In need of a fantasy football win? We aren’t too far from the midway point of our regular season, and you can’t afford to fall too far behind. I’m here to help you break those ties and have your team pointing in the right direction when Week 5 is all said and done. Note that all stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
Which Quarterbacks Should Fantasy Managers Start in Week 5?
Brock Purdy | SF (vs. ARI)
Like everyone else, I watch the games every week and, for the most part, we know what to expect. Not from a production standpoint, but when it comes to how certain players/offenses operate – the Steelers are going to bludgeon you, the Cowboys are going to operate an air raid, etc.
I say that because my default assumption for the 49ers was that of a well-oiled machine, an offense that was always on time and relied very little in the way of improv.
That’s not what I saw last week. Brock Purdy was moving around more than normal and taking some chances, which I don’t associate with this Kyle Shanahan offense. When it comes to his fantasy prospects, I loved seeing this. Efficiency was his calling card last season, but posting one of the 10 best YPA seasons of all time isn’t exactly something I’m labeling as sustainable. If we can add a dash of risk-taking (i.e. George Kittle’s touchdown last week) to the meal Purdy cooks weekly, he could enter the second tier of signal caller.
Arizona has allowed the third-highest opponent passer rating this season, a number that is the direct result of a video game-ish 78.6% opponent completion percentage, a rate that is 5.2 percentage points clear of any other defense.
Purdy is the only quarterback with multiple 25-yard completions in all four weeks this season, and if that streak continues through this week, my QB6 ranking might prove to be too low. He attempted 46 passes in two games against the Cardinals last season, and five of them resulted in touchdowns.
If there’s a time to buy Purdy, it’s right now. You get access to this matchup but, more importantly, you position yourself to gain from a Rams-Dolphins-Lions close to the fantasy season (and another Cardinals matchup if your league extends to Week 18).
Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. CAR)
Not all rookies develop in the same manner or on the same timeline, that much we know. It’s true for every position and every sport – from the supporting cast to the coaching staff to generalized comfort with the speed of the game, there are a lot of moving pieces that these young kids have to deal with, so it tracks that growth will happen at varying rates.
While Jayden Daniels thrives in Washington, Caleb Williams has made a few tweaks over the past two weeks that have my interest as a dynasty manager:
Williams’ first two starts:
- Ten carries for 59 yards
- 56.1% completion
Williams’ last two starts:
- Six carries for 20 yards
- 66.7% completion
He completed just five of his 19 passes when pressured in his first two starts (26.3%), a rate that he’s improved to 53.3% (eight out of 15) since. The growth is great to see from the first overall pick, but it’s not nearly enough to put him on redraft radars right now (three finishes outside of the top 20).
That said, I’m very much holding all of my dynasty shares … if not actively trying to up my exposure. All that said — this week, I think he might be able to post his best fantasy performance of the season.
C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BUF)
C.J. Stroud has been a version of Allen thus far, but one with a more narrow range of outcomes (QB7 twice this season and outside of the top 12 in the other two weeks). How he gets his fantasy points is a bit different (34.8 passes thrown per game); in this matchup, that introduces a bit of a floor that I don’t believe exists for his opposing number.
The Bills have allowed a league-low 5.5 yards per pass attempt this season, excelling at covering up the perimeter, where Nico Collins traditionally lives. I expect the Texans to get creative with their ace receiver, but there is some risk in this profile that you need to be aware of when it comes to DFS.
The Bills blitz at the lowest rate in the league and that, naturally, comes with lower pressure numbers. In theory, that sounds great for a pocket passer like Stroud, but through four weeks, the numbers don’t reflect that.
Non-pressured numbers:
- 2023: 110.6 passer rating, 9.2 yards per attempt, 5.7% TD rate
- 2024: 95.5 passer rating, 6.8 yards per attempt, 4.8% TD rate
Stroud is my QB6 this week, and I think he’ll be productive, but Allen is my target in this game if that is how you’re piecing together a DFS weekly lineup.
Deshaun Watson | CLE (at WAS)
In Week 3, Deshaun Watson recorded his first multi-touchdown effort of the season (vs. Giants), and last week, he completed a season-high 75% of his passes (Weeks 1-3: 57.8%) to go along with a season-best eight carries (at Raiders).
These minor baby steps are encouraging for Superflex managers who I think can get away with starting him for a third consecutive week. The Commanders have allowed a league-high 123.3 opponent passer rating this season, a mark that is nearly 50 points ahead of Watson’s average this season.
If an 82-yard touchdown didn’t come off the board last week, I think there might be a little more talk of Watson as a threat to post a top-12 finish this week. Heck, if Amari Cooper doesn’t turn a chunk play into an interception, that might be the case. There are a handful of QBs on this slate who I think post their best fantasy performance of the season this week (Caleb Williams and Trevor Lawrence), and Watson is certainly a part of that list.
Geno Smith | SEA (vs. NYG)
Geno Smith produced career highs across the board on a fun Monday nigher in Detroit; as a result, he leads the league in passing yards through four weeks (1,182). The QBs who pile up yardage at that level aren’t always super aggressive downfield, but they rarely own an aDOT that is 14.7% below the league average like Smith’s.
