Two young quarterbacks take a step forward, does another take a step back?
Russell Wilson making his fantasy debut? Week 9 quarterback stats
There were some significant rookie performances at quarterback this week, both bad and good.
Stephen Brashear
The Good
Russell Wilson against the Vikings (ALL GROWN'D UP?)
If this trend continues, teams might start seeing short quarterbacks (shorterbacks) as a market inefficiency. Wilson faced the Vikings and went 16-of-24 for 173 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT. He also looked quick on his feet, running for a career-high 27 yards. The yardage numbers don’t seem like much, but Wilson’s on-field improvements seem significant as the season goes on.
Wilson has 8 TD and 2 INT in his last four games.
It's hard for a quarterback to supplant your fantasy starter until he has really proven himself, but Wilson has played great at home and still has four games left in Seattle this season. If you're rockin' someone like Tony Romo it might be time to hire the shorterback. He faces the Jets at home in Week 10.
Aaron Rodgers against the Cardinals (HOT STREAK MEETS NOT STREAK)
Arizona has scored 14 offensive touchdowns this season. Rodgers has thrown 22 touchdowns over his last six games alone. That includes his 4 TD, 1 INT game in Week 9 against the Cards in the Packers 31-17 win that sent Arizona to it's fifth straight loss.
Meanwhile, the Packers won their fourth straight and get a Bye this week. Rodgers owners might also want to call up the shorterback.
Carson Palmer against the Buccaneers (FANTASY GREAT ISN'T ALWAYS REAL LIFE GOOD)
Throw three interceptions, 6.8 yards per attempt, play offense for the Raiders and still lead fantasy quarterbacks in scoring? That's the case for Palmer and his 61 pass attempts that led to 414 yards passing and four touchdowns. Palmer threw three of his touchdowns in the final quarter and it was his first 4-TD game since he was with the Bengals in 2010.
You can't really blame the loss on Palmer and his three picks though, he wasn't asked to play defense on Doug Martin. Apparently nobody was.
Andrew Luck against the Dolphins (ROOKIE RECORDS)
It's hard to not be compared to Peyton Manning when you have so much in common.
Luck garnered his fourth 300-yard passing game this season, tying Manning’s rookie record. He also threw for 433 yards against Miami, setting a new single-game record for rookies that was set by Cam Newton in 2011. Luck has eight more games to add another 300-yard game and own that record on his own, then maybe people will compare Manning to him. See how I turned the tables there?
Honorable Mentions: Peyton Manning (291 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT), Jay Cutler (229 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT)
The Bad
Robert Griffin III against the Panthers (ANOTHER CRAPPY 'HOMECOMING')
I never had many good dance experiences, which is why I avoid girls during Tolo season. (Or ‘Sadie Hawkins’ depending on your region.) Well, I guess RG3 might not have good Homecoming experiences himself, including Sunday.
Griffin threw for 215 yards and ran for 53, but failed to score a touchdown for the second time this season. He’s fast, exciting, and incredibly talented but Griffin is struggling a little bit to score through the air. He has 8 TD passes in nine games and hasn’t scored on the ground since Week 6. It won’t get better with a Bye next week.
You’ll have to ask somebody else to the dance.
Eli Manning against the Steelers (HIS BEST STAT WILL ALWAYS BE COUNTED IN RINGS)
I make fun of Eli a lot because... well, he’s an easy target. (I guess his receivers aren’t easy enough targets though.) But at the end of the day, two championships is all Eli has to say. There’s nothing I can say to take away those titles and wouldn’t dream to downplay his play during the playoffs, but there’s plenty of bad play that has made Manning an average quarterback in his career.
Against the Steelers on Sunday, Manning was 10-of-24 for 125 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT. Manning has 2 TD and 4 INT in his last four games combined and overall he has just 12 TD in nine games. The Giants were winning anyway, but that came to a stop in Week 9. Will New York collapse to 9-7?
If they do, they’re almost guaranteed another championship.
Christian Ponder against the Seahawks (TURNING A CORNER? THERE GOES THAT THEORY)
It seemed like Ponder might be turning into a legitimate franchise quarterback early in the season, and the Vikings started 4-1. Any more games like the one he had on Sunday against Seattle and fans will be asking for a Webb gem.
Ponder was 11-of-22 for a whopping 63 yards, 0 TD and 1 INT. In addition to his 58-yard performance against the Cardinals in Week 7 and Ponder has the two lowest full-game yardage totals for a QB this season. Also, the Vikings have lost three of their last four games and Ponder has eight interceptions in his last five games.
The Vikings take on the Lions in Week 10, and the Seahawks try to stop the high-powered passing game of the New York Je-haha. Yeah, that shouldn't be too hard.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Ryan (0 TD), Matthew Stafford (0 TD)
The Injured
There were no quarterback injuries in Week 9. What will Chiefs fans have to cheer for?
