Fantasy Football 2011: Week 9 Quarterback Rankings

As we prepare for Week 9, let's look at a few of the quarterback situations that are going on. It seems as though Kevin Kolb might miss his start this week with turf toe. Right now, Kolb does not know if he is going to play in their upcoming game against St. Louis. That matchup would be a really good one for Kolb and the Cardinals. If he is unable to play, John Skelton would get the start. Skelton completed only 47.6 percent of his passes last season with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He would be a downgrade from Kolb.

It's been said that Carson Palmer has looked good in practice this week, as Oakland has been preparing to face Denver. Two weeks ago, he came in to replace Kyle Boller and completed only 38 percent of his passes and threw three interceptions against Kansas City. Denver is coming off a game where they gave up three passing touchdowns to Detroit, so Palmer should have an easier go of it in his second game this year.

Finally, it looks as though Peyton Manning will not be placed on the IR this season. Indianapolis seems to think that he may be able to play near the end of the season. Their thinking is that by keeping him active, he will be able to at least get some practice reps and throw with the team before the season ends. This doesn't really offer much to us as fantasy owners. By the time Manning is throwing again and may see some game action, it will have been almost 12 months since he saw live game action. It is safe to say that in re-draft leagues, you can drop Peyton.

Full quarterback rankings follow the jump.  

Quarterbacks to start: Andy Dalton (Cincinnati) - Dalton has really proven himself to be a good rookie quarterback. He has been completing 62 percent of his passes, 200 yards/game and thrown nine touchdowns. Cincinnati will be facing Tennessee this week and I see him passing for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Matt Cassel (Kansas City) - It hasn't been the best year for Cassel but the passing game has seemed to improve since the beginning of the season. Cassel should be started this week because of who Kansas City is playing. They get Miami at home. It seems as though Cassel also has a new weapon in Jonathan Baldwin. I think Cassel will throw for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

Jay Cutler (Chicago) - Yes, Chicago will be facing Philadelphia this week but the Eagles have given up the 4th most passing touchdowns with 12. Cutler also has Matt Forte coming out of the backfield as a receiving threat and they have connected quite a bit this season. Cutler will throw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Quarterbacks to avoid: A.J. Feeley (St. Louis) - Feeley may have started and led the team to their first win of the season but it was Steven Jackson and the defense who did the majority of the work. If he does start again this week, I think that we'll see more of the same against Arizona. Expect 150 yards and no touchdowns.

Matt Moore (Miami) - Moore is not looking any better than when he first began starting for Miami. They travel to the unfriendly confines of Arrowhead and we saw what kind of game Philip Rivers had against Kansas City on Monday night. Expect 130 yards and no touchdowns.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo) - He has been having a good season but I think he'll stuggle against the Jets. Buffalo will probably look more to their running game to establish their offense with a few passes thrown in to the mix. It would be best to start someone else for this week.