2012 Fantasy Football Week 1: Quarterback Rankings and Projections

Maybe Robert Griffin won’t post the same stat line we saw from Cam Newton in his debut vs the Cardinals, but he should have a productive game against the Saints.

New Orleans brought in some talented linebackers this off-season but failed to do much to improve a pass rush that had safety Roman Harper leading the team in sacks. With Will Smith out of the lineup (suspension), Griffin should have time in the pocket to find weapons like Fred Davis and Pierre Garcon.

Crowd noise in the Super Dome will likely be a problem for Griffin early on, but we should expect the Saints to light up the score board with a high-octane offense. This will force Griffin to throw the football more often than the Redskins would like, also setting up Griffin to pick up rushing yards when he faces a muddy pocket.

If you waited on a quarterback in your draft and stashed Griffin as your second signal-caller, give him strong consideration as a starter in your lineup Week 1.

Sean’s Watch List

Both Michael Vick and Philip Rivers had their struggles last season, and things didn’t look much better in the short amount of work they received in the preseason.

Probably a bad time to say, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but this is what I think of in terms of the playing style we will see from both veterans. Both quarterbacks have favorable matchups, but I’m hesitant to rank them higher than a low-end QB1 this week. Let’s see how they come out of the gates now that the regular season is upon us.

1	Matthew Stafford	Rams
2	Tom Brady	@ Titans
3	Aaron Rodgers	49ers
4	Drew Brees	Redskins
5	Cam Newton	@ Bucs
6	Jay Cutler	Colts
7	Robert Griffin III	@ Saints
8	Matt Ryan	@ Chiefs
9	Eli Manning	Cowboys
10	Michael Vick	@ Browns
11	Philip Rivers	@ Raiders
12	Peyton Manning	Steelers
13	Tony Romo	@ Giants
14	Ben Roethlisberger	@ Broncos
15	Joe Flacco	Bengals
16	Andrew Luck	@ Bears
17	Jake Locker	Patriots
18	Josh Freeman	Panthers
19	Alex Smith	@ Packers
20	Russell Wilson	@ Cardinals

Week 1 Rankings –  RB | WR | TE | K | D |