Note: The Rankings were updated Friday Evening. The comments were written Wednesday. The major changes in the rankings are detailed here.
The ghost of Dennis Green lives in Arizona. Despite worries that Ken Whisenhunt would bring a run-heavy approach, Kurt Warner is throwing with abandon once again. Warner averaged 44 attempts per completed start under Green in 2005; now he's averaging 37. That's a healthy number, and when it's combined with Warner's 7.9 YPA (fourth in the NFL), fantasy goodness follows.
Warner is getting improved protection, but teams will blitz him because he struggles with pressure. That will lead to many turnovers, but also big plays. Take the tradeoff. Warner isn't a great NFL quarterback, but he's back to being a solid QB1 option – especially this week against Cleveland.
While Warner owners celebrate, not every Cardinal is happy. Arizona's pass-first offense is 26th in rushing attempts, which limits Edgerrin James. Now that he's getting replaced at the goal line, his weekly upside is minimal. Anquan Boldin is only getting half the targets of Larry Fitzgerald lately and reportedly isn't happy about it. Boldin is too talented to bench this week, but it's clear that Fitzgerald is Warner's favorite target. Fitz is on pace to set career highs in yards and receptions, a feat that seemed unlikely when Dennis Green stormed out of the desert last year.
Week 13 Quarterbacks
| Rank | Player Name | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Tom Brady | at BAL | Probable(shoulder) |
| 2 | Peyton Manning | vs. JAC | - |
| 3 | Tony Romo | vs. GB | - |
| 4 | Derek Anderson | at ARZ | - |
| 5 | Brett Favre | at DAL | Probable(elbow) |
| 6 | Kurt Warner | vs. CLE | Probable(elbow) |
| 7 | Ben Roethlisberger | vs. CIN | Watch weather reports |
| 8 | Carson Palmer | at PIT | Watch weather reports |
| 9 | Matt Hasselbeck | at PHI | |
| 10 | Jon Kitna | at MIN | - |
| 11 | Drew Brees | vs. TB | - |
| 12 | Matt Schaub | at TEN | - |
| 13 | Jason Campbell | vs. BUF | - |
| 14 | A.J. Feeley | vs. SEA | - |
| 15 | Jay Cutler | at OAK | - |
| 16 | Eli Manning | at CHI | - |
| 17 | Vince Young | vs. HOU | - |
| 18 | Gus Frerotte | vs. ATL | - |
| 19 | Jeff Garcia | at NO | Game-time Decision, don't count on him |
| 20 | Philip Rivers | at KC | - |
| 21 | David Garrard | at IND | - |
| 22 | Kellen Clemens | at MIA | - |
| 23 | Rex Grossman | vs. NYG | - |
| 24 | Luke McCown | at NO | Ranked as if he'll start |
| 25 | Joey Harrington | at STL | - |
| 26 | Damon Huard | vs. SD | Should help pass attack |
| 27 | Trent Dilfer | at CAR | - |
| 28 | Tarvaris Jackson | vs. DET | - |
| 29 | Trent Edwards | at WAS | - |
| 30 | Vinny Testaverde | vs. SF | Probable(back) |
| 31 | Josh McCown | vs. DEN | Likely to start |
| 32 | Kyle Boller | vs. NE | - |
| 33 | John Beck | vs. NYJ | - |
QB Notes: One reason I'm not buying Philip Rivers' resurgence last week was that all three of his touchdowns appeared to be on blown coverages. That's not likely to happen very often. You don't know what you are going to get from Rivers. He's scored four fantasy points or less in over half his starts. … The matchups are difficult for Brett Favre and Tony Romo Thursday night, but don't get carried away. The offenses are the superior side in the NFC showdown. Favre and the Packers are going to keep up their run-n-shoot ways by spreading out Dallas. ... I stick with talent and systems I believe in over favorable matchups when it's close, like Carson Palmer last week. That's why I'd still take Palmer in a tough one Sunday night over Kurt Warner and Jon Kitna, who both received upgrades this week. Palmer should get Willie Anderson back this week and the Bengals are primed for a strong offensive finish. One concern is the field conditions in Pittsburgh. Palmer will move down 3-4 places if another messy night is anticipated. … Kitna, on the other hand, is all over the place. He's getting knocked around too much and it's showing. It's hard to imagine them running much against Minnesota, though, so he should pile up yards.
Jay Cutler still looks like a work in project sometimes, like during a dreadful first half against Chicago. He can also look like the best young quarterback in the league, like during the second half of the same game. He hasn't earned every-week playing status, so I'd bench him against an underrated Raiders secondary. … A.J. Feeley's play was promising, especially because Andy Reid was back to calling plays aggressively again. But the Seattle secondary has played well all season, so he's not an exciting play. … Marc Bulger's status is uncertain this week after suffering a concussion last Sunday. Keep an eye on him. … David Garrard is playing at a Pro Bowl level. We're finally starting to see some of the vertical offense that was planned in Jacksonville and the receivers are playing well enough. Still, the Jaguars usually focus on the run when they head to Indianapolis. Combine that with the Colts' pass defense, and it's a week to avoid Garrard. … Rex Grossman continues to show flashes of brilliance in his second act this season, but it's not consistent enough. He still doesn't see blitzes coming. Cedric Benson's injury, however, may help him because the team will pass more.
Going from D.J. Hackett to Nate Burleson is a huge downgrade for Matt Hasselbeck. It's not a coincidence Hasselbeck was playing his best ball with Hackett healthy. … Jason Campbell is making a lot of mistakes in crunch time, but he's looked good moving the football for three straight weeks. He's leading the NFL in pass attempts and is a top-five fantasy quarterback over that stretch. This is a plus matchup against the sagging Buffalo secondary, and teams in need can use Campbell. The Bucs are the toughest team to score fantasy points against, so don't expect a huge game from Drew Brees. He threw for 260 yards with one touchdown against them in Week 2.
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Gregg Rosenthal is the Managing Editor of Rotoworld.com and has directed its football content since 2003. He co-hosts the NBC Fantasy Fix and covers the NFL for NBCSports.com and Profootballtalk.com. Gregg was named the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year in 2007, but did not repeat in '08. He's out for vengeance now on Twitter. |
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