Fantasy Football Week 7 rankings: Top 10 Quarterbacks
By Leo Howell
Week 7 is almost here, and it’s time to start setting lineups and making sure you’re ready to win your fantasy matchup.
Every week, FanSided will bring you rankings compiled by our duo of fantasy experts. This week, the list was derived from averaging rankings from myself and Zachary Thompson.
Let’s take a look at the quarterbacks and how they rank for Week 7. (Unless otherwise noted, statistics obtained from ESPN Fantasy Football.)
1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Do you really need a reason to start Peyton this week? He’s going back “home” to play the Colts in Indianapolis in a prime time game. But just in case you needed a reason, the Colts have actually surrendered more fantasy points to quarterbacks during home games this year than road games.
Part of that has to do with level of opponent, and it gets no tougher than Peyton Manning. And Lucas Oil Stadium will be the right venue for Peyton to score plenty of points this week.
2. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Those of you who waited on quarterback this year during your fantasy drafts are extremely happy with the results if you snagged Tony Romo. You can continue to reap the benefits this week with a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on deck.
The Eagles have allowed double-digit fantasy points to every quarterback they’ve faced this year, and have allowed big days to Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning. Look for Romo to follow in their footsteps, and earn 25 or more fantasy points in a high-scoring affair.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers face the Cleveland Browns this weekend, and that seems like it could be a tough matchup. But the truth about the Browns is that they’re a quite average defense, finding themselves 16th in Football Outsiders defensive efficiency rankings.
And an average defense is just the right kind of defense to start Aaron Rodgers against. It’s not too weak of a defense that will lead to more rushing attempts for the Packers, and it’s not too tough to throw Rodgers off his game. He’s a top fantasy quarterback and he’ll deliver on that this weekend.
4. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Don’t let the Monday Night Football debacle against the Chargers scare you away from Andrew Luck. It was only the second game in his NFL career in which he failed to find the end zone, so it’s an exception and not the rule.
The Denver defense is still figuring everything out as players return from suspensions and injuries, so trust Luck to have a bounce back game against Peyton Manning in prime time.
5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Last week, Zachary and I were at odds over Cam Newton. I had him ranked highly, Zachary did not. Then Newton went out and had a fantastic game against the Vikings, and still did not win over Zachary’s heart.
So again this week, Zachary and I are in disagreement over Newton. I believe he’s the second-best quarterback this week in fantasy football. Zach has him eighth. Just remember what happened last time this rankings disagreement happened over Cam Newton, and adjust your lineups accordingly.
(And remember that the Rams (Carolina’s opponent) allowed multiple touchdowns from quarterbacks in every game before their beatdown of the unlucky and unraveling Texans.)
6. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
The Chargers take on the Jaguars this week, which will probably be a more competitive game than you’d expect.
The Jags looked decent against the Broncos, and the Chargers don’t have as good of a defense as Monday Night’s shutdown of the Colts would lead you to believe.
Football Outsiders ranks San Diego as the worst defense in the league according to their efficiency rankings. So while the results may work out in their favor, it’s smoke and mirrors at the moment. Don’t trust the San Diego defense, do trust Philip Rivers to get plenty of points in a shootout win against Jacksonville.
7. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady and the New England offense don’t deserve this high of a ranking, but it’s so hard to pick against one of the best quarterbacks of all time. And going up against an old rival in a potentially key division game should be enough to propel him to a decent fantasy day.
In every game since Brady’s disappointing Week 2 against New York, the Jets’ defense has allowed a higher point total to the opposing quarterback than they did to Brady. Hopefully Brady can use that film and deliver a better fantasy day for those who put him in their lineups.
8. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
The Redskins are among the 10 worst defenses in the NFL at stopping the pass and keeping points off the board. That’s a perfect opportunity for Cutler to rack up points and have a solid day for fantasy football players.
9. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Zachary doesn’t rank Wilson among his top 10, but I have him sixth thanks to a decent matchup against Arizona who have struggled to contain the fantasy output of pretty much every quarterback they’ve faced not named “Mike Glennon.” And while they both went to NC State at some point, there will be no one confusing Russell Wilson for Mike Glennon on a football field.
(Note: Yes, the Cardinals also shut down Cam Newton. That tends to happen with Cam Newton, though. And other than the Panthers and Buccaneers, teams have posted multiple passing touchdowns against Arizona in every game this season.)
10. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
Foles showed that he’s capable of running the Philadelphia offense over his last game and a half filling in for Michael Vick. So expect him to do better than a still-hobbled Robert Griffin III and post decent numbers against a shaky pass defense for Dallas.
The Cowboys give up the third-most passing yards per game in the NFL. The Eagles run an up-tempo offense that will have the Cowboys off-balance. This could lead to some serious fantasy production for Foles, who must simply avoid mistakes to have a solid day.