Week 5 Rankings (2016): Top 25 Quarterbacks

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Injuries loom large, especially with bye weeks becoming more prevalent Blake Bortles, Drew Brees & Russell Wilson are all off this week), as we await word as to the status of Cam Newton and Carson Palmer, among others.  They both have a chance to play, so we’ll leave them on the rankings for now, but have a contingency plan in place just in case.  With all the potential QB1s missing, who is going to step up?  Who is worth utilizing?  Let’s take a look:

1. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at Cleveland
2. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. New York Jets
3. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – vs. Tampa Bay
4. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Chicago
5. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – vs. New York Giants
6. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – vs. San Diego
7. Carson Palmer – Arizona Cardinals – at San Francisco
8. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers – at Oakland
9. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Detroit
10. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – vs. Philadelphia
11. Eli Manning – New York Giants – at Green Bay
12. Brian Hoyer – Chicago Bears – at Indianapolis
13. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – at Denver
14. Kirk Cousins – Washington Redskins – at Baltimore
15. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – at Dallas
16. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Cincinnati
17. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Washington
18. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Carolina
19. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins – vs. Tennessee
20. Trevor Siemian – Denver Broncos – vs. Atlanta
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick – New York Jets – at Pittsburgh
22. Sam Bradford – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Houston
23. Brock Osweiler – Houston Texans – at Minnesota
24. Tyrod Taylor – Buffalo Bills – at Los Angeles
25. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – at Miami

Thoughts:

• Philip Rivers has thrown for 300+ yards in back-to-back games and has attempted at least 36 passes three times.  Last season against Oakland Raiders attempted 107 passes in two games, throwing for 4 TD and 613 yards.  Throw in that the Raiders are allowing the third most points per game to opposing quarterbacks, including a league high 1,331 yards, and there’s a lot of reason for optimism.
• A healthy Cam Newton is going to be an easy Top 5 option and with the extra day to get healthy (the Panthers play on Monday night), he appears to have a good shot at gaining clearance.  It’s far from a certainty, though, so owners may want to stash Derek Anderson just in case.
• Derek Carr has an impressive 8 TD vs. 1 INT on the season and has a favorable matchup (the Chargers have already allowed 1,230 passing yards).  Granted the yardage has been heading in the wrong direction (bottoming out at 199 yards in Week 4), but there’s too much upside not to dial him up as a borderline Top 5 option.
• It was a strong start for Brian Hoyer in Week 4 (302 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) and he has an equally favorable matchup against the Colts in Week 5.  Obviously he’s hardly a must use option, but he is one of our favorite “sleepers” for the coming week.  That said, if Kevin White is forced to miss the game his outlook does take a slight hit (he’d drop into the #15-16 range), so keep that in mind.
• Matthew Stafford draws a stiff test against the Eagles, who are allowing the fewest points per week to opposing quarterbacks (including having not yet allowed a passing TD).  It’s hard to downgrade Stafford too far, considering how well he’s played this season (1,198 yards, 7 TD, 4 INT), but you have to be at least a little bit conservative.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick has already thrown 10 INT, with 9 coming over the past two weeks.  It’s possible that the Jets have the throw the ball early and often to keep up with the Steelers, which does keep him on radars, but with the way he’s played recently he’s impossible to trust.
• Will Trevor Siemian be able to play on Sunday?  If not Paxton Lynch will likely step into his role seamlessly (if not offer a little more upside), so feel free to slide him right into your lineup in two-quarterback formats.