*Week 5 byes: Miami (Ryan Tannehill), Oakland (Matt McGloin)
All the research we put into the offseason has finally paid off. Jimmy Garoppolo outscored Tom Brady in Week 4. Matt McGloin outscored Nick Foles in Week 4. Austin Davis, Drew Stanton, Christian Ponder, Mike Glennon, Blake Bortles, Kirk Cousins, and Kyle Orton are all in line to start in Week 5.
It’s just how we imagined it when we were getting ready for the 2014 fantasy football season.
It’s funny, we spend so much time preparing ourselves for a full NFL/fantasy football season, but then when it’s finally here, it’s really 17 week-long seasons added together. The long-term picture can sometimes cloud our short-term thought process.
Looking at fantasy football from a weekly perspective, rather than a season long perspective, can help, as placing more emphasis on weekly scoring finishes can tell a different picture than cumulative season-long fantasy data can.
Take last season for example. Based on the research work of XN Sports savant Rich Hribar, 45 quarterbacks finished as a Top-12 (or QB1) fantasy scoring quarterback at least once in 2013.
https://twitter.com/LordReebs/status/517734856852140032
Going through Rich’s data this year, and 30 signal callers have reached weekly QB1 status at least once in 2014. We’re only four weeks through the season!
Last week I mentioned how after three weeks, 39 quarterbacks had scored at least one fantasy point this season. After four weeks, the number jumped to 42.
While we can never be prepared for turnover at the quarterback position, especially if it’s due to injuries at the position, I still want to remind you how important it is to stay on top of quarterback depth charts in 2-QB leagues.
Even if you might only hit on a one-week wonder to never be heard form again, you never know when you might stumble upon the next Austin Davis.
Below you’ll find my Week 5 quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues, followed by my weekly stock watch report for the quarterback position.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings for 2-QB Leagues:
1. Russell Wilson @ WAS
2. Drew Brees vs. TB
3. Peyton Manning vs. ARI
4. Andrew Luck vs. BAL
5. Aaron Rodgers vs. MIN
6. Philip Rivers vs. NYJ
7. Ben Roethlisberger @ JAC
8. Matthew Stafford vs. BUF
9. Austin Davis @ PHI
10. Eli Manning vs. ATL
11. Jay Cutler @ CAR
12. Matt Ryan @ NYG
13. Nick Foles vs. STL
14. Drew Stanton @ DEN
15. Colin Kaepernick vs. KC
16. Tony Romo vs. HOU
17. Cam Newton vs. CHI
18. Andy Dalton @ NE
19. Alex Smith @ SF
20. Mike Glennon @ NO
21. Blake Bortles vs. PIT
22. Joe Flacco @ IND
23. Teddy Bridgewater @ GB*
24. Tom Brady vs. NE
25. Ryan Fitzpatrick @ DAL
26. Geno Smith @ SD
27. Brian Hoyer @ TEN
28. Kirk Cousins vs. SEA
29. Jake Locker vs. CLE
30. Kyle Orton @ DET
31. Michael Vick @ SD
32. Mark Sanchez vs. STL
33. Derek Anderson vs. CHI
34. Christian Ponder @ GB
35. EJ Manuel @ DET
*Based on Teddy Bridgewater starting.
Week 5 Quarterbacks on the Rise in 2-QB Leagues
Ryan Tannehill
The 2-QB stock watch report is meant to be a way to gauge the ups and downs of the quarterback position in the NFL, from a 2-QB fantasy football perspective. For all the time we spend in the offseason researching the game of fantasy football, it really becomes a weekly game once the season starts.
It’s easy for a player’s stock to rise and fall on a week-to-week basis. How you interpret those swings, or your reactions to them is the key. Take Ryan Tannehill for example. After Joe Philbin was noncommittal as to who his starter would be in Week 4, Tannehill made an appearance on this list, but in the quarterbacks on the slide portion.
A quarterback who could be benched will automatically see his stock go down. However, if you didn’t believe the bench threats at all, you found yourself in the position to potentially buy low on Tannehill from nervous owners who were buying into Philbin’s silence.
Week 4 came, Tannehill started, and he finished as the QB11 in standard scoring leagues. If you drowned out the white noise and made a play for Tannehill you were rewarded for the move. Tannehill is in line to keep up his strong play, with Green Bay, Chicago, and Jacksonville on deck after Miami’s bye.
Austin Davis
There was uncertainty regarding the starting quarterback position in St. Louis, with head coach Jeff Fisher adamant that Shaun Hill would start if healthy. Something happened to change Fisher’s mind though, as the team came out saying Austin Davis would be the starter going forward.
Fisher announces @ADavis1025 as the #Rams starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/zrip7mG704
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 1, 2014
It’s hard to argue with the move. As noted by Rotoworld, Davis leads the league in completion percentage (72.3 percent) when adjusted to quarterbacks with 90 pass attempts or more. His YPA is at 8.0, and he has thrown three touchdowns to three interceptions, while passing for 754 yards.
Minus two matchups vs. Seattle (Week 7 and Week 17) the Rams’ schedule sets up nicely for Davis to keep putting up fantasy relevant performances the rest of the season.
Week 5 Quarterbacks on the Slide in 2-QB Leagues
EJ Manuel
Ryan Tannehill last week didn’t have a commitment from his head coach to be the team’s starter. But he wound up starting and playing well. EJ Manuel didn’t have to go through the ‘Will He or Won’t He’ start talk this week. Bills head coach Doug Marrone made the call to sit Manuel and go with Kyle Orton.
Now, Marrone did say Manuel’s benching wasn’t a season long commitment to Orton, so Manuel could see the field again this year. We’ve seen it with other quarterbacks in the past. But, it’s hard to argue Manuel’s value isn’t low at the moment. You’re only options with Manuel are to either drop him or hold steady, and see how the Kyle Orton experiment works out in Buffalo.
Geno Smith
Manuel and Geno Smith were the first two quarterbacks selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. Manuel’s already been benched, and some want Geno to be benched as well. Jets head coach Rex Ryan hasn’t made the move, but it could happen.
According to Sportable, Smith’s four game stats in 2014 do look more promising than the first four games of his rookie season. His passing yards are down, but he has three less interceptions, and a better completion percentage. However, the Jets are only 1-3 this year, and wins tends to matter more than individual numbers.
Even with chants for Michael Vick growing louder, Rex Ryan is committed to Geno Smith. At least for this week against San Diego. The Chargers are allowing 249.5 passing yards, 1.5 passing touchdowns 23.8 rushing yards, and 17.35 fantasy points per game to opposing fantasy quarterbacks.
Smith could either find himself on this list again next week, or pull a Tannehill and see his stock rise after a good game vs. San Diego. We’ll know soon enough.
*Stats used in this article courtesy of Rotoworld, Sportable, FantasyData, Yahoo!, and Rich Hribar’s brain.
