FANTASY

Fantasy Player Projections

Quarterbacks

Rank	Team	Player	Projection	Opponent
1			Robert Griffin III 250 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT, 50 rush yards, rush TD Griffin remains the top fantasy quarterback in the land after throwing for a touchdown and running for another (and 85 yards) against the Bengals in Week 3. The Buccaneers are an improved defense, but the Heisman winner shouldn't have too much trouble against a bad secondary.	at
2			Drew Brees 341 pass yards, 3 pass TDs Brees blasted the Packers for 419 yards on 49 attempts at the start of last season. He may not get quite as many yards this time around, but he'll come close.	at
3			Aaron Rodgers 309 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 21 rush yards After a week in which he was manhandled by the Seahawks' pass rush and robbed by the refs, Rodgers is entitled to have a little fun against the Saints' 25th-ranked pass defense.	vs
4			Cam Newton 225 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 45 rush yards, rush TD The season isn't quite going the way Newton's owners had planned, and things could get worse against the Falcons. It was only last week that Newton threw three interceptions against a previously struggling Giants defense, and the Falcons lead the league in picks.	at
5			Tony Romo 296 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 13 rush yards Where are the touchdowns? Romo has tossed just one the past two weeks. The Bears are aggressive and will attempt to force Romo into mistakes -- and it seems like those are the matchups in which Romo is at his best, a la Week 1 against the Giants.	vs
6			Tom Brady 275 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, INT Brady threw for 300 yards once again, but he was only able to connect on one touchdown pass at Baltimore in Week 3. There's no reason to panic, as he has just one interception this season and his fantasy points have increased each week.	at
7			Matt Ryan 280 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT, 20 rush yards No one has more touchdown passes than Ryan after three games, and he'll remain red hot after a three-touchdown game at San Diego. While he also threw his first interception of the season last week, Ryan remains a must-start quarterback in all formats.	vs
8			Ryan Fitzpatrick 285 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT, 15 rush yards Fitzpatrick threw for three touchdowns at Cleveland in Week 3, but he lost his electrifying running back to injury. While Fitzpatrick did throw for more than 675 yards and four touchdowns in two games against the Patriots in 2011, he also threw six interceptions. He'll face an improved unit this time.	vs
9			Alex Smith 210 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 15 rush yards In Week 3 against the Vikings, Smith threw his first interception in 249 passes. He had a subpar day, with just 204 yards passing and one touchdown. Even with the Jets losing cornerback Darrelle Revis, Smith is not a smart fantasy play against the Jets in Week 4.	at
10			Andy Dalton 243 pass yards, 2 pass TDs Fantasy owners and commentators have been so caught up in what Dalton lacks (arm strength) that they fail to mention what matters most: his decision-making and accuracy. He's delivered back-to-back weeks of 300-plus yards and three touchdowns. This guy's just getting warmed up.	at
11			Joe Flacco 241 pass yards, 2 pass TDs This year fantasy owners have witnessed a new Flacco, who ranks second in passing yards and boasts a QB Rating of 101.1. This week Flacco should school a Browns secondary that has allowed 269.0 passing yards per game and eight touchdowns –- tied for second-most in the league.	vs
12			Josh Freeman 225 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT, 20 rush yards It was a rough afternoon for Freeman in Week 3, as he threw for just 110 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Dallas. He has been a subpar fantasy quarterback so far, but the Redskins' pass defense cures all ills. Washington has allowed an NFL-high 10 passing touchdowns, so consider Freeman for one more week.	vs
13			Eli Manning 274 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT The only NFL passer with more than 1,000 yards should continue to roll. Manning has had the Eagles' number of late, with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in his last three meetings with Philadelphia.	at
14			Carson Palmer 260 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT With three touchdown passes against the Steelers, Palmer had a solid fantasy week despite throwing for 209 yards and one interception. He's playing his best ball right now, and he's off to his best start since 2007. The Broncos are 15th in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 233.7 passing yards.	at
15			Matthew Stafford 258 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT How well Stafford holds up in practice this week will determine whether he suits up on Sunday despite a leg injury. In a game that could drop the Lions to 1-3, there is a good chance Detroit won't hold anything back.	vs
16			Peyton Manning 255 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT Manning bounced back from a subpar performance in Week 2, with his first 300-yard game of 2012 in Week 3 against Houston. Despite taking a while to get going, he rewarded his fantasy owners again with two more touchdown passes. The Raiders rank 26th against the pass, and they have allowed an average of two passing touchdowns per game.	vs
17			Michael Vick 244 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 38 rush yards It seems absurd that Andy Reid would have to defend starting Vick, but he did this week. Vick has struggled to find consistency in the passing game, and fantasy owners can expect the Giants to bring a lot of pressure to try to make Vick uncomfortable.	vs
18			Philip Rivers 235 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT The Falcons' improved defense kept Rivers and the Chargers out of the end zone in Week 3. Rivers threw for 173 yards and two interceptions, and was considered a fantasy failure. Interestingly, he has thrown for zero touchdowns and four interceptions in his past two games against the Chiefs.	at
19			Kevin Kolb 235 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT Kolb had his best game of the season in Week 3, and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was a direct beneficiary of it. Kolb threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and he has yet to throw an interception. Even so, fantasy owners still shouldn't look to Kolb for help in Week 4 against Miami.	vs
20			Russell Wilson 205 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 45 rush yards The rookie threw for 130 passing yards and two touchdowns (including a very controversial one to end the game) against the Packers in Week 3. He hasn't eclipsed 155 passing yards in any game yet and should remain more of a keeper option than a fantasy starter at St. Louis.	at
21			Christian Ponder 264 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 11 rush yards Ponder had to be jumping up and down when he saw Jake Locker's stat-line against Detroit's secondary last week: 29-of-42 for 378 yards. This game is sure to boost Ponder's passing totals.	at
22			Matt Schaub 216 pass yards, pass TD The Titans have given up the third-most passing yards in the league, but Schaub won't need to take advantage of that stat. He'll get his licks when he needs to, but mostly turn and hand off to Arian Foster.	vs
23			Matt Cassel 220 pass yards, pass TD, INT The Saints were able to keep Cassel out of the end zone in Week 3, but he did throw for nearly 250 yards. He threw for a total of 437 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in two games against the Chargers last season.	vs
24			Blaine Gabbert 181 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 13 rush yards The Jaguars pass the ball less often, and with less success, than any team in the AFC. Gabbert has one positive to which to cling: his 50.6 completion percentage is one-tenth of a point higher than Mark Sanchez's.	vs
25			Jay Cutler 211 pass yards, pass TD, INT In his last three road starts, Cutler has completed 50.5 percent of his passes, with four touchdowns, six interceptions and an average of 186.6 passing yards. You want that?	at
26			Jake Locker 204 pass yards, pass TD, INT Last week Locker played the role of superstar in Tennessee's thrilling win; this week he'll play the role of victim to Houston's unforgiving defense.	at
27			Ryan Tannehill 185 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs, 25 rush yards Tannehill threw more than 30 times against the Jets in Week 3, something he has done in all three games this season. However, he completed just 16-of-36 throws, with no touchdowns and one interception. The Cardinals' defense is playing well, which means this rookie is not a fantasy option yet.	at
28			Sam Bradford 220 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs At Chicago in Week 3, Bradford had a pretty rough afternoon, throwing three picks and getting sacked six times. In two games against Seattle last season, Bradford threw for a total of 374 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He could be a bye-week replacement later this year.	vs
29			Mark Sanchez 195 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs Sanchez threw a couple more picks in Week 3 against the Dolphins, but he was also able to burn Miami for 306 yards passing. Despite the decent fantasy afternoon, he's not worth starting against the Niners, one of the best defenses in the game.	vs
30			Brandon Weeden 177 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs Weeden is still throwing too many interceptions (he's tied for the NFL lead with six), but he has picked up his game the past two weeks, helping his completion percentage jump by more than 20 points from Week 1. Thursday is his introduction to ballhawk Ed Reed and the Baltimore defense. Oh well, progress can take a break for a week.	at
31			Tim Tebow 0 pass yards, 15 rush yards Tebow had zero yards on two carries in Week 3 against the Dolphins. He still hasn't thrown a pass in a Jets uniform. Even diehard Gators fan should cut him from the roster.	vs

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