Empty the Bench

Quick, which quarterbacks lead the NFL in passing touchdowns and passing yardage? If you answered Matt Schaub to both questions send us your address and your prize will be delivered in 5-6 business days. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems ridiculous how under-the-radar Schaub’s NFL-best season has been to this point. The man is averaging nearly 300 passing yards a game and has put up multiple TD tosses in five of his seven games. The Bills secondary is holding teams under 200 yards passing and boasts a solid ratio of 6 TDs allowed to 13 INTs, but I’m rolling with Schaub every week if I’ve got him.

He’s started forcing passes again, but Jay Cutler can still beat up on bad teams. This week the Cleveland Browns come in to town with a secondary that has only managed to pick off three passes on the season. It’s as safe a matchup as he’ll have until the Rams roll into Chicago in December.

Matt Schaub photo credit: Icon SMI

The Kurt Warner ranking looks low, but keep in mind the Carolina Panthers have the best pass defense in the league to this point. They’re the only team in the NFL not cede 1,000 yards through the air yet. And frankly, Warner just isn’t an inspiring fantasy play right now. The Cards passing game is much less vertical that it’s been in years past. Another low ranking on the board is Matt Ryan. The Falcons QB, who comes across like Kenneth Parcell in interviews and on his Yahoo! Profile, has not looked that sharp of late. We also don’t like this matchup, the probability of interceptions is far too high.

Hey gang, did you know that Brett Favre used to play in Green Bay? Me neither.

It’s a huge NFC East matchup Sunday afternoon, but I don’t think Eli or McNabb are strong options this week. Both of these teams have top-10 pass defenses, but we give the edge to McNabb here. The Eagles blitz looks good and they have in turn been a little more opportunistic with the INTs. Meanwhile, the Giants haven’t looked impressive against any of the three decent passing teams they’ve faced. A lot of the Eagles game is based on the big play and they can put up a stinker when it doesn’t click, but I would still feel more comfortable with McNabb – especially because Eli just hasn’t been very impressive the past few games.

See also:
- Week 8 RB Rankings
- Week 8 WR Ranks
- Week 8 TE Ranks
- Week 8 DEF Rankings

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints vs. ATL
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts vs. SF
3. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers vs. OAK
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. MIN
5. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans @ BUF
6. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears vs. CLE
7. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys vs. SEA
8. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings @ GB
9. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles vs. NYG
10. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos @ BAL
11. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens vs. DEN
12. Eli Manning, New York Giants @ PHI
13. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals vs. CAR
14. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons @ NO
15. David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars @ TEN
16. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks @ DAL
17. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. STL (Check Status)
18. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills vs. HOU
19. Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers @ IND
20. Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams @ DET