Updated 2012 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings (May 15)

Posted: May 15, 2012 in Fantasy, Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL
Tags: , , ,


Source: philaphans.com

I took a week off from updating my rankings so I could take a closer look at some situations and then re-address each position. I start off with quarterbacks where there isn’t a ton of movement. Peyton Manning jumped up into the Top 10 and Matt Flynn now has another roadblock standing between him and the starting job in Seattle. For the most part though, the top of my quarterback rankings remain the same.

2012 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
(Last updated on May 15)

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
2. Tom Brady, Patriots
3. Drew Brees, Saints
4. Cam Newton, Panthers
5. Matthew Stafford, Lions
6. Philip Rivers, Chargers
7. Mike Vick, Eagles
8. Eli Manning, Giants
9. Peyton Manning, Broncos
10. Tony Romo, Cowboys
11. Jay Cutler, Bears
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
13. Matt Ryan, Falcons
14. Robert Griffin, Redskins
15. Carson Palmer, Raiders
16. Andy Dalton, Bengals
17. Matt Schaub, Texans
18. Joe Flacco, Ravens
19. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills
20. Josh Freeman, Bucs
21. Andrew Luck, Colts 
22. Sam Bradford, Rams
23. Alex Smith, 49ers
24. Kevin Kolb, Cardinals
25. Jake Locker, Titans
26. Matt Cassel, Chiefs
27. Christian Ponder, Vikings
28. Matt Hasselbeck, Titans
29. Matt Flynn, Seahawks
30. Mark Sanchez, Jets
31. Matt Moore, Dolphins
32. Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars
33. Brandon Weeden, Browns
34. Tim Tebow, Jets
35. Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks
36. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins
37. Joe Webb, Vikings
38. John Skelton, Cardinals
39. Russell Wilson, Seahawks
40. Colt McCoy, Browns

Going Up

Peyton Manning - It sounds like Manning is healthy, so I moved him up to No. 9. We haven’t seen Manning throw a pass in over a year so there’s some risk involved with him. However, he was so good before his injury that even a slight decline would make Manning a Top 10 fantasy quarterback. Plus, he has no shortage of weapons in Denver. The more you look at that situation the more it seems like Manning picked the best team for him to have immediate success.

Griffin - The NFL today is a lot different than it was 10-15 years ago. Now smart, athletic quarterbacks can come right in and produce. Griffin won’t put up Cam Newton-kind of numbers but I expect him to be a solid fantasy contributor as a rookie. On average, Griffin is the 12th quarterback being drafted, which looks about right to me. I do believe he’s a little overvalued right now but it’s not to the point where taking Griffin in Round 8 is outrageous.

Kolb - With the addition of Michael Floyd to team with Larry Fitzgerald at receiver, Kolb now becomes an intriguing later round pick. Of course, that’s assuming Arizona’s offensive line is improved and Kolb beats out John Skelton for the job. I have a hunch Kolb bounces back this year and becomes a solid backup fantasy quarterback. Also, don’t forget about Andre Roberts. He played well at the end of last season and he should be a productive No. 3 receiver for the Cardinals.

Hasselbeck - A couple of the trusted Tennessee beat writers believe Hasselbeck will begin the year as the Titans starter. It won’t surprise me considering the Titans feel they can win now and may want to go with the veteran signal caller off the bat. Jake Locker would provide much for value for fantasy owners if he wins the job but Hasselbeck is a decent backup that has a lot of weapons at his disposal. Either way, Locker will likely be starting at some point in 2012, so he remains the higher ranked player on my board.

Coming Down

Cutler - I’m still really high on Cutler, I basically just swapped him and Manning in my rankings. Cutler is currently the 15th quarterback being taken on average in fantasy drafts. That means you can wait until roughly Round 10 to snag him as either a starter or a valuable backup. I feel Cutler is one of the most undervalued players so far in early drafts, so he’s not really going down. You can just wait and get him a lot later than you can Peyton.

