Fantasy Week 7 Rankings and Analysis: Reasons Why Tim Tebow Is a Must-Start

Week 7 Quarterback Power Rankings 

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26. Blaine Gabbert (vs. Bal)

Okay, I’ll make this one real easy. The Jags have the worst WR corps in the game, the Ravens have maybe the best defense in the game, and Gabbert can’t even hit 50 percent of his passes.

If he comes out alive, I’ll chalk that up as a win for the Jags.

25. Christian Ponder (vs. GB)

You can’t do much worse than what McNabb was doing for the Vikings this year so yes; it was time for a change. However, I’m not so sure Ponder wanted it to be this game for him to show the team what he’s got.

Your first professional game has enough pressure as is, but add in that it will be a home game with friends and family in attendance; against an inter-division rival; against the defending Super Bowl champs; against the only undefeated team left in the NFL and you’re basically looking at an ulcer before the coin-flip.

Luckily the Packers pass D hasn’t fared too well this season, but you can be sure they’ll be rushing the hell out of Ponder and giving him crazy defensive looks all game.

Sit him on your bench for now and hope he doesn’t die before Week 8.

24. Carson Palmer (vs. KC)

I could go on and on and on about Palmer and his "me-first" attitude coming over from Cinci, but I won't...at least not yet.

As for this week, it looks like the Raiders coaching staff will throw the 31-year old QB straight into the fire, but that won't stop the Raiders from running like crazy against a Kansas City defense that gives up the seventh most fantasy points a game to opposing RBs.

If Kyle Boller ends up making the start because Carson isn't ready yet, then his ranking stays here even though I could regurgitate a thousand stats telling you why you shouldn't even come close to playing him.

However, I wouldn’t want to do that to him seeing how it could very well be his last week playing in the NFL…

23. Kevin Kolb (vs. Pit)

I like Kolb, especially in Arizona, I just don’t like him in Arizona going up against the best pass D in the NFL.

Joe Flacco showed that Pittsburgh can be beat through the air back in Week 1, but do you really want to risk a fantasy loss on Kolb going up against the Steelers? Arizona will be pounding it on the ground with Chris Wells all day, so don’t bother.

22. Mark Sanchez (vs. SD)

Ground-and-pound, ground-and-pound, ground-and-pound. That’s what the Jets will be doing this Sunday with the Chargers being one of the better pass defenses in the game while also wanting to keep the ball out away from their offense.

Sanchez has thrown for just 486 yards and three TDs in his last three games combined, an average of 162 yards plus one touchdown. Not good, though at least the Jets are getting better because of it.

21. Matt Moore (vs. Den)

Moore didn’t look TOO shabby against the best pass defense in the NFL last Monday night, but he didn’t look like a future All-Pro either.

Brandon Marshall LOVES being motivated like he was against the Jets and Revis Island, and going up against his old team this Sunday will just about do the trick once again. I expect Moore to force-feed Marshall all game long despite his being blanketed by Champ Bailey…and I also expect the same type of success.

Moore should have a decent amount of yardage by the end of this one, but if he puts up more than one TD and it just so happens you started him, then you BOTH should go out and play the lottery.

20. John Beck (@ Car)

It’s not so much that Beck is better than Rex Grossman, but there’s just no way in the world he could possibly be as erratic and unpredictable as Rex is.

Beck is actually 30-years-old and came into the league as a second-round pick back in 2007, so you know some talent is there. He did well coming into the game last week (after four Grossman INTs) throwing for 117 yards and rushing in the ‘Skins only TD.

Carolina’s pass D is only marginal at best, so if the Panthers get out to a lead at all, Beck could be called upon to lead them to a victory. That said, I sincerely hope you’ve had something more than just John Beck as your backup all season.

19. Colt McCoy (vs. Sea)

I’m not ready to go out on a limb and say Colt McCoy is on the way to stardom, but the guy is impressive and getting better all the time. His WR corps, however, could use a little work, which is exactly why they decided to start Greg Little from here on out.

I’m not expecting a ton against a pretty stingy and underrated Seattle D, but if you’re in a fix due to your regular starter (and maybe backup as well) being on bye, McCoy could be the one to pull through for you.

18. Curtis Painter (@ NO)

Painter hasn’t cost the Colts any of their six losses thus far, but he hasn’t exactly won a game yet either. But really, who cares? In terms of fantasy, the guy’s actually been pretty darn good!

In his three starts this season, he’s averaged a healthy 17 fantasy points a game. That’s more than Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler, Kevin Kolb, Rex Grossman, Sam Bradford and just barely less than Matt Ryan, Big Ben and Matt Schaub. Basically, the Jeff Spicoli look-alike is holding his own.

