Fantasy Football Rankings, Week 6: Quarterbacks

October 09, 2012 11:08 am

We have come to that point in the season when injuries really start to throw a wrench in our fantasy seasons. Three fantasy quarterbacks have injuries that make them either questionable or out of action for Week 6. Of course, added to that is if the skill position players around our quarterbacks start missing time. We'll share a few quarterbacks with you below that you can hopefully grab off waivers to fill your void this week.

The biggest name to go down was Robert Griffin III. Griffin was leveled on a hit in the third quarter and left with a mild concussion. With the league's emphasis on head trauma and concussions, I am sure that every effort will be made to make sure that he is completely symptom free. Added to that, the Redskins will probably not risk the future of their franchise. Right now, Griffin III believes that he'll be able to play this week against the Vikings. If he is unable to go, Kirk Cousins would no doubt get the start. Cousins finished with 111 yards passing and a touchdown. Very concerning is that two of his nine passes were intercepted. The Minnesota defense is playing very well this season, so Cousins is not much of an option this week. Keep an eye on this situation.

Matt Cassel was also knocked out of his game in Week 5, and is dealing with a possible concussion. Going into the game, Cassel was on the verge of being replaced based upon his weak performance thus far. He has not been ruled out for Week 6 but all signs point to that being the case. The Chiefs have their bye in Week 7, so giving Cassel three weeks to recover would probably be the wise thing to do. Brady Quinn would get the call in his absence. If Quinn gets the start, he'll face a Tampa Bay defense that has not been able to stop anyone's passing attack this season.

The third quarterback to keep an eye on is Alex Smith. He has a sprain on the middle finger of his throwing hand. It's too early in the week to know how much this will effect his passing and whether it will force him to miss any time. The concern with this hand injury is how it limits his ability to grip the football. Smith had a great game against the Bills, passing for 303 yards and three touchdowns before leaving for the day. Colin Kaepernick would fill in if Smith misses any playing time.

My predictions for quarterbacks to have a great Week 6:

Kevin Kolb, Cardinals - I'm not a Kolb fan but he has a great matchup this week. He'll be playing at home against the Bills. Arizona's backfield has been decimated by injuries and that will lead to a greater dependence on the pass. My only concern is if the Bills defensive line finally wakes up and knocks Kolb around like St. Louis did last week.

Christian Ponder, Vikings - Ponder has been having a pretty good season and it seems like he's becoming more comfortable within the offense. He faces a terrible Redskins pass defense this week. If I needed a bye week or injury replacement, Ponder would be high on my list.

Alex Smith/Colin Kaepernick, 49ers - I'm sure Alex Smith will do all that he can to face a Giants secondary that has been getting torched on a weekly basis. Last year in their regular season meeting, the Niners game plan was to pass the ball a lot and Smith took full advantage of the Giants.

Quarterback 1 Matt Ryan 2 Aaron Rodgers 3 Ben Roethlisberger 4 Peyton Manning 5 Robert Griffin III 6 Tom Brady 7 Matthew Stafford 8 Michael Vick 9 Philip Rivers 10 Eli Manning 11 Andy Dalton 12 Matt Schaub 13 Joe Flacco 14 Christian Ponder 15 Andrew Luck 16 Alex Smith 17 Kevin Kolb 18 Tony Romo 19 Ryan Fitzpatrick 20 Carson Palmer 21 Brandon Weeden 22 Brady Quinn 23 Ryan Tannehill 24 Josh Freeman 25 Sam Bradford 26 Russell Wilson 27 Matt Hasselbeck 28 Mark Sanchez 29 Kirk Cousins BYE Cam Newton BYE Jay Cutler BYE Blaine Gabbert BYE Drew Brees

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