2010 Fantasy Football Week Five Rankings: Quarterbacks

After Michael Vick took over the starting quarterback job for the Philadelphia Eagles following Kevin Kolb’s concussion in a Week One loss to the Green Bay Packers, things could not have gone better. He had seven total touchdowns in the first three games and led the Eagles to wins in Weeks Two and Three.

Don’t call it a comeback…because he’s now hurt. In Week Four, Vick suffered a rib injury and left the game in the loss to the Washington Redskins. No timetable for his return has been stated; however, Vick is already reported “out” for Week Five. Now it’s time to check out our Fantasy Football Week Five Quarterback Rankings to find out who should replace Vick in your starting lineup.

1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ Arizona

Thus far New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has put up good stats. However, nothing that suggests he should be ranked as our top fantasy football quarterback in Week Five. A game against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday will change that.

The Cardinals defense has really struggled to find itself as a unit this year that’s evidenced by them ranking 23rd in passing yards allowed and 31st in points allowed. They’ve already given up seven passing touchdowns and allowed opponents to gain a whopping 96 first downs.

We’ve kept Brees’ projection to just 23 points this week because the Saints offense still hasn’t had that monster game we know they’re capable of, though this could very likely be the week that happens.

Point Projection: 23 points

2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Kansas City

Ignore the Indianapolis Colts’ 2-2 record, including their last-second loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. All you need to pay attention to is quarterback Peyton Manning, who appears to be on his way to another MVP-caliber season with 11 touchdowns and just one interception in four games.

Believe it or not, Manning has an interesting matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and that’s because the Chiefs are allowing just 12.7 points per game. Despite that, Kansas City ranks 25th in pass defense, so expect Manning to do his thing en route to 300-plus passing yards and multiple touchdown strikes.

Point Projection: 21 points

3. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ Washington

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has already thrown five interceptions this season, which wouldn’t be too much cause for concern if he didn’t throw just seven all of last year. Yet, nobody here is panicking about Rodgers and you shouldn’t either.

Chalk up his early season miscues more as nothing more than an aberration. This week’s game against the Washington Redskins should alleviate any fears you have about Rodgers. The Redskins rank 31st in pass defense and have just three interceptions on the year. Plus, they have allowed opponents to complete 29.8 passes per game against them, which is dead last in the NFL. Look for Rodgers and the Packers to come out firing this week.

Point Projection: 19 points

4. Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) @ Oakland

As good as San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has been in the past he might be having his finest season yet, at least from a fantasy football perspective. He’s averaging 332 passing yards a game, as well as having an average of 9.4 yards per attempt. Combine that with his nine touchdowns, and the last time he started off a season this well was in 2008 when he ended up throwing for 34 touchdown passes.

This week, he takes on an Oakland Raiders defense that has had his number in years' past. The difference is this Chargers offense doesn’t feature a strong run game, therefore we will see Rivers chuck the football more than the 27 attempts he has averaged in his last four contest with the Raiders. Start Rivers with confidence in Week Five.

Point Projection: 19 points


To see where your quarterback ranks in Week Five click here.