Week 9 Fantasy Football Rankings: Midseason Quarterback Awards

We are at the halfway point of the 2011 NFL season, which means that fantasy football is just heating up.

We have seen some stellar performances, some huge surprises and a handful of draft picks that are still making us shake our heads in disgust.

The quarterback is the player that can truly make or break your fantasy football team. Whether you gambled on a star in the first round, or waited deep and crossed your fingers for a sleeper, this has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.

Let's take a look at the quarterbacks who have shined, broken out and completely flopped this season.

Fantasy Football Top Quarterback Performers

3) Drew Brees

Drew Brees started out the year strong with a huge performance against the Green Bay Packers. Even after losing his top receiver, he managed to put up solid points week after week.

The offense is full of talent at all skill positions.

Brees was the fifth quarterback drafted in most leagues, with the average draft position (ADP) of 26.5. If you jumped on him in the third round, you are likely sitting pretty right now.

2) Cam Newton

Cam Newton is currently leading all fantasy football quarterbacks in points. His average points per game is riding at 23.

He has been doing his work through the air, with the second-highest yardage total in the league, but his huge fantasy football numbers are mainly due to Newton leading the league at the quarterback position in rushing touchdowns with a total of seven.

There is something seriously wrong with the system if he does not end up as the league's offensive rookie of the year.

1) Aaron Rodgers

I've said it from the start: Aaron Rodgers should be the first quarterback taken off the board. At 26 fantasy football points per game (FFPPG), Rodgers has the highest average of every player in the NFL.

His 20 touchdown passes lead the league, and he has only thrown three interceptions. It's always a risk to grab a quarterback in the first round, but if you took him, you are reaping the rewards.

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks: Steals of the Draft

3) Ryan Fitzpatrick

The Buffalo Bills quarterback went largely undrafted at the beginning of the 2011 season, but on his way to leading the Bills to a 5-2 record atop the AFC East, Ryan Fitzpatrick has racked up the fantasy points.

To those who wisely took him as a backup or added him after his stellar four-touchdown performance in Week 1, you are reaping from the benefits.

Fitzpatrick currently ranks 10th among quarterbacks in fantasy football points per game with 15.3, higher than four different quarterbacks who were taken in the top 10.

2) Eli Manning

Eli Manning decided to show up this year after Peyton Manning was unable to hit the field. He was 14th quarterback taken in most fantasy football drafts, but has put up the numbers to make him the seventh best, less than two points behind the first quarterback picked (Michael Vick).

Manning has over 2,100 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, much of this without one of his top receivers. With an average draft position in the 10th round, if you decided to wait on him, it is paying off.

1) Cam Newton

Undoubtedly, the surprise of the 2011 fantasy football season. Newton has done it with his arms and legs, putting up stunning fantasy points every week.

Newton was hardly drafted at all at the start of the year, and owners were still hesitant to add him after his Week 1 performance.

If he is your starter, you picked him off waivers and if you picked him off waivers, congratulations, because the chances of winning your league skyrocketed.

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks: Duds of the Draft

3) Peyton Manning

I feel that I have to put him here because, despite his injury, a lot of owners (including myself) gambled on him to play this season.

Peyton Manning was the eighth-highest drafted quarterback, meaning that unfortunate owners wasted a high pick to jump on him.

2) Michael Vick

I might get a hard time for this one, but I felt it necessary to rub it in a little bit to those who drafted him in the first round. Hell, I know a bunch of people who took him first overall.

Michael Vick is improving steadily as the year goes on, but for being the first quarterback taken in drafts around the country, you would expect him to be higher than the sixth position.

His numbers are still impressive with 19 points per game, but he is not living up to expectations at this time.

1) Philip Rivers

When you take a quarterback in the first few rounds, you are pretty certain that he is going to have a good year for you. When the fourth quarterback taken ends up as the 16th best quarterback halfway through the season, you have to slap your head.

Phillip Rivers is scoring just 13.1 points per game, worse than four players who went largely undrafted. Among those outperforming him include Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselbeck and Colt McCoy.

You know that hurt.

Hopefully you had a stunner of a draft with every other pick because Rivers, so far, has been a certified dud.

Midseason Top 20 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks Breakdown

The following chart is compiled of information taken from fantasyfootballcalculator.com. All draft positions were in mock drafts done in early September.

Players are ranked in order of their average fantasy football points per game (FFPPG).

The "Prediction" column on the right side measures whether I think the player will continue at this pace for the rest of the year, see a decline (-) or improve their rankings (+).

Ranking	Player Name	Draft Rank	Diff.	Overall ADP	Average FFPPG	Predict
1	Aaron Rodgers	2	+1	9.7	26
2	Cam Newton	N/D	N/D	N/D	23	-
3	Drew Brees	5	+2	26.5	21.1
4	Tom Brady	3	-1	19.8	21
5	Matthew Stafford	11	+6	80.0	19.1
6	Michael Vick	1	-5	5.1	19	+
7	Eli Manning	14	+7	98.1	17.7	+
8	Matt Schaub	7	-1	55.4	15.8
9	Ben Roethlisberger	10	+1	66.9	15.6	+
10	Ryan Fitzpatrick	N/D	N/D	N/D	15.3
11	Tony Romo	6	-5	41.1	14.9	+
12	Mark Sanchez	20	+8	124.5	14.6
13	Matt Hasselbeck	N/D	N/D	N/D	13.7	-
14	Josh Freeman	12	-2	91.7	13.4
15	Colt McCoy	N/D	N/D	N/D	13.3
16	Philip Rivers	4	-12	25.1	13.1	+
17	Matt Ryan	9	-8	63.6	13.1
18	Alex Smith	N/D	N/D	N/D	12.6
19	Jay Cutler	17	-2	118.8	12.4
20	Joe Flacco	15	-5	108.4	12.4	+

Unlisted: Peyton Manning (eighth-picked QB), Sam Bradford (13th), Kevin Kolb (16th), Kyle Orton (18th), Matt Cassel (19th)

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