These 2011 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings will be updated often throughout the summer, so make sure you check back from time to time. Also, be sure to check out my other 2011 Fantasy Football articles, which will include sleepers, busts, tons of 2011 Fantasy Football mock drafts and other material. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks (Sept. 5):
Top 10 | 11-20 | 21-35
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Matt Schaub, QB, Texans. Bye: 11.
The hiring of Wade Phillips was the worst thing that could have happened to Matt Schaub’s fantasy football career. In the past few seasons, Schaub has been asked to throw the ball non-stop because Houston’s defense has been miserable. Phillips will fix things immediately, meaning Schaub’s fantasy numbers will take some sort of a hit.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 4,350 passing yards. 26 passing TDs. 12 INTs. 30 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 257.
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Sam Bradford, QB, Rams. Bye: 5.
SEPT. 2 UPDATE: Sam Bradford looked pretty sharp in the preseason finale at Jacksonville, going 7-of-11 for 133 yards and a touchdown in a quarter of action. The score was the result of a beautiful play-action fake and a perfect 44-yard pass to Lance Kendricks. Bradford cemented his status as a borderline fantasy QB1 with major upside in Josh McDaniels’ scheme. If he had better receivers, he’d be much higher in my 2011 Fantasy Football Rankings.
AUG. 27 UPDATE: Sam Bradford went 9-of-16 for 95 yards, two touchdowns and an interception at Kansas City. He was on fire in the first quarter, completing his first eight attempts for 76 yards. but was just 1-of-8 after that. Bradford took several hits at the beginning of the second quarter and was never the same, as he was guilty of having happy feet in the pocket on occasion. His interception was the result of staring down rookie receiver Greg Salas. He was also nearly picked off a second time on an attempt to Danario Alexander in the 2-minute drill. There’s no question that Bradford needs better receivers; having Sims-Walker as a No. 1 option is inexcusable. Bradford’s going to take a bunch of coverage sacks this year.
AUG. 15 UPDATE: Not exactly what I was looking for from Sam Bradford. Bradford went 7-of-12 for 45 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Colts. He settled for mostly short stuff and didn’t really test the defense downfield. Bradford played only four drives, so I’m not going to downgrade him in my 2011 Fantasy Football Rankings just yet. I’m expecting much more next weekend though.
The 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year threw 18 touchdowns last season, but only one in his final five games. This may scare some fantasy owners. Don’t fall into that category.
Three reasons to like Bradford as a sleeper next year: He’ll have more experience. He’ll also have a healthier receiving corps to work with. And Josh McDaniels is now his offensive coordinator. McDaniels turned Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton into fantasy stars. Imagine what he can do with a talent like Bradford.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 4,100 passing yards. 26 passing TDs. 14 INTs. 50 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 251.
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Eli Manning, QB, Giants. Bye: 7.
AUG. 30 UPDATE: Did Eli Manning really call himself a top-five quarterback? Did he forget to add the zero at the end? Because based on the way he’s played this preseason, he’s barely in the top 50. Manning looked like he raided Derek Anderson’s liquor cabinet prior to playing against the Jets. He threw for 200 yards, but went 15-of-30 and heaved two ugly picks. He seldom went through his progressions, he made poor decisions (the second pick was into double coverage), and he constantly overthrew his wideouts. On one occasion, he completely missed a wide-open Mario Manningham, who blew by two Jets defensive backs for what could have been an 85-yard touchdown.
Eli Manning’s 25 interceptions might make you think twice about drafting him. If you don’t recall what happened last season, a ton of Manning’s picks were tipped balls by his receivers. All quarterbacks have that issue, but the Giants easily led the league in that category.
Manning’s interception total will regress to the norm, making him a bit of an undervalued commodity.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 4,000 passing yards. 28 passing TDs. 18 INTs. 60 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 248.
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Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Bye: 11. 
SEPT. 5 UPDATE: It’s being reported that Peyton Manning could miss 4-5 games. If you draft him, make sure you have a very good backup.
