Quarterbacks Shine in Week 6

Aaron Rodger's historic day proves that star-studded quarterback play is still essential in fantasy football

(AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

By Gabriella Rusk 

At this point in the season, the fantasy breakout stars have, well, broken out. While everyone hopes to find one on the waiver wire such as the tall terrific tight end, the wonderfully wise wide receiver, the reckless yard returning running back, the truth is there isn’t too many star sleepers left to be awoken. All that’s left are spectacular performances from the players more or less expected to have great seasons. Guys that are picked early in the fantasy league’s draft finally are proving themselves worthy of that coveted roster position. And those guys are the quarterbacks.

Good ol’ Aaron Rodgers is a prime example. The first round fantasy quarterback threw for six touchdowns and 338 yards against the Texans on Sunday night, tying a team record. The 2011 NFL MVP remains a primer fantasy quarterback after a slow start in 2012.

Then there’s Peyton Manning who proved on Monday night that he is still a quarterback to be reckoned with. He threw for 3 touchdowns and 309 yards, leading the Broncos back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to win the game 35-24. It was the fourth-greatest regular-season comeback in NFL history, according to CBSsports.com.

Despite losing to the Titans, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 363 yards to become the franchise’s all-time passing leader. In his career, Big Ben has thrown for 28,066 yards, making him an elite quarterback in both the NFL and fantasy football.

To cap it off, Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, who suffered a concussion last week, had a 76 yard rushing touchdown, breaking the NFL record for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.  RG3 cashed in once again for his fantasy owners this week as he continues to dominate NFL defenses.

But fantasy football leagues remain wide open with eight weeks left to go before Week 14 playoffs. With NFL records still waiting to be broken, fantasy owners hope they are one up’d by players on their roster.