Quarterbacks were supposed to be behind to start the year. That hasn’t been the case, as even rookie quarterback have made the jump look relatively easy. With defenses shuffling to get to the sideline for oxygen masks, it’s clear which units are behind to start the year. Match ups this weekend look even more intriguing then the first few weeks. This is a very deep week for quarterbacks, as I could seeing the top twenty having very solid fantasy games.

1. Tom Brady
Teams still can’t figure out how to press up on the Patriots receivers and halt the quick hot route throw. The Patriots have come in as an offensive machine. Relentless as a play concludes to run their hurry up offense. As teams get in shape, will see if Brady is still able to continue to exploit defenses at a incredible high rate. With Aaron Hernandez sidelined for an extended time, he’ll have to find another target to step up.

2. Philip Rivers
He has not even came close to his caliber of play the first two weeks. This will be the perfect match up to get Rivers ignited.

3. Aaron Rodgers
The few times Rodgers has struggled it has come against the Bears. He needs to get over that lackluster regularity versus the Bears. The way he has started this year, lackluster may not be in his vocabulary for a full sixteen games. He is throwing balls in tight spots like an old quarterback challenge drill.

4. Drew Brees
It’ll be interesting to see if Brees can maneuver and throw over the edge rushers of the Texans. They’ll be attacking to try and prevent Brees from seeing the field clearly. At the end of the day though, even when Brees looks like he is having a rough game, he manages to pile up stats.

5. Tony Romo
NFL fans favorite guy to pat on the back after week two. How fast the media can change the perception of fans. Romo did gut out a crucial come from behind win. He has played this way for awhile now. It’s getting the whole team on the same page, and limiting critical mistakes that Romo needs to address. Leadership is rising to all his teammates after last week.

6. Mike Vick (If He Plays)
Chances are he will sit this game, but the Eagles will draw it out all week. The Giants are one of the best teams at attacking Mike Vick, and to sit on the side of caution the Eagles should sit him.

7. Cam Newton
First he shredded the Cardinals defense, then he tore apart a Dom Capers defense. Dom Capers who has been one of the masterminds of defensive schemes over the last ten years. Cam is the real deal, and is excelling much further then anyone could have imagined. A match up against the Jaguars should bolster his value even more.

8. Matt Schaub
Kevin Walters should be returning soon. Houston has shifted from a team that loved to get into shootouts, to more of a possession type team that eats away the clock. That may cause Schaub to rest around the eight to twelve range for most of the season.

9. Ryan Fitzpatrick
A waiver wire/backup dandy that gets a starting nod this week. New England is going to give up yards through the air, there is no doubt about that. Even though Fitzpatrick has limited weapons, he’ll find a way to have a third consecutive highly rated game.

10. Matt Stafford
This team is playing with a passion of confidence. All the years of working towards this state, has this team sensing the accomplishment. Matt Stafford is loaded with weapons and is ready to challenge the Packers.

11. Sam Bradford

12. Ben Roethlisberger

13. Matt Ryan

14. Mark Sanchez

15. Josh Freeman

16. Kevin Kolb

17. Rex Grossman

18. Matt Hasselbeck

19. Jay Cutler

20. Chad Henne

21. Joe Flacco

22. Eli Manning

23. Jason Campbell

24. Kyle Orton

25. Donovan McNabb

26. Andy Dalton

27. Mike Kafka (If he starts over Vick)

28. Matt Cassel

29. Colt McCoy

30. Kerry Collins

31. Alex Smith

32. Tavaris Jackson

33. Luke McCown

The passing game was supposed to struggle early on this season. Lack of preparation to get the chemistry intact was supposed to give the advantage to defenses. When Chad Henne and Cam Newton both throw for 400 yards, the glaring weaknesses in the NFL definitely aren’t at quarterback. Still, it’s hard in the NFL to put together solid outings on a consistent basis unless you’re one of the regular top tier fantasy quarterbacks.

Will there be a dip in fantasy production in week two? Expectantly so. Here are quarterback rankings for week two based upon match ups.

1. Tom Brady
The clinic he put on Monday night is put down as an instant classic performance. As the saying goes, what happens in preseason means nothing. Brady had time to thread the ball wherever and whenever he wanted to. With the freedom and amount of throws vs. the run New England does, it’ll be hard for Brady not to consistently be in the top two or three fantasy quarterbacks each week.