SEPT. 2 UPDATE: Adam Schefter predicted Friday that Peyton Manning would not play against the Texans in Week 1, meaning Kerry Collins will start instead. The writing was on the wall when the Colts signed Collins. Try to avoid Manning in your fantasy drafts unless he falls to Round 5. Even then, make sure you have a solid backup because there’s no guarantee Manning will be 100 percent anytime soon.
AUG. 25 UPDATE: The Colts have pried Kerry Collins out of retirement. The initial thinking was that he was just serving as a major upgrade over Curtis “Finger” Painter. But Adam Schefter reported later that Indianapolis doesn’t expect Manning to be ready for the opener at Houston.
JULY 28 UPDATE: Thanks to the lockout, Peyton Manning’s lingering neck injury will keep him from participating in the early days of training camp. It’s unclear when Manning will be healthy. I don’t expect him to miss any games, but he could struggle in the first month or so of the season, much like he did in 2008.
The consensus was that Peyton Manning had a miserable season last year – the worst since his rookie campaign in 1998. Yet, Manning still threw for 4,700 yards, 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Manning will be better in 2011. It’s unlikely that he’ll have so many injuries on offense, so he won’t have to depend on scrubs again. Meanwhile, the offensive line can only be better with the additions of first- and second-round picks, Anthony Castonzo and Ben Ijalana.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 2,600 passing yards. 18 passing TDs. 7 INTs. 10 rushing yards. 0 rushing TDs.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 163.
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Jay Cutler, QB, Bears. Bye: 8.
Jay Cutler didn’t get killed behind Mike Martz’s Scotch Tape and glue offensive line as I expected last year, thanks to Mike Tice’s fantastic coaching.
However, Cutler is just a decent backup fantasy quarterback. His defense is so good that he doesn’t have to throw all that much. His receivers also suck, so that’s a problem as well.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,700 passing yards. 25 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 225 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 244.
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Kevin Kolb, QB, Cardinals. Bye: 6.
AUG. 1 UPDATE: The Cardinals signed Todd Heap, giving Kevin Kolb a reliable, seasoned target outside of Larry Fitzgerald. His fantasy potential has just improved.
“Kevin Kolb stinks. Did you see him against the Packers?” Yeah, the Super Bowl champion Packers who had a great defense? Yeah, I did. I also saw what Kolb did in three full starts later in the year: 810 yards, five touchdowns, three interceptions and 36 rushing yards.
Kolb is a talented quarterback, and he’ll have a solid fantasy season throwing to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, assuming that’s where he goes. We can only speculate right now, but the Cardinals are the favorite.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,725 passing yards. 23 passing TDs. 16 INTs. 140 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 229.
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Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Bills. Bye: 7.
AUG. 28 UPDATE: Ryan Fitzpatrick amazingly had his first incompletion at the 2:01 mark of the second quarter against the Jaguars, finishing 11-of-12 for 165 yards and two touchdowns in one half of action. He had numerous impressive throws, including a 52-yard scoring bomb to Steve Johnson and a great, 30-yard deep touch pass to Fred Jackson. Now in his second year in Buffalo, Fitzpatrick is a solid QB2 with an easy 2011 schedule.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had 23 touchdowns in 13 games. Impressive, right? Well, 11 of those scores came in his first four starts. In Fitzpatrick’s final five contests, he had just five touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Bills will constantly be trailing in 2011, so Fitzpatrick will constantly be asked to throw a lot. This, along with his rushing numbers, makes him a viable backup fantasy quarterback.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,350 passing yards. 23 passing TDs. 17 INTs. 300 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 228.
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Colt McCoy, QB, Browns. Bye: 5.
AUG. 14 UPDATE: Colt McCoy went 9-of-10 for 135 yards and a touchdown in a quarter-and-a-half of action in the preseason opener versus Green Bay. He was very impressive and certainly deserves a boost in my 2011 Fantasy Football Rankings. I’m not saying you should draft him as a possible starter or anything, but he’s looking like he could be a quality QB2.
