Week 6 quarterbacks: start/sit

October 16, 2:38 PMBoston Fantasy Sports ExaminerMark Fuery

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Brady should be at the top of your rankings for week 6.

Last week was a tough one for quarterbacks as many fantasy owners were left scrambling to find a good fill in. Last week Jay Cutler, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers all had byes, making it one of the toughest bye weeks in recent memory.

This week they are all back, and although they aren’t as brutal as last week’s byes, there are a couple of big names who will have to be replaced for this week. Peyton Manning and Tony Romo are both off in week 6, so make sure you have a solid backup in place.

This week looks to be a strong week for quarterbacks as many of the top signal callers have favorable match-ups. Here are a few you should have in your lineup, along with some you want to stay away from.

Top pick of the week:

Tom Brady, NE – Even the most biased Patriots fan will tell you that Brady hasn’t quite been right this season, but he has still been much better than average. Last week he threw two touchdowns for just the second time this season in a loss against the Broncos. He added 215 yards to make it a solid performance overall, and good enough to get a win for many of his owners. If your league gave bonus points for wearing the best uniforms ever you were golden!

Look for Brady to build on that performance this week when he faces the defensively challenged Tennessee Titans. No team has given up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than the Titans, so Brady should have chances to connect with his wide array of weapons. Expect Brady to show flashes of his record breaking 2007 season this week.

Others to start:

Aaron Rodgers, GB – While Rodgers has played well this season, he has been somewhat disappointing to the fantasy owners who spent a high draft pick on him.

The biggest reason for his inconsistent play (in fantasy terms only, he has been great for the Packers) is the lack of protection. Luckily for Rodgers and his owners, the Packers face the Detroit Lions this week. The Lions pass rush is nonexistent, so Rodgers should get plenty of time to throw.

Rodgers is a top-3 quarterback this week. Starting him should be a no-brainer.

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT – Roethlisberger used to be a perfect example of a player who is much better at real football than fantasy football. This year that hasn’t been the case.

So far, Big Ben is averaging 294 yards per game and has thrown for eight touchdowns. This week he faces the hapless and hopeless Browns defense. He could very well end up as the top quarterback this week, but there is also a chance the Steelers will go into cruise control late in the game.

There is a chance you got Roethlisberger as your backup quarterback this season, make sure he is your starter this week.

David Garrard, JAX - If you started Garrard last week, you lost! Don’t let that cloud your vision this week. The Jags are coming out with something to prove this week against the NFL’s worst team, the St. Louis Rams.

Last week Garrard was without his top target, Mike Sims-Walker. He will be back this week and Garrard will be his normal reliable self.

I can’t condone having him as your top quarterback, but he is a nice play for anyone who is losing Peyton Manning this week. Look for 200 and two scores from Garrard as the Jags bounce back and show that they are nowhere near as bad as they looked last week.

Kyle Orton, DEN – Orton, like the rest of the Broncos, has exceeded all expectations so far. The former game manager is now putting up strong fantasy stats and is making a case to become a number-one fantasy QB for the rest of the season.

Last week he threw for 330 and two touchdowns in an overtime thriller against the Patriots, a rarity for the Orton of old. This week we get to see if it was a fluke or not when he faces a weak San Diego secondary.

He looks to have developed a nice chemistry with Brandon Marshall, which can only help him against a San Diego team that can’t cover anybody. He may not reach 330, but you can rely on him to get into the end zone at least twice.

Quarterbacks to sit:

Matt Cassel, KC – Since going to Kansas City, Cassel has become the master of the garbage time touchdown. Luckily for fantasy owners, those count just the same.

His seven touchdowns are proof that stats can be misleading. Cassel simply has not been very good this year.

This week he faces what looks to be a favorable matchup against Washington, after all, it has become trendy to bash the Skins and everything involved with them. However, Washington has the third best pass defense in the NFL, averaging a meager 171.2 yards against. Add to that Cassel’s average of 177.8 and you have the recipe for disaster.

If you own Cassel this may be a good week to cut ties with him. His 7-to-2 TD-INT ratio may be appealing in a trade offer if you can find an owner who hasn’t seen a Chiefs game yet. Try to move him, and don’t start him this week.

Jake Delhomme, CAR – Delhomme has been dreadful this season outside of his 308 yard performance against Atlanta, but this week’s matchup against Tampa looks intriguing, especially for Manning and Romo owners. Don’t do it!

The Panthers have a fantastic running game, an average at best group of receivers (after Steve Smith) and are well aware of their QB problems. Look for them to run all over the Bucs and minimize the effect Delhomme can have on the game, both positively and negatively.

If he is put in a position to throw, I just don’t trust him, even against a bad team. There are better options on the free agent list.

Eli Manning, NYG – The lesser Manning has been playing arguably the best football of his young career so far in 2009, but this week has potential for a step backwards.

As we all know, he is battling a nagging foot injury. Last week it didn’t slow him down as he dominated the Raiders while practicing the fool-proof “Throw away from Asomugha” strategy.

This week he faces a defense that is much more than a one-man show. The Saints have surprisingly become one of the best defenses in the NFL thought the first quarter of the season. They have only given up three passing touchdowns while intercepting opposing quarterbacks 10 times. They are also getting decent pressure with 10 sacks.

Add it all up and it doesn’t look good for Manning, especially when he is less than 100 percent. If you have Manning, you probably took him as your backup QB anyway (I even got him as a third in some leagues), go with your original starter this week.