2. Aaron Rodgers
Just because the Packers played five days ago doesn’t mean Rodgers opening night performance should be over looked. Either Rodgers already has a great rapport with his receivers or he found a way to work with his receivers during the lockout. The timing he has in place with Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson is impressive.

3. Mike Vick
A poor completion percentage, but statistically that doesn’t matter in fantasy football. Vick looks as if he won’t have any issues performing with a new contract. Going up against his old team at Atlanta should truly be the unleashing moment for Vick’s return to the top.

4. Tony Romo
Unfortunate errors seem to plague Tony Romo. Analyzing the entire game vs. the Jets though, you have to be impressed with the way Romo played. It looks as if he may be ready to get into the tier one category of fantasy quarterbacks. Replacing Peyton Manning for 2011.

5. Philip Rivers
The San Diego Chargers always raise the level of intensity when they face the New England Patriots. There is an extended past history here. You best believe Rivers is going to want to outshine Tom Brady. It’s his nature to compete. Chad Henne’s dazzling performance is even more of an indicator to boost Rivers for this weekend.

6. Drew Brees
There is a lot of great match ups this week for quarterbacks if Brees is ranked sixth. Chicago is one of a few teams that knows how to game plan and frustrate Brees. The running game never truly got going in week one for the Saints. With a couple of receivers nicked up, Brees could have a tough time having a typical Brees outing.

7. Matt Schaub
The Dolphins don’t get any rest from an offensive attack. Houston ran the ball quite often against the Colts. Mostly to prevent from drubbing the Colts even worse in the total points column. Miami should stay in this game a bit longer. Meaning Schaub should have an aerial attack against the Dolphins poor secondary.

8. Jay Cutler
Cutler never really stretches the field for deep throws, but his yardage numbers add up in chunks. Mike Martz’s system has caught a lot of flack over the years, but it is safe and effective. Matt Forte’s extra YAC is becoming routine to pad Cutler’s stats.

9. Matt Stafford
Kansas City is in for a long season after being embarrassed in a home blowout loss to Buffalo. Detroit’s defense is going to feast off of Matt Cassel’s inability to deliver the ball with accuracy. Expect a lot of short fields and for the Lions to come out and make a statement that they’re a team to be reckoned with.

10. Joe Flacco
Nothing has changed with the way the Ravens defense showed up and stomped an opponent. The difference was in the scoreboard. Instead of a 13-7 victory, the Ravens were able to show some efficiency offensively for a 35-7 blowout. Flacco has shown he can deliver but has been so sporadic throughout his young career. Can he put it together over a full season?

11. Chad Henne
12. Ben Roethlisberger
13. Mark Sanchez
14. Rex Grossman
15. Matt Ryan
16. Josh Freeman
17. Ryan Fitzpatrick
18. Kevin Kolb
19. Kyle Orton
20. Eli Manning
21. Cam Newton
22. Colt McCoy
23. Sam Bradford
24. Jason Campbell
25. Donovan McNabb
26. Matt Hasselbeck
27. Tavaris Jackson
28. Matt Cassel
29. Luke McCown
30. Alex Smith
31. Andy Dalton
32. Kerry Collins

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The news of the day comes out of Indianapolis. In years past, Peyton Manning’s body was able to recoup just in time to get on the playing field week one. Signing Kerry Collins seemed like a desperation move. Now though it looks like Collins may end up earning that $4 million. Out of all backup quarterbacks over the last few years, Collins seems to always make a substantial amount of starts.

If you’re drafting your money league or bragging rights league in the next few days, here is an updated quarterbacks ranking list.

1. Drew Brees

Brees was one of the quarterbacks that had a major incline in interceptions last season. Twenty two in total in fact. He seemed to have the Brett Favre in him a little too much last year. Maybe it was because of the prior seasons success, that he was a little too care free. Brees gets more freedom than any quarterback in the league. Look for him to get back on the proper page, and aim for over 5,000 yards again.

2. Aaron Rodgers

How will Rodgers handle the success of winning his first Super Bowl? Remember Green Bay got hot as a team on the tail end of last year. It wasn’t a typical Super Bowl run. The good thing for Rodgers is he has many weapons at his disposal. Complementing the aerial attack with a solid ground game will be key to Rodgers staying ranked as a top three quarterback this year.

3. Philip Rivers

The gunslinger with a mouth has been as quiet as a mouse this off-season. Has he matured to the point that he is going to lead this team by his actions from game one? There comes a point when a player with exponential talent puts it together one hundred percent. Not just as an individual but to the extent that his teammates feed off of that and absorb it. Look for the Chargers to get off to a hot start this year.