I like Colt McCoy in real life. He’s going to be a very good game-manager for the Browns, thanks to his short accuracy, intelligence and leadership. However, he just doesn’t have the weapons around him to be a good fantasy quarterback this year, although his rushing numbers make him a decent backup in 12-team leagues.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,380 passing yards. 20 passing TDs. 12 INTs. 200 rushing yards. 2 rushing TDs.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 223.
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Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens. Bye: 5.
AUG. 20 UPDATE: Joe Flacco really misses Derrick Mason and Todd Heap. He just looked really uncomfortable in the preseason victory over the Chiefs, going 12-of-24 for just 124 yards in slightly more than a half of action. Flacco was completely out of sync, overthrowing Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith twice each. He also threw behind Ed Dickson on one attempt. With his two favorite targets gone, it’s reasonable to expect a decline from Flacco.
AUG. 7 UPDATE: Joe Flacco has now lost both Derrick Mason and Todd Heap this offseason. He obviously needs to be downgraded in the 2011 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings.
Big things were expected of Joe Flacco when the Ravens acquired Anquan Boldin. Unfortunately for Ozzie Newsome, he was conned into obtaining a lemon. Boldin is done, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s a final cut in September.
The Ravens drafted a pair of receivers fairly early (Torrey Smith and Tandon Doss), but expecting them to contribute as rookies amid a lockout might be too much to ask. If Smith and Doss develop, I’ll like Flacco a lot more in 2012 than I do in 2011.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,550 passing yards. 23 passing TDs. 14 INTs. 80 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 220.
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Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos. Bye: 6.
Kyle Orton posted some pretty stats in slightly less than a half of action against the Bills, going 10-of-13 for 135 yards and a touchdown. It’s hard to believe, but Orton actually performed better than those numbers indicate. He had a 22-yard reception to Eddie Royal wiped out because of a tripping penalty. Royal also dropped a pass. Despite the departure of Josh McDaniels, Orton still looks like a legitimate fantasy QB2.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Stats: 3,600 passing yards. 21 passing TDs. 12 INTs. 80 rushing yards. 1 rushing TD.
Projected 2011 Fantasy Points (ESPN Scoring): 218.
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterbacks (Sept. 5):
Top 10 | 11-20 | 21-35
More 2011 Fantasy Football Articles:
2011 Fantasy Football: Home
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 9/1 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 6/26 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Downloadable Spreadsheets - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Rankings - 8/27 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Auction Values - 8/27 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2011 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 Traditional - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 PPR - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 Touchdown - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Real League Draft - 8/31 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Fake Mock - 8/25 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Experts Draft - 8/25 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Forum 2-QB Mock - 7/21 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Mock Draft Scenarios - 7/17 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Auction: Mock PPR Auction - 7/14 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Forum PPR Mock - 7/7 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Forum Mock - 7/3 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Four-Man PPR Draft - 6/19 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Draft: Fox Sports - 5/5 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Articles:
2011 Fantasy Football Injury Reports: Week 2 - 9/18 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings: Week 2 - 9/18 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Week 2 Add/Drop - 9/13 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Training Camp Stock - 9/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Start Em, Sit Em - 9/6 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Preseason Stock - 9/3 (Walt)
2011 Preseason Recap and Fantasy Football Notes - 9/3 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Preseason Targets - 9/3 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Late-Round Sleepers - 9/1 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Round-by-Round Strategy - 9/1 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Value Comparison - 9/1
2011 Fantasy Football: Must-Have Players - 8/24 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Busts, Players to Avoid - 7/25 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 7/24 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Sleepers - 7/23 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Various League Strategy - 7/18 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Three-Dimensional Running Backs - 7/16 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: ADP Analysis - 7/15 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: First-Round Bust History - 7/10 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 7/9 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 7/4 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Analysis - 7/1 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 6/18 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 6/12 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 6/5 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Stock Up (Draft) - 5/6 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Stock Down (Draft) - 5/6 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Buy Low - 4/8 (Walt)
2011 Fantasy Football: Defense Strategy - 4/8 (Walt)
Running Backs with Most Carries - 4/8 (Walt)
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NFL Picks - Dec. 15
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Dec. 11
NFL Power Rankings - Dec. 9
2026 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 29
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
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