Against a Saints defense that has let up the most TD passes and ninth most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs this year…and especially since the Colts will be playing from behind…I kind of like his chances to have a nice game.

17. Charlie Whitehurst (@ Cle)

Seattle actually looks like they have some weapons at their disposal out there right now with Sidney Rice, Ben Obomanu and the youngster, rookie Doug Baldwin all playing well. If Big Mike Williams makes it back this week, that’s one more guy Whitehurst will be able to throw to as well.

At this point, Cleveland’s pass D is beatable with Joe Haden possibly out again so look for Charlie and to exploit a few weaknesses in his 2011 starting debut.

16. Sam Bradford (@ Dal) – If Active

This ranking is predicated on Bradford being healthy enough to suit up, of course. If he makes it out there, you can bet he’ll be throwing the ball a ton with Dallas having the best rush D in the league right now, so he’ll at least have a chance at some good numbers.

The addition of WR Brandon Lloyd is obviously a huge boost for him, though the benefits might not be seen for a week or two while he gets in tune with Sammy. In a week with some of the better QBs in the league on their bye, you could do worse than starting a Bradford.

15. Josh Freeman (vs. Chi - in London, England)

Strange game to predict being played overseas, but Freeman should be just fine coming off his best game of the year in Week 6.

Chicago’s pass D has gotten better the last couple of weeks, but going up against a run-down QB like old man McNabb will tend to do that for you.

I’ll say it again, but Josh Freeman is about as vanilla as it gets in fantasy, and you should expect no more than vanilla stats in this one as well.

14. Jay Cutler (@ TB - in London, England)

The Buccaneers pass D is one of the bottom groups in the league as they’ve held only one opposing QB (Donovan McNasty) to less than 18.4 fantasy points against them.

If Alex Smith can throw for three TDs against you and Curtis Painter can put up close to 300 yards and two TDs, then Cutler certainly has a shot at a pretty good game.

The problem is, Cutler hasn’t exactly been known for his work on the road, which this game undoubtedly is. Being in a foreign land, however, might make Jay feel a little more at home, so I’m tentatively expecting a nice output this weekend.

13. Matt Hasselbeck (vs. Hou)

Hasselbeck currently ranks in the top-10 in fantasy points per game for QBs and seems to be doing okay without his star receiver, Kenny Britt.

In the last two games without him, Matt has average 241 yards and two TDs a game with both contests being on the road against top-five pass defenses. He also threw up over 300 yards in each of his home games this season, with one of those games being against the Baltimore Ravens.

Houston has done pretty well against the pass thus far, but the loss of pass-rush extraordinaire, Mario Williams, could be a huge blow. I think Hass pulls through with a decent, if not very good outing this Sunday because of it.

12. Matt Ryan (@ Det)

Detroit’s pass D has done well this season, but you can chalk most of their success up to their outstanding pass rush. A good QB who knows how to avoid a strong pass rush that also has a nice set of receivers can have a nice day against them, as was shown by Tony Romo back in Week 4.

Matt Ryan fits into this category IF Julio Jones returns. If not, I wouldn’t expect too much as Harry Douglas simply isn’t Julio Jones.

11. Philip Rivers (@ NYJ)

Rivers is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and will absolutely love having Antonio Gates back out there on the field, but it won’t be enough to have one of his crazy fantasy days for your team.

The Jets pass defense is just too good. They’ve allowed the least amount of fantasy points and TDs to opposing QBs this season and though I think Rivers should be okay, I wouldn’t expect more than 250 yards and one touchdown.

This is the first time since 2006 that the Chargers have gone on the road coming out of their bye, so we’ll see how Rivers and his team respond.

10. Matt Cassel (@ Oak)

The Chiefs offense is nowhere near what they were at this point last year with Jamaal Charles, but Matt Cassel is actually playing pretty well.

His completion percentage is well above average at 66.4 percent while in his last three games, he’s thrown for an average of 2.3 TDs and 231 yards a game.

Oakland’s pass D has given up the most TDs and fourth most fantasy points to opposing QBs this year, so look for Matt to have a steady, if not above average day for your fantasy team.

9. Joe Flacco (@ Jax)

Jacksonville has actually done pretty well against the pass this season, but I believe that trend ends this week.

The Jags will have to stack the line against Ray Rice with Vonta Leach as his fullback and when they do, Flacco and his huge arm will exploit the deep holes. The Jags have had some trouble with bigger receivers, so I expect Anquan Boldin to do a little damage over the middle with Torrey Smith drawing coverage deep.

It’ll take awhile for the points to amass, but Flacco should end up with a pretty good day in the end.