4. Tom Brady

New England is still capital of the short yardage passing game. They’re so clever at the ways they disguise the lack of a true running game. You would think that would have hurt Brady by now, but they still get the short hot routes delivered with ease. Tight end play is on the upside as well for Brady. Both rookies Gronkowski and Hernandez proved that they’re going to garner more drawn up plays by the Patriots. The only thing scary with Brady is if the offensive line can patch things up and protect him.

5. Mike Vick

Part Two of his incredible comeback starts with mega millions back in the bank. We are a tad bit worried about Vick for multiple reasons. Added pressure to build upon an outstanding 2010 season. Receivers that have been top notch caliber, but Maclin is coming back from a long bout with an undisclosed health issue. DeSean Jackson has been tough his whole career but has had to deal with injuries just about every season. Vick’s age at 31 has not been brought up like it should. His body was able to take the fresh licks last season. Now that he played twelve games for the first time since 2006 it should be very interesting to see how he mid season.

6. Tony Romo

7. Matt Ryan

8. Matt Stafford

9. Matt Schaub

10. Peyton Manning

11. Kevin Kolb

12. Ben Roethlisberger

13. Eli Manning

14. Joe Flacco

15. Sam Bradford

16. Ryan Fitzpatrick

17. Josh Freeman

18. Matt Cassel

19. Jay Cutler

20. Kyle Orton

21. Colt McCoy

22. Rex Grossman

23. Donovan McNabb

24. Mark Sanchez

25. Chad Henne

26. Luke McCown

27. Matt Hasselbeck

28. Jason Campbell

29. Alex Smith

30. Cam Newton

31. Andy Dalton

32. Tavaris Jackson

33. Vince Young

34. John Beck

35. Shaun Hill

36. Jake Locker

 37. David Garrard

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Here’s a look at our first updated quarterback rankings since the season has started. Thus far a few surprises have occurred that have vaulted up names such as Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, and Kyle Orton. Will their great starts to the season carry on to a fantasy title run for you?

The two major disappointments thus far have to be Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. Rodgers has had decent numbers not anywhere near the top echelon of the league. His yardage totals aren’t close to what we’d expect. We’ll see how much Ryan Grant being out affects him. He may not re-enter the top five fantasy quarterbacks this season.

Owners that banked on Brett Favre turning on the time machine clock have seen he had a little trouble orbiting back to 2009. Can he give it the fonzi punch and give fantasy owners one last rendezvous? Based on Favre’s up and down career we’ll say he’ll give you a half dozen more solid outings.

1. Drew Brees- The Saints do keep on marching in. Brees just has that Manning knack of leading, driving, and managing a game with ease.

2. Peyton Manning- Dynasty league owners couldn’t be happier with what he has done from year to year. It’s funny how age was the biggest discussion of Donovan McNabb when he was traded. Guess what? Manning and McNabb are the same age.

3. Matt Schaub- Bank it. Unless an injury derails Schaub, he will be the league leader in yards again. He may even challenge the record books.

4. Philip Rivers- Rivers has no name receivers he has to throw the ball to just like Brett Favre. Rivers though is having no problems getting the job done.

5. Jay Cutler- Guess Mike Martz is a cure all offensive genius. It’s not like Cutler has not been an elite quarterback before. He just has too many ups and downs. When the bad games start to occur can he shake it off and move on?

6. Aaron Rodgers- Was hyped up more than any other quarterback in the off-season. After his prolific post season and stellar pre-season who wouldn’t of anticipated another crazy year from Rodgers. He can make up his lackluster start in a heartbeat.

7. Tom Brady- Brady’s precision is still there. He spreads the ball to his receivers like no other. Deep ball wise he is good to attempt more than any other starting quarterback per game. Problem is they aren’t working as well as in years past with Randy Moss. He’ll need to trust the intermediate route more with Aaron Hernandez and Brandon Tate.

8. Donovan McNabb- The statement game for McNabb is only a few games away. This after having a remarkable performance against the Texans, in which a bomb to Joey Galloway should have clinched a 2-0 start.

9. Tony Romo- Dallas is in a world of hurting as a team, but fantasy owners could care less. Romo has top tier talent to throw the football too, and an emerging rookie in Dez Bryant. Romo is a safe fantasy starter for this season and is right outside being a top tier fantasy quarterback.

