Fantasy Football Sleepers 2014: 3 Underrated Quarterbacks, 3 Overrated QBs For Week 5

It’s been an interesting year for fantasy football quarterbacks, as Week 5 of the 2014 NFL season approaches. Through the first four weeks, it’s been the second tier signal callers that have been the most productive.

While Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers were considered to be the elite players at their position in fantasy drafts, none of those quarterbacks rank in the top five in points, according to Yahoo! Sports. Andrew Luck takes the top spot, leading the league with 13 touchdown passes and 1,305 yards.

With only the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins having byes in Week 5, all of the NFL’s top quarterbacks will be on the field. Below are three underrated and three overrated quarterbacks for the upcoming fantasy football week.

Underrated

Philip Rivers

A quarter of the way through the season, Rivers has become a must-start for most fantasy owners. He’s been as good as any quarterback in the NFL, leading the league in passer rating and throwing just one interception. He’s thrown at least two touchdowns in each of the last three games, and he has a favorable matchup in Week 5 against a poor New York Jets secondary. Owners that drafted a quarterback to start ahead of Rivers should take advantage of their situation and look at trade options.

Ben Roethlisberger

Even though his team did poorly in Week 4, Roethlisberger was one of the best fantasy quarterbacks on the schedule. He’s likely to be among the top performers again in Week 5 when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars have the worst pass defense in football, and continue to alow quarterbacks to put up big numbers. Rivers reached the 300-yard mark early in the first half in Jacksonville's last game, and Andrew Luck threw for 370 yards the previous week. Expect Roethlisberger to go for at least 300 yards and two scores of his own.

Jay Cutler

Owners of Cutler shouldn’t be concerned with what was Cutler’s worst performance of 2014. He’s historically bad against the Green Bay Packers, going 1-9 against his division rivals. He’s tied for the fourth-most pass attempts on the season, and that number shouldn’t go down in Week 5. The Chicago Bears are set to visit the Carolina Panthers, who allowed quarterbacks to throw for 523 yards and five touchdowns in back-to-back losses. Cutler will continue throw the ball and find his way into the end zone multiple times against a team that has just three interceptions.

Overrated

Teddy Bridgewater

Bridgewater was impressive in his first NFL start, but owners must be wary not to overreact to one good game. The quarterback still hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass, and the Vikings’ offense relies on the run. Even the best rookie quarterbacks have their struggles, and Bridgewater could be in for plenty of them on Thursday night. With just three days’ rest and recovering from an ankle injury, the quarterback isn’t a great starting option.

Matt Ryan

Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons’ offense has looked as good any team at home, but it’s been just the opposite on the road. The trend is similar to that of last year, when Ryan threw 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions at home, compared to 13 scores and 14 picks on the road. The New York Giants have one of the most talented secondaries in the league, and the team has played much better in the last two games. Ryan could be on track to commit two or three turnovers at MetLife Stadium.

Nick Foles

Foles had his first poor performance in week 4, he might not bounce back like owners would want him to in Week 5. The Philadelphia Eagles face the St. Louis Rams, who rank third in the NFL, allowing just 187.3 passing yards per game. LeSean McCoy could finally have a big performance, but Foles might have another down week.