8. Matt Schaub (@ Ten)

Schaub seems to have done pretty well considering he lost one of the best wide receivers in the game. In the past two weeks, Matt has thrown for an average of 318 yards and 1.5 TDs a game and even though both those games turned out to be losses, it’s the fantasy numbers that matter.

Well, not really, but it was nice for his owners to see an average of 18.9 fantasy points per game without Andre Johnson in the lineup.

This Sunday he’ll be taking on a Titans defense that is certainly improved, but has progressively gotten worse throughout the season. If Schaub does well to spread the ball around to his RBs, TEs and wide receivers, he should be good for around 250 yards and a couple of TDs.

7. Tim Tebow (@ Mia)

Tim Tebow is easily the most polarizing player in all of football right now. The beauty of this weekend is that finally, the man will have a chance to both defend and prove himself out on the field.

The thing is, it doesn’t really matter what you think of him as a NFL quarterback or a person for that matter, but what he does as a fantasy quarterback.

In three games started last season, Tebow put up an average of 26.6 fantasy points a game which would have ranked him second in the league behind Michael Vick. That number would still hold up as second in the league this year behind Aaron Rodgers (28.0 fantasy points/game).

In his one half of football so far this season he put up 17 fantasy points, so it sure doesn’t look like his prowess is a fluke at all.

We’ll see this Sunday, but against a Miami defense that gives up two passing TDs a game and the seventh most fantasy points to opposing QBs, I’m betting that Timmy proves his worth.

6. Ben Roethlisberger (@ Ari)

When the Cardinals face a quarterback who is at least halfway decent at what he does, 300-plus yards and two or more TDs is the norm. If not, then they have a chance to hold their own.

Roethlisberger happens to fit into that first category.

Arizona has also had serious problems with top-notch receivers such as Steve Smith, Santana Moss, Sidney Rice and Hakeem Nicks thus far, so expect Big Ben to get the ball in Mike Wallace’s hands a bunch and watch him rack up the yardage/TDs for him.

5. Cam Newton (vs. Was)

Cam Newton is a beast and will likely go down as the best rookie quarterback in the history of the game. He hasn’t won many games and isn’t the greatest passer (seven TDs and nine INTs), but what he’s done with his legs is simply a marvel to watch. It’s like watching a giant running back take every snap under center who’s then given the leeway to do whatever he wants out there regardless of the situation.

His coaches will eventually try to reel him in, so enjoy it while you can, folks.

As for this weekend, I don’t think it really matters too much who he plays, but Vick did pretty well against these Redskins last weekend so do yourself a favor; get him in your lineup and make sure to watch the game because you might miss something special if you don't.

4. Drew Brees (vs. Ind)

The Colts defense can be run on all over the place, but they can be passed on just as easily. Guess which one the Saints are going to do...

New Orleans does have a pretty solid rushing attack landing right in the middle of the NFL in yards per game, TDs and yards per carry, but they also lead the league in passing attempts by a whopping margin of 26 attempts.

With Colston healthy, TE Jimmy Graham dominating and the rest of the crew doing well, you can pretty much bet the farm on a 300-plus yard passing day with at least one and probably even more TDs in tow.

3. Tony Romo (vs. StL)

Not only is Tony pretty much healthy again, but his big guns (Miles Austin and Dez Bryant) are back and healthy now too. In fact, the Cowboys even added a pretty decent third receiver to the mix while everyone else was mending in Laurent Robinson, so Romo fantasy owners have to be pretty happy with that little move as well.

The Rams have a tendency to let good QBs with speedy receivers scare them out of the building, so count on Romo and the rest of his crew having nice games this fantasy Sunday.

2. Matthew Stafford (vs. Atl)

Turns out “Second Half Staff” is human after all. He didn’t do anything in particular to lose the game for the Lions last weekend (he still owns a 9-0 TD-INT ratio in the second half of games), but he didn’t execute his normal comeback effort either.

Still, he kept his season-long streak of games with two or more TD passes intact while putting up over 20 fantasy points in the process.

Against a Falcons team that has kept an opposing QB from going over 20 fantasy points just once this season (Josh Freeman; 16.7), Matty should be able to dominate in his normal fashion.

1. Aaron Rodgers (@ Min)

Plainly put, the man cannot be stopped.

If he’s not throwing a perfect pass to a teammate striding into the end zone, then his receivers are making moves on their own to get there. On the rare occasion his receivers aren’t getting open, then he’s doing it with his own two feet.

There’s just no way to stop Aaron Rodgers and this Green Bay offense. No way at all.

If anyone thinks he won’t do it again this Sunday, consider that over the past two seasons, Rodgers has thrown for 11 TDs while averaging 317 yards a game in four games against these Vikings.

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