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Week 5 Quarterback Rankings

How low should Tom Brady be ranked this week? What can Matt Ryan do with a depleted offensive line? How will Kyle Orton fare taking over in Buffalo? Can Geno turn it around to keep Vick from taking his job? Get the answers to these questions and more in this week's installment of the fantasy quarterback rankings by Brad Duffendack.

Dilip Vishwanat

Will this last game against the Chiefs mark the death of Tom Brady's fantasy value? Much of the blame has been placed on the offensive line or the lack of weapons, but to this point in the season, decision-making, accuracy, arm strength, and poise in the pocket have all been huge question marks for Tom Terrific. I assume that with the continued improvement to the health of Rob Gronkowski and whatever plan Belichick concocts to solve the offensive deficiencies, Brady should be able to salvage some type of value by the end of the season. However, it won't likely be this week against the stifling Bengals defense.

Another major concern with a top ranked quarterback occurred down south in Georgia. The Falcons officially placed C Joe Hawley and RT Lamar Holmes on IR, joining their starting LT Sam Baker. This offensive line was not stellar in the first place. Now, with three starters lost for the season, Ryan could struggle to get the ball downfield without sufficient protection. Something to watch this week against a solid Giants front that has already produced 9 sacks this year.

Last week, there was much turnover at the quarterback position with new starters such as Mike Glennon, Blake Bortles, and Teddy Bridgewater. This week, the Bills follow suit by benching E.J. Manuel for the veteran Kyle Orton. I do not know if Orton can be the spark that Buffalo needs to jumpstart the offense, but I can assume from watching him in the past that there will be a lot of check-downs to Spiller & Jackson.

Geno Smith will be able to relax this week since he will not be harassed from the fans in his own stadium. He needs to show something this week to prove that he can be a viable starter, but that will be a tough task against the Chargers in San Diego. Michael Vick is waiting for his chance to take over this offense, and that might be coming as soon as this week if Geno fails to show any improvement by halftime.

Enough with the doom and gloom. There was at least some good news from this past week. Eli Manning is startable again! We might've overreacted to the lack of production against a very stout Lions defense. Since then, Eli has put together three straight weeks of good games. The offensive game plan to limit Eli's decisions, get the ball out quick, and let the playmakers make plays, has been the perfect antidote to the disease that was the Giants' offense last year. I still suspect that we will have a couple games this year that we regret playing Eli, but with a very favorable schedule, he will have the upside of a top-10 quarterback for the rest of the season.

Below are the rankings for week 5. Should you have any questions on who to start this week, I would suggest starting the player ranked the highest in this chart.

Rank

Player Team Opponent
1 Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers vs Vikings
2 Peyton Manning Denver Broncos vs Cardinals
3 Phillip Rivers San Diego Chargers vs Jets
4 Drew Brees New Orleans Saints vs Buccaneers
5 Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts vs Ravens
6 Eli Manning New York Giants vs Falcons
7 Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions vs Buffalo
8 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers @ Jaguars
9 Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks @ Redskins
10 Nick Foles Philadelphia Eagles vs Rams
11 Jay Cutler Chicago Bears @ Panthers
12 Colin Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers vs Chiefs
13 Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens @ Colts
14 Shaun Hill St. Louis Rams @ Eagles
15 Tony Romo Dallas Cowboys vs Texans
16 Cam Newton Carolina Panthers vs Bears
17 Andy Dalton Cincinnati Bengals @ Patriots
18 Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons @ Giants
19 Carson Palmer Arizona Cardinals @ Broncos
20 Ryan Fitzpatrick Houston Texans @ Cowboys
21 Blake Bortles Jacksonville Jaguars vs Steelers
22 Alex Smith Kansas City Chiefs @ 49ers
23 Kirk Cousins Washington Redskins vs Seahawks
24 Teddy Bridgewater Minnesota Vikings @ Packers
25 Mike Glennon Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Saints
26 Tom Brady New England Patriots vs Bengals
27 Brian Hoyer Cleveland Browns @ Titans
28 Kyle Orton Buffalo Bills @ Lions
29 Geno Smith New York Jets @ Chargers
30 Charlie Whitehurst Tennessee Titans vs Browns

Quarterbacks on Bye: Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr