this year. Rather, Mariota has taken the reigns as the top rookie QB. By seasons end we could see decent numbers from Winston, but don’t expect much in the meantime.
- Jay Cutler-CHI – When he is healthy, he has really great potential to put up solid stats, but he is just so inconsistent and will burn you if you trust him.
- Nick Foles-STL – Foles isn’t in a great situation, and more importantly, isn’t all that good.
- Kirk Cousins-WAS – Cousins simply doesn’t throw enough TDs to make up for the turnovers he creates. Until he figures out how to stop throwing picks, he won’t find any fantasy value.
- Brandon Weeden-DAL – He is in a great position, but just doesn’t have the skill or even the trust of his team to put up big numbers. The Cowboys are going to run as often as they can, and while Weeden has slight upside, his floor is far too low to even consider as a fantasy asset.
Comments
Tyrod should be higher ROS than he is, IMO