Flynn - Pete Carroll insists Flynn isn’t guaranteed to be the Seahawks starting quarterback this season. At first I thought he was blowing smoke but then Carroll goes out and uses a third-round draft pick on Russell Wilson. Now Carroll says Wilson has a legitimate chance to win the starting job. With incumbent Tarvaris Jackson still in the mix as well, Flynn becomes a risky proposition. Even if he does win the starting job, Flynn will be on a short leash.

Tannehill - I don’t believe Tannehill is ready to start in the NFL. I think it’s best we don’t see him under center until around Week 8 if the Dolphins are falling out of playoff contention. There is talk of Tannehill starting Week 1. I may be wrong but that would be a disaster for him. Hopefully for Tannehill, the Dolphins won’t rush him into action.

Rankings are based on a 12-team league flex format with 1 point awarded per reception.

Follow me on Twitter @ThePigskinGuy

Comments
  1. Fantasy Fanatic says:

    Loving those QBs from 7 to 14. I will be waiting on a QB in all my leagues this year. Too many good ones to take a QB in the first two rounds.

    • A lot of good quarterbacks. I kind of change my mind every day on how I want to play it. I probably won’t know for sure until I’m drafting. I think you can end up with a good option either way. It’s going to come down to personal preference.

  2. Josh Miller says:

    I picked up Cam in late rounds last year. You can bet I’ll be trying to grab him early this year. I don’t see him dropping much in production. What are your thoughts?

    • I love him. I don’t think his production will drop that much at all. People say his rushing touchdowns will go down but my argument is one of the most successful plays in football is Cam running from inside the five. Why would you change that? I mean will he score 17 rushing TDs again? Maybe not but I think you see easy 12 touchdowns on the ground and don’t forget he should be even better as a passer in his second season. The guy is a monster. Thanks for the feedback.

      • JT Marlin says:

        I hate to rain on your Cam Newton love Pigskin Guy but someone has to be the voice of reason here - the huge rushing TD totals aren’t going to happen again this year. I’m betting he gets about half of his 2011 total (7), maybe less. QB rushing TD’s could be the most volatile, random, changing year-to-year, stat in all of fantasy football. I won’t argue against your reasoning because all of it makes perfect sense - he is a goal line TD machine, his passing should improve in year 2 with a full off season, the guy’s a monster, etc. My reasoning is simple, I’ve seen it all before and know that this type of regression just happens for whatever the reason, especially with young QB’s that derive most of their value from rushing #’s. Kordell Stewart from 97 to 98, Mike Vick from 02 to 03 (& then again in PHI from 10 to 11), and Vince Young from 06 to 07. Everyone was predicting even bigger things for year 2 and it just didn’t happen. Defenses plan better, injuries hit, goal line opportunities are not there as often, etc. Plus, this CAR team has 3 RB that can punch the ball in from the goal line. I know it makes no sense but I’m calling it now that Cam is the big QB bust for this season.

      • I disagree with your comparison to Vick. Newton is built like a fullback. This is why I think he’s still going to get a majority of the goal line carries. The guy is not only huge, he’s long. How many times did you see him get hit and then extend over the goal line? When we talk about Vick we are talking about big plays adding to his rushing totals. You said 7 touchdowns. Tim Tebow will have 7 rushing touchdowns and he won’t even be a full-time player. We haven’t seen a player like Cam before. He’s too big and powerful. You mentioned Carolina’s running backs. Well, two of them were there last year when he scored 17 times and that didn’t seem to bother him. I don’t think he’ll reach 17 but he’ll score enough on the ground to make him an elite quarterback. We’ll see what happens but I’ll tell you this much if Cam is a bust I will give you props in every forum I have as a writer. I just don’t see it personally but he’s only played one year, so anything is possible. I will agree he’s a much bigger risk than guys like Rodgers, Brees and Brady, who are probably the safest picks on the board along with Megatron. Thanks for the differing opinion. It’s always good to get another perspective.

  3. JT Marlin says:

    Minus RGIII, I love the guys in the 9-15 range. Carson Palmer with his arm strength back plus some young, rapidly improving, and blazing fast WR (DHB, DMoore, and JFord) could equal big things. The reason I’m not higher on him is because of the coaching change. If Hue Jackson was back as HC he’d be in my top 10 for sure.