10. Eli Manning- Manning should surpass all career highs he set last year. With the ground game looking like it’ll be near the bottom of the league all year, Manning will have to drop back a ton. Turnovers are a part of that increase. With a great crop of receivers to throw to, he’ll be a quarterback that can carry a fantasy playoff team.

Best of The Rest

11. Kyle Orton
12. Joe Flacco
13. Kevin Kolb
14. Chad Henne
15. Brett Favre
16. Matthew Stafford* injured
17. Carson Palmer
18. Ben Roethlisberger * suspension
19. Matt Ryan
20. Mike Vick
21. Vince Young
22. Sam Bradford
23. Shaun Hill
24. Matt Cassel
25. Matt Hasselbeck
26. Josh Freeman
27. Jake Delhomme
28. Derek Anderson
29. Mark Sanchez

30. Jason Campbell
31. Bruce Gradkowski
32. David Garrard
33. Alex Smith
34. Jimmy Clausen
35. Dennis Dixon
36. Ryan Fitzpatrick
37. Seneca Wallace
38. Matt Leinart
39. Trent Edwards
40. Kerry Collins
41. Tavaris Jackson
42. David Carr
43. Billy Volek
44. Matt Moore
45. Byron Leftwich

With NFL passing games becoming more creative, and talent being so widespread around the league, passing statistics for quarterbacks are sky-high. Every year, it seems like at least a handful of quarterbacks eclipse the 4,000 yard passing mark, with the top-tier guys consistently reaching 4,400-4,500 yards. Last year, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub led the league in passing with 4,770 yards, and guided the Texans to an 8-8 finish. That number was also good for sixth all-time for passing yards in a season. Only Drew Brees and Dan Marino have passed for over 5,000 yards in a season, but after Schaub’s prolific 2009 season, it’s worth wondering whether he can join Brees and Marino in the 5,000 yard club next year.

To get to the 4,000+ range, you’ve got to have an assortment of weapons who can all make significant contributions. There can be a number one guy, but every receiver needs to have a good amount of touches and yards to get their quarterback to the elite level. Schaub has more than enough targets to throw to, and in 2009, he made use of all of them. Wide receiver Andre Johnson is clearly the number one guy in Houston, and is widely considered the best receiver in the game. He’s recorded over 100 catches and 1,500 receiving yards the last two years, and judging by his recent big-money contract extension, he’ll be putting up those numbers for the Texans in a while. In addition to Johnson, Schaub’s got receivers Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter to throw to. Jones only caught 27 passes last year, but had a 16.2 yards per catch average, and scored six touchdowns. Walter caught 53 balls for 611 yards and two scores last year. Aside from the wide outs, tight end Owen Daniels is becoming one of the league’s best at his spot. Last year, Daniels tore his ACL and only played in eight games, but still recorded 519 yards and five touchdowns, which would be solid numbers for a whole season for most tight ends. If Daniels is fully healed from his injury this year, he could provide a serious boost in Schaub’s numbers.

The Texan running backs should provide the offense with a pretty good running game, and if they can become good receivers out of the backfield, they might be able to help Schaub get to even higher passing numbers. Steve Slaton, Ben Tate, and Arian Foster will all see time at running back. Of the three, Slaton is the only proven receiving threat, with 417 receiving yards and three scores in 11 games last year. If Foster and Tate can be good runners and double as receiving options, Schaub can really stretch defenses, and take advantage of favorable matchups all across the field.

Houston’s defense is pretty good, but not great, which means he Texans will probably get victories by outscoring their opponents. They were ranked 13th overall in total defense last year, and gave up 20.8 points per game. If they are a middle-of-the-pack defense again this year, the Texans will still be a competitive team because of their offense, which bodes well for Schaub from a statistical standpoint. He has to produce in order to win, so he’ll put up huge numbers by necessity.

Throwing for 5,000 yards in a season requires a dangerous and spread-out attack, in which any receiver can have a big day. It requires a quarterback to average over 300 passing yards a game, while going against defenses who have prepared all week to stop the passing game. Matt Schaub is surrounded by players who can consistently deliver, and he’s got the skill to get find them and get them the ball. Brees and Marino are the only ones that have done it so far, and they’re both Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Whether or not Schaub will join them in Canton remains to be seen, but in today’s NFL, if anyone can get to 5,000 yards in a season, it’s him.