2012 Fantasy Football Week 16: Quarterbacks (QB) Rankings / Projections

Judging by the first half of the season, it appeared Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense were going nowhere fast. The team had a losing record, one of the worst offensive lines in the league and, outside of a couple solid performances, they couldn’t run the football if their lives depended on it.

The second half has turned out to be much more promising, and in fact for those of you that were actually playing Romo, you’ve enjoyed a pretty good run down the stretch.

Over the past eight weeks Romo has at least 300 yards passing in six of those games and in two of those games he’s thrown for over 430 yards. Outside of his four-interception game against the Giants Week 8, Romo has cut down on his interceptions with only three in his past seven performances.

Credit the emergence of Dez Bryant as part of the reason for Romo’s success and that the Cowboys continue to play in close games, usually coming from behind in the second half. While DeMarco Murray is back and running well, Romo should have another top-five performance against the Saints, with playoffs and possibly a division championship still lift top play for.

What Did We Learn From Week 15?

- Another week, and Peyton Manning owners come away again disappointed in his numbers with just over 200 yards passing and only one touchdown. This marks the second week in a row Manning has only thrown one touchdown, but as I’ve been saying for awhile now, we should expect more of the same.

The problem for Manning is the team around him is actually too good and the Broncos are more than comfortable shutting down the passing game throughout the fourth-quarter week after week. With perhaps the top defense in football and Knowshon Moreno running better than ever before, Manning is just a low-end QB1 this week.

- Cam Newton and the Panthers offense continue to roll as they made quick work of the Chargers on Sunday. As I mentioned last week, we shouldn’t expect Newton to slow down from here as it’s apparent he has his swagger back and is past his sophomore slump.
 

Sean’s Week 16 Watch List

- Colin Kaepernick showed his critics why he needs to be the 49ers starting quarterback against the Patriots, as he clearly made plays Alex Smith would never attempt. It will take time before Kaepernick’s game is rounded into the shape we would like to see for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, but for now he gives his team big-play ability in the passing game and running game.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, we should expect word on Richard Sherman’s possible suspension on Friday. This is key for Kaepernick’s fantasy value, because the Seahawks have already lost Brandon Browner to a suspension and their top backups are fighting hamstring problems.

- Another disappointing effort from Eli Manning last week and his down games have killed fantasy owners this year. If you happened to advance to the Super Bowl this week, Manning should bounce back against a suspect Ravens secondary. Perhaps we need to give more credit to the Falcons defense when they play at home, as they forced five interceptions on Drew Brees at home just a few weeks prior.

1	Tom Brady	@ Jaguars
2	Cam Newton	Raiders
3	Tony Romo	Saints
4	Matt Ryan	@ Lions
5	Drew Brees	@ Cowboys
6	Colin Kaepernick	@ Seahawks
7	Peyton Manning	Browns
8	Aaron Rodgers	Titans
9	Eli Manning	@ Ravens
10	Andrew Luck	@ Chiefs
11	Ben Roethlisberger	Bengals
12	Russell Wilson	49ers
13	Matthew Stafford	Falcons
14	Matt Schaub	Vikings
15	Carson Palmer	@ Panthers
16	Josh Freeman	Rams
17	Andy Dalton	@ Steelers
18	Joe Flacco	Giants

Week 16 Standard Rankings –  RB | WR | TE | K | D |