    The early news on the Hasselbeck/Locker situation is a bummer. Even if Locker wins the starting QB job, he’ll probably have a short leash, unless Hasselbeck is released.

    The Cutler drop is warranted and he should probably go even lower. The Bears offense is just too conservative and looking back over Cutler’s #’s on the Bears shows that he has not been a fantasy starting worthy QB. I imagine there has to be an uptick in his #’s with Marshall and Jeffrey added at WR but the team has Forte and Bush at RB and will still be run heavy. He’d make an excellent back-up due to the upside that’s there with his skill set and the new WR additions. Still, I’d take him after Ryan and Big Ben for sure (and maybe even after Palmer and Schaub).

    • I’m higher on Cutler than you are because I think he’s going to have the best year of his career. I understand his numbers don’t suggest a great fantasy QB but Big Ben’s don’t either and I expect him to put up career numbers as well. I won’t argue Big Ben or Ryan over Cutler but I think you may be getting a little nuts with Schaub. That one I don’t see. I do like Palmer though. I’m starting to like him more by the day but as we talked about before, I’m with you on Hue Jackson. I wish he was still the coach too.

      • JT Marlin says:

        My issues with Cutler’s fantasy value is the Bears system, not him. I’m a Bears fan and watch every game. Hopefully things will change this year and they’ll open up the passing game more now that Martz is gone and Marshall and Jeffery are in but the team has had a conservative, run heavy philosophy during Lovie’s HC tenure. If their Def gets old quick and crumbles, then all bets are off but I think their Def has at least 1 more really good season left in them. Like I said, Cutler’s a great back-up fantasy QB with upside but don’t get your hopes up too high.

      • I agree that he’s a good backup with upside. That’s ideally where you want to get him. I like him enough to be my starter if I kept missing out on quarterbacks in my draft but ideally I would want him in Round 10 to back up Cam. lol

  4. Josh Miller says:

    Glad I could “stir the pot” a little guys. Good discourse. I’m enjoying the insight you provide. I’ll be back for more as I’m starting to compile my mock draft and I’ll need all the help I can get.

    • No problem Josh. Stop by any time and feel free to add any comments or questions. They are always appreciated to get a discussion going. Thanks.

      • JT Marlin says:

        Not that it’s a huge difference but I thought Cam had 14 rushing TD last year, not 17. I wasn’t comparing Newton to Vick per se, it was more to illustrate that QB rushing #’s, particularly rushing TD usually fluctuate greatly from year to year. As I said, I think all of your arguments for Cam to repeat or get better are right on the money. It should happen for all the reasons mentioned….but for whatever reason things don’t always work out that way in the NFL and fantasy FB and I’m just going on a hunch based on experience from watching the game and playing fantasy since 95. Sometimes players regress for reasons we can’t see or fully understand and I think there’s a 50% chance that this is one of those instances.

      • I always say go with your hunches. I’m not here to change your mind. I’m here to give you my thoughts and help people come up with the best roster possible. I would rather a guy go with his gut than research 100 meaningless stats for three months. And Cam did have 14 rushing touchdowns. I like him so much now I’m adding to his stats. For some reason I keep thinking it’s 17. Thanks for correcting me.

  5. JT Marlin says:

    I go with my hunches but definitely appreciate and value your advice. I’ll try to add HIllman wherever possible and Antonio Brown and Decker at WR. It’s still way early but I’m thinking that Matt Ryan’s going to be my guy to target at QB. His 2nd half stats last season after the ATL bye week offer a compelling glimpse of what could be in store for this year. That pace would make him a top 5 QB and he could probably be drafted outside the top 10.

    • That’s what I tell people to do all the time. I’m hear to tell you I like Eric Decker but I’m not here to tell you to take him three rounds too high. Even I won’t take Decker if someone else gets him in Round 3. You know why? because there are 100 other guys I like as well. One of the things I write most often in e-mails is “don’t let me change your mind.” I’ll give you my opinion but if you go against your gut and your gut is right, that’s the toughest thing to take.

