The bye weeks have now come and gone, meaning the end of the season is quickly approaching.  With a full slate of games, who is a good play?  How should we value players like Matt Schaub or Matt Ryan based off of Week 11?  How highly ranked should seemingly new starters Chad Henne and Colin Kaepernick be?  Let’s take a look and see how everything currently stands:

1. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at New York Giants
2. Peyton Manning – Denver Broncos – at Kansas City
3. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – at Tampa Bay
4. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at New York Jets
5. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – vs. San Francisco
6. Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins – at Dallas
7. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Oakland
8. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Washington
9. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Buffalo
10. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – at Philadelphia
11. Carson Palmer – Oakland Raiders – at Cincinnati
12. Eli Manning – New York Giants – vs. Green Bay
13. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – vs. Houston
14. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – at San Diego
15. Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Atlanta
16. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – at Miami
17. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans – at Detroit
18. Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco 49ers – at New Orleans
19. Chad Henne – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Tennessee
20. Philip Rivers – San Diego Chargers – vs. Baltimore
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Buffalo Bills – at Indianapolis
22. Jake Locker – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville
23. Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams – at Arizona
24. Nick Foles – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Carolina
25. Mark Sanchez – New York Jets – vs. New England

Thoughts:

• Matt Ryan is coming off a terrible week.  Despite throwing for 301 yards, he had no touchdowns and five interceptions.  Before we get worked up, keep in mind that he entered the week with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions, so it is easy to see a rebound coming quickly.  Throw in a matchup with the Buccaneers, who entered Week 11 allowing the most yards per game in the league (321.3) and saw Cam New ton throw for 252 yards and a touchdown.  Don’t downgrade him base on the interceptions last week.
• Any concerns regarding Robert Griffin III and his throwing ability were wiped away in the blink of an eye.  Entering Week 11 he had eight touchdown passes and had thrown multiple touchdowns in a game twice (never more than two).  Last week he went 14 of 15 for 200 yards and four touchdowns (as well as rushing for 84 yards).  Dallas is going to offer a tough matchup, though being a dual threat helps keep him pushed up the rankings.
• The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed 20 passing touchdowns this season, while Peyton Manning has thrown for three touchdowns in six of his past seven games and multiple touchdowns in eight of ten games this season.  Seems like a perfect matchup, doesn’t it?
• Andy Dalton hasn’t thrown for a ton of yardage the past two weeks (429), but he has six touchdowns and no interceptions.  Taking on a Raiders defense that has allowed 20 TD with six interceptions, Dalton is a very good bet this week.
• While Eli Manning is far from a “good” play, with a week off you have to think that he is going to figure out what the problems have been and rectify them…  Don’t we?  It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Packers and Giants have a shootout, so keep Manning as a low-end QB1`despite his recent decline.  The Giants typically, as a whole, struggle in the middle of the season before getting hot again late.  Hopefully this week marks the beginning of his resurgence.
• Carson Palmer did throw for over 300 yards again in Week 11, though some of that came during garbage time.  That said there is no reason to think the Bengals are going to be able to slow him down.  Palmer now has over 300 yards in three straight games, with eight touchdowns and six interceptions over that span.  He’s on a roll, and should be able to keep things going.
• It was an unbelievable performance for Matt Schaub in Week 11, throwing for 527 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.  That said does anyone really expect him to come reasonably close to that?  The Texans are a running team, so Schaub should continue to be viewed as a mid-level QB2.
• Chad Henne stepped in for Jacksonville and exploded for 354 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.  Obviously those numbers are not repeatable, but with a favorable matchup against the Titans he should be viewed as a viable QB2 this week.

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Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 rankings:

• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 50 Wide Receivers
• Top 25 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Defenses
• Top 15 Kickers