Fantasy football often hinges on crucial decisions each week that can dramatically impact your team’s success. Identifying who to start or sit at key positions can prove challenging as matchups, player form, and team dynamics constantly evolve.
Understanding these factors is essential for gaining an edge over your opponents. This week presents some intriguing quarterback options that fantasy managers should carefully evaluate.
Start ‘Em: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (at CHI)
Unsurprisingly, the move from Russell Wilson to Jaxson Dart didn’t exactly turn the entire New York Giants team into one capable of winning games. What it did do is revitalize the offense.
The Giants cannot stop anyone defensively, which is bad for them, but great for fantasy. It means Jaxson Dart is always being asked to do a lot.
Dart has now started six games in his young NFL career. In Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, he posted 17.6 fantasy points. That’s the worst he’s performed from a fantasy standpoint.
Dart has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every start. He’s rushed for a touchdown in all but one game. And he’s topped 50 rushing yards in all but two games.
The Chicago Bears just gave up 42 points to 40-year-old Joe Flacco. They’re allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Dart is a locked-in top six option against this beatable defense.
JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (vs. BAL)
It was a mixed bag for JJ McCarthy in his first game back after a lengthy hiatus due to a high ankle sprain. From a real-life perspective, there are no criticisms.
McCarthy, a de facto rookie, returned after a long layoff to go on the road and upset one of the best teams in football, the division rival Detroit Lions. He certainly looked the part. Statistically, though, it wasn’t exactly the greatest performance.
McCarthy only completed 56% of his passes for 143 yards. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for a third. But even with Aaron Jones Sr. set to miss time again, the Minnesota Vikings are going to score touchdowns via Jordan Mason. They won’t all be via their quarterback.
Fortunately, there should be plenty to go around this week against a Baltimore Ravens defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
With Lamar Jackson back, the Ravens offense has returned to its elite ways. Even at home, the Vikings are likely to fall behind on the scoreboard. That should give fantasy managers much more volume from McCarthy this week, making him a viable streaming option if you’re looking to replace someone like Patrick Mahomes or Dak Prescott for a week.
Sit ‘Em: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (at HOU)
The degree to which Trevor Lawrence has “gotten away with it” this year is astronomical. He truly hasn’t played well in a single game. Yet, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 5-3 and very much in the playoff hunt.
He’s even somehow skated by for fantasy managers, posting at least 17.6 fantasy points in four straight contests. Last week, Lawrence didn’t throw a single touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders, but still managed 22.2 points because he ran two of them in.
There has been, however, one game in which Lawrence was an actual disaster. One game in which he failed to reach double digit fantasy points. It was in Week 3 against the Houston Texans.
No team allows fewer fantasy points per game to quarterbacks than Houston. They are the only team that has yet to allow a single QB1 performance (top 12) in fantasy this season.
The Texans are coming off a tough last-second loss to the Denver Broncos. The Jaguars are coming off a thrilling last-second victory over the Raiders. Time for your classic double reverse. Even if Davis Mills has to start for Houston, this smells like a low-scoring, ugly Texans win where Lawrence throws for something like 180 scoreless yards with multiple turnovers.
Justin Fields, New York Jets (vs. CLE)
I remain convinced that Justin Fields was going to be benched for Tyrod Taylor ahead of Week 8 and only held onto the job because of Taylor’s knee injury. Since Fields wound up leading the New York Jets to a victory, it stands to reason he will remain the starter coming out of the bye. His reward? A date with one of the best defenses in football.
The Cleveland Browns are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Some notable results were 13.7 points from Jared Goff, 12.1 points from Jordan Love, and 8.8 points from Joe Burrow. You can and should fear this defense.
Fields is not exactly known for overcoming difficult matchups. We saw how low the floor can be against the Broncos when Fields threw for 45 yards in a complete football game, posting 4.9 fantasy points. While he does have 20+ fantasy points in four of his five games that he didn’t leave early, this sure looks like a game in which he might get benched at halftime again. You cannot rust Fields.