  6. anarchyraliv says:

    That fact that everyone is saying “he could be a top 5 QB” (in comparison to last years numbers btw) about every QB should show how deep the position is. Lol you guys have fun drafting your QB’s early while I swoop up Ray Rice and Trent Richardson.

    • I think a lot of guys “could” be a Top 5 quarterback. The key is getting the right ones. Jay Cutler may have a career year, while Rivers proves he really is declining. Or it could be the other way around. There’s always a little luck involved when your success depends of the performance of others. Fantasy football is all that different from gambling in that way. You can break games down all week but if you put $1,000 on Dallas and Tony Romo has a bad day, you’re screwed.

      • JT Marlin says:

        This comment hits close to home as I had Romo at QB and lost by under 2 pts in the week 16 championship….his doughnut game that he got knocked out with the hand injury….

      • I played against him. That choker finally did something right for me. lol

    • JT Marlin says:

      I agree with you completely anarchyraliv. Almost every league only starts 1 QB and the position seems deeper than ever this year. WR is deep too. To me, RB is definitely not. I’d rather start building my RB pool early with guys like MJD, CJ2K, Matthews, Run DMC, and TRich and then worry about taking a QB later. Rodgers and Brees had unbelievable years last season and Brady, Cam, and Stafford weren’t too far behind. You just don’t normally see players having these kind of dream seasons year after year. I am willing to bet that 3 out of these 5 QBs are going to disappoint this season relative to everyone’s expectations for them and where they get drafted. My money’s on Rodger’s and Brady to come closest to repeating their #’s from 2011 and not disappointing but even Rodgers won’t come that close to his unreal 45 pass TD vs. 6 INT line.

  7. Josh Miller says:

    I just happened to draft Gronk last year (and Newton). I won my league. If you want to talk about a position that ended up turning the tides for me…it was TIGHTEND! I’ll be shooting for Gronkowski or Graham and with all the trouble the Saints are having I’m not sure about Graham….With that said, how are we looking at TE? Top 5? Gronk, Graham, Clark, Hernandez, ???

    • I will have my tight ends out tomorrow. I’m high on Finley this year too but it’s a pretty deep position overall. Gronk and Graham are clearly the Top 2 but if you don’t get those guys there are some good options in the middle rounds too.

  8. Johnny D says:

    Did Big Ben drop? Thought he was #8 before. All the elements are there for a better year for Ben. However, learning a new system can take a while to gel, and I’m not hearing that Ben & Haley are on the same page yet. QB & OC not on same page could be problematic. Plenty of time to work it out, but it’s not a lock. Hope it does work out as Ben is my starting QB in my dynasty league!

    • No Ben stayed put at 12from my previous rankins. I don’t think it takes long for guys like him to pick things up. He’s already seen a lot over his career. Haley may just be an unlikeable person. Players in both Arizona and KC didn’t like him and for some reason every single opposing coach enjoyed running up the score on the guy. There’s definitely something off with him.

  9. Manuel says:

    I got to say it worries me a little that today Cutler said the O-Line was shaky, if it’s as porous as it was last year he might not make it through the whole season again. I was looking at him as back up and he still looks pretty good, but I don’t know, I guess we’ll know how awful that line still is on the second pre season game.

    • No doubt about it Manuel. The porous line is one of the reasons why I say Cutler was playing his best ball of his career before he got hurt last year. It’s something I’ll be watching closely. Cutler has shown he can get the job done behind a bad line but for our purposes, we obviously want to see that unit improve from the last two years.

  10. Allan says:

    I think Alex Smith is going to do better than projected with Mario Manningham, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Frank Gore & Brandon Jacobs - I think that offense could be more stout this coming year. Freeman, Flacco, and Bradford are ranked ahead of him - C’mon. Those 3 bite the big one!!

    • He may but I don’t see Smith ever being more than a fantasy backup. Remember, don’t get stuck on the number a guy is ranked. It’s more of the area they’re ranked. Are you going to draft Smith as your starter? No. At best he’s on your bench and he starts a couple of games for you. That’s how I see all of those guys you mentioned, so I can’t argue you liking Smith more. But at the end of the day they are likely all no more than second quarterbacks for fantasy owners. Thanks for expressing your opinion.

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