2013 Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks

Week 1 is officially in the books, and there were some impressive performances around the leagues.  Which quarterbacks made the biggest impression?  Who appears to be in position to thrive in Week 2?  Let’s take a look at our rankings for the coming week:

1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos, at New York Giants
2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, vs. Washington
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, at Tampa Bay
4. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, vs. St. Louis
5. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, at Arizona
6. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, vs. New York Jets
7. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers, at Seattle
8. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins, at Green Bay
9. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, at Buffalo
10. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts, vs. Miami
11. Eli Manning, New York Giants, vs. Denver
12. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, vs. San Diego
13. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys, at Kansas City
14. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks, vs. San Francisco
15. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears, vs. Minnesota
16. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals, vs. Detroit
17. Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders, vs. Jacksonville
18. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams, at Atlanta
19. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals, vs. Pittsburgh
20. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vs. New Orleans
21. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, vs. Cleveland
22. Matt Schaub, Houston Tecans, vs. Tennessee
23. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins, at Indianapolis
24. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Cincinnati
25. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, at Philadelphia

Thoughts:

• It was an impressive season debut for Colin Kaepernick, throwing for 412 yards and three TDs.  Then again, that came in a shootout against the Packers and not against one of the elite defenses in the league.  In his lone start against the Seahawks in 2012, he threw for 244 yards, one TD and one INT (while rushing for 31 yards on seven carries).  He’s going to be a good option, but don’t push him too high after one week.
• Matthew Stafford’s biggest issue in 2012 was throwing for touchdowns.  He put up big yards in Week 1 (357), while also throwing for two TDs and an INT.  Considering his Week 2 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, allowed Sam Bradford to throw for 299 yards and two TDs, it’s hard not to push Stafford well up the rankings for the coming week.
• Can the Jets stop Tom Brady?  Considering Brady needed 52 attempts to throw for 288 yards against the Bills, it’s not impossible.  Obviously there is still a learning curve as he continues to adapt to his new, young receivers.  While he falls outside the top five this week, don’t be surprised if he performs like one of the best.
• With the running game seemingly in shambles and a matchup that is going to necessitate the Giants throwing early and often (like in Week 1), Eli Manning has to look like an attractive option.  Consider him a low-end QB1 at this point.
• Sure the Chiefs defense was impressive in Week 1, but they also faced the inept Jacksonville Jaguars.  Don’t expect them to have the same type of success against Tony Romo in Week 2.
• In two starts against the 49ers in 2012, Russell Wilson threw for a total of 293 yards.  Sure, he had a four-TD performance mixed in there, but that has to be considered more of an aberration than anything.  He’s more of a QB2 due to the matchup.
• Sam Bradford threw for 299 yards, two TDs and one INT in Week 1 and is likely going to have to throw the ball early and often to keep up with Matt Ryan and the Falcons.  There’s a lot to like as a QB2.
• Terrelle Pryor surprised with his performance both through the air (217 yards, one TD, two INTs) and on the ground (13 rushes for 112 yards). While we can’t expect him to maintain the latter, that type of potential is going to make him a viable option in two-quarterback formats.
• While Robert Griffin III has a matchup that would indicate a strong performance, and his performance did pick up in the second half Monday night (finished 30-of-49 for 329 yards, two TDs and two INTs).  He’s still working his way back, so we have to expect some pains along the way.  Consider him a viable option, though not a top-level one quite yet.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 rankings:

• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends