FANTASY

Fantasy Player Projections

Quarterbacks

Rank	Team	Player	Projection	Opponent
1			Aaron Rodgers 325 pass yards, 4 pass TDs, 17 rush yards Rodgers was able to feast on a porous Saints secondary last weekend, and he should be able to do the same against the Colts. It's not that the Colts' secondary is bad -- in fact, it might be the most experienced unit on the team -- but it has suffered from the front seven failing to generate any major quarterback pressure. Rodgers is (by far) the best quarterback to line up against Indianapolis this season, but the Colts have done a good job limiting big plays this year.	at
2			Drew Brees 315 pass yards, 4 pass TDs, INT Against the Packers in Week 4, Brees threw for three touchdowns and more than 300 yards for the third time this season. In total he threw for 446 yards while tying Johnny Unitas' streak of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass.	vs
3			Matt Ryan 305 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, INT, 15 rush yards Though his offensive line couldn't protect him, Ryan put up another huge fantasy performance last Sunday with three touchdown passes and 369 yards against Carolina. He should come close to duplicating those numbers against the Redskins.	at
4			Robert Griffin III 230 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 55 rush yards, rush TD Griffin had a solid fantasy day against the Buccaneers, but failed to pass for any touchdowns. Still, he threw for 323 yards and rushed for 43 yards and a score. He remains a fantasy stud, and after seeing Cam Newton and the Panthers rush for 219 yards against the Falcons last week, Griffin could see more ground success in Week 5.	vs
5			Tom Brady 290 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, INT Brady rebounded from a lackluster start to the season in a big way in Week 4, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns while also running in a score against the Bills. He has three consecutive 300-yard passing games and remains a great start against Peyton Manning's Broncos.	vs
6			Ben Roethlisberger 301 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 11 rush yards This has all the makings of a back-and-forth game, and Roethlisberger will be facing a talented pass coverage unit, even if Nnamdi Asomugha's eye condition somehow keeps him out of Sunday's game. Roethlisberger has big-play weapons in Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace and his ever-dependable tight end in Heath “Big Money” Miller. Roethlisberger’s attempts are up and so are his yards. He will undoubtedly be throwing often.	vs
7			Cam Newton 215 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs, 60 rush yards, rush TD Newton finally paid off big for his fantasy owners, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another against the Falcons in Week 4. Even better, he rushed for another 86 yards. As long as he keeps using his legs, his fantasy owners will be happy.	vs
8			Alex Smith 235 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 15 rush yards Smith returned to his mistake-free ways in Week 4, throwing for 143 yards and no interceptions against the Jets. Little risk means little reward, as Smith has just five touchdown passes in four weeks. He's not a good start in Week 5 against a recently embarrassed Bills defense.	vs
9			Eli Manning 316 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT At this point, we can expect Manning to eclipse 300 yards in any outing. He is more likely to do so in outings where the Giants are trailing, though, and that seems unlikely against the Browns. With that said, the Browns are still giving up massive chunks in the passing game without Joe Haden. If Manning gets protection, he should shred Cleveland.	vs
10			Philip Rivers 285 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT After being held out of the end zone in Week 3, Rivers returned with two touchdown passes and 209 passing yards in Week 4 at Kansas City. The Saints' secondary should help Rivers pad his fantasy stats in Week 5, as New Orleans is allowing an average of 275 passing yards per game.	at
11			Matt Schaub 225 pass yards, 2 pass TDs Schaub will be facing a reeling Jets defense, so the veteran slinger should continue his strong 2012 campaign. With Darrelle Revis out and a slow Jets secondary in front of him, Schaub is poised for a solid outing.	at
12			Jay Cutler 220 pass yards, 2 pass TDs Cutler looked like his best gun-slinging self in the Bears' Monday night victory over the Cowboys, and he won't be facing a particularly strong pass defense in Jacksonville. The Jaguars have only picked the ball off twice this year and have recorded two sacks. Cutler should have time to throw, and he sure looked dangerous Monday.	at
13			Andy Dalton 270 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT The sophomore quarterback had another decent fantasy afternoon at Jacksonville in Week 4, throwing for 244 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for another score. He now has eight touchdown passes in his past three games and should be a good start against the Dolphins in Week 5.	vs
14			Joe Flacco 255 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT The Ravens have clearly turned Flacco loose. The Chiefs' pass defense was cut up by Philip Rivers and only forced five incomplete passes last week, but it avoided getting beat deep and only surrendered 209 total yards. The Chiefs have only picked off two passes all season, so expect Flacco to record at least 30 attempts.	at
15			Peyton Manning 220 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, INT Manning put together one of his best outings of the season against Oakland, throwing for 338 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. That makes three gems in four outings, and in Week 5 he faces the Patriots, who allowed four touchdown passes to Ryan Fitzpatrick.	at
16			Ryan Fitzpatrick 225 pass yards, 2 pass TDs, 2 INTs, 15 rush yards Fitzpatrick is coming off a mixed game against the Patriots (he had four touchdowns and four interceptions) and now goes to San Francisco to face the 49ers, who are coming off a shutout of the Jets. To put it simply, he's not an automatic start this week.	at
17			Michael Vick 194 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 41 rush yards Vick hasn’t been electric, but he certainly improved last week after an abysmal performance against Arizona. The Steelers have allowed the fewest passing yards of any team in the NFL (partly because they have only played three games), but they have only forced two turnovers and are coming off of a loss to the Raiders. Vick will try and spread them out, but that isn't a strategy that has traditionally worked against Pittsburgh.	at
18			Russell Wilson 210 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 25 rush yards After a controversial Hail Mary against the Packers, the rookie quarterback came back to throw three interceptions and no touchdowns on 160 passing yards at St. Louis. He rushed seven times for 16 yards, but he’s not a safe fantasy starter at Carolina.	at
19			Andrew Luck 224 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 19 rush yards It's hard to determine the adjustments the Colts will make without head coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with a treatable form of leukemia and is out indefinitely. Luck was a de-facto offensive coordinator in his final year at Stanford (the position at the school is named after him), and projects so highly in part because of his ability to read defenses. It's hard to foresee Luck being lost, but he's facing a speedy defense that will probably try to swarm him. Much of his performance will depend on whether the Colts are able to establish Donald Brown and the run game early.	vs
20			Christian Ponder 173 pass yards, pass TD, 11 rush yards Ponder's efficiency and accuracy are helping him become more dependable. He struggled last week, completing 16-of-26 passes for 111 yards, but he has yet to throw an interception this season and should be able to take advantage of Tennessee's porous defensive unit.	vs
21			Sam Bradford 210 pass yards, pass TD, INT, 15 rush yards For the second week in a row, Bradford failed to throw a touchdown pass. He passed for 221 yards against Seattle in Week 4, but he's not yet reliable enough to start in fantasy -– especially against an improving Cardinals defense.	vs
22			Kevin Kolb 220 pass yards, pass TD, INT Kolb had his best fantasy day in Week 4 against Miami, throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw his first two interceptions of the season. Despite the breakout performance, he's not a recommended start against the Rams, who have allowed only two passing touchdowns this season.	at
23			Ryan Tannehill 215 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs, 15 rush yards Against the Cardinals in Week 4, the rookie out of Texas A&M threw for 431 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but the Dolphins suffered their second straight overtime loss. The Bengals aren't a great pass defense, but fantasy owners can't yet depend on great numbers from the inconsistent rookie.	at
24			Matt Hasselbeck 193 pass yards, pass TD, INT Hasselbeck faces a tough task in his return to the starting role. For one, the Vikings have a winning record, meaning the Metrodome will be rowdy. For another, the Vikings' pass defense has been strong. Minnesota has surrendered five passing touchdowns, but it kept ample pressure on Detroit's Matthew Stafford last Sunday. Hasselbeck responded admirably in relief of Jake Locker last week, and the Titans were not afraid to let Hasselbeck throw the ball. But after Chris Johnson finally broke loose, Hasselbeck may not have to play from behind the entire game.	at
25			Matt Cassel 192 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs Last week's disaster against San Diego was the worst outcome for Cassel. The Chiefs were down 17-0 before the end of the first quarter and had to center their game plan around the pass far earlier than they probably wanted. Cassel may be able to pick apart Baltimore's struggling pass defense, but he's facing a unit that knows how to create turnovers. Cassel will be challenged with his seat warming.	vs
26			Brandon Weeden 196 pass yards, pass TD, 3 INTs This is not a situation that bodes particularly well for Weeden. He played admirably last week against Baltimore, but he ended up throwing 52 times, which is almost a guaranteed loss for the Browns. Weeden's job doesn’t get any easier this weekend; he will be facing a Giants defense that has its holes, but pressures extremely well and adeptly intercepts passes. It doesn't help that Weeden will still be missing Mohamed Massaquoi, while Josh Cribbs is a bit banged up.	at
27			Mark Sanchez 140 pass yards, pass TD, 2 INTs There have been plenty of calls to bench Sanchez, but it's hard to blame the guy for struggling against a quality defense like the Niners. The problem is that the Texans are a quality unit, too, and now Sanchez is lacking his best receiving target. There won't be many openings for Sanchez on this night.	vs
28			Blaine Gabbert 136 pass yards, 2 INTs The Bears present the type of defense that gave Gabbert fits last yea,r and he has yet to effectively respond to pressure. The Jags will try not to rely heavily on Gabbert, but he will have to throw soemtimes, and when he does he will be swarmed.	vs

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