I’m tempted to say that the past four weeks are the best month of Smith’s 2024 season (three top-10 finishes while getting there in a variety of ways). Despite the low aDOT, he’s been remarkably productive down the field – it’s he and Brock Purdy as the only players with at least three deep completions in all four weeks this season.
Despite my long-term worries, Smith is a top-12 QB for me this week against a Giants defense that has allowed the third-highest opponent completion percentage (72.6%).
Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. CLE)
What more is there to be said? I guess you could nitpick that he didn’t get credit for the 47-yard play (pass interference) that set up his rushing touchdown last week or that his interception was an unforced error, but the superlatives have been overwhelming through the first four weeks of Daniels’ career.
Highest comp pct in a 4-game span in a season since the merger
(min 100 attempts)2024 Jayden Daniels* 82.1%
2008 Peyton Manning^ 81.8%
2007 Tom Brady^ 79.2%*first 4 NFL starts
^won MVP this seasonThis is… INSANE pic.twitter.com/k2BD1SZtkt
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 29, 2024
Jayden Daniels is a top-five quarterback for me this week and, if he comes through on that optimism, he’ll officially be locked into the “matchup-proof” tier. The Browns have blitzed at the fourth-highest rate this season, something that figures to test if the kid’s ability to make quick and efficient reads is real.
We’ve seen nothing to suggest that it’s not.
Rostering Daniels has one drawback – you now need to deal with the pressure of making the most of your draft-day steal. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.
Joe Flacco | IND (at JAX)
Joe Flacco has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of his past six appearances, a stretch in which his offense picked up 7.8 yards per pass. Well, that happens to mesh well against a Jaguars defense that is allowing the fourth-most yards per attempt this season (8.0).
I like this matchup more for Flacco because of how Jacksonville defends – the Jags’ 17.5% blitz rank is the second lowest in the league through four weeks (league average: 25.9%). I like Richardson’s athleticism when he is pushed to extend plays and his receivers can work open off-script, but I prefer Flacco’s IQ in spots like this where he figures to be sitting unencumbered in the pocket.
Jordan Love | GB (at LAR)
Jordan Love, predictably, looked rusty against an aggressive Vikings bunch in his return to action after missing just two games due to an MCL sprain. But his willingness to cut it loose late was encouraging.
As the Packers find their groove, Love saved your fantasy matchup with the best fourth quarter of his career (20.1 fantasy points, a number that Aaron Rodgers only topped twice during his time with the team). It required garbage time (garbage-adjacent, at the very least) for Love to reward your loyalty last week, something that I don’t think will be the case this week.
We know about the receiver talent in Green Bay, so the fact that Tucker Kraft’s production from last week could carry over (Rams: league-high 10.6 yards allowed per tight end target this season) lands Love safely inside my top 10 at the position.
We got glimpses of meaningful mobility from Love last season, and that’s what I’ll be watching in this game. I don’t have any questions about him as a passer, but if he’s going to be a difference-maker this season, Love’s ability to move around is critical.
Josh Allen | BUF (at HOU)
Josh Allen failed from a fantasy perspective last week against an MVP candidate, and he gets a chance for immediate redemption in Houston this week. If you roster Buffalo’s All-Pro, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you are 2-2 and in the middle of your league standings.
Why? Allen has a pair of weeks where he was the top overall producer at the position and two where he failed to finish as a top-25 option.
Personally, I think that’s noisy. In this Joe Brady system, Allen has shown the ability to rack up fantasy points, so I’m not the least bit worried about the Texans owning the lowest opponent completion percentage through the first month of the season (57.3%). That is a fact, but it’s also the product of some early season matchups – Sam Darnold is the one dangerous passer they’ve faced, and they coughed up four scores to him on 17 completions.
This game has the potential to soar over its projected total, and if that’s the case, we could be looking at two of the five highest-scoring players of Week 5.
Justin Fields | PIT (vs. DAL)
Six weeks ago, Justin Fields was viewed as an underdog to start a game in September, let alone finish a slate as fantasy’s top producer at the position as he did in Week 4 (312 passing yards with three total scores).
I’m going to stop short of calling Arthur Smith a QB whisperer, but this month from Fields (70.6% complete with just one interception) is a résumé highlight.
it's still not all totally clean, but Justin Fields keeps looking more confident and cutting out mistakes every week. pic.twitter.com/vsnDg48Kky
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 1, 2024
Fields has shown poise in the pocket and funneled 26% of his completions the way of his clear-cut top option in George Pickens. He’s checking every box right now, and that locks him into my top 10 in a matchup that no longer scares me.
Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain) and DeMarcus Lawrence (mid-foot sprain) figure to be sidelined for the majority of October. At the very least, neither is going to be wreaking havoc on the Steelers this week.
The impact of any player or two on a defensive unit is tough to quantify, but this defense has underwhelming metrics through four weeks as it is — missing two stars isn’t going to help.
Dallas’ pressure rate when blitzing
- 2019: 44.4%
- 2020: 45.4%
- 2021: 45.7%
- 2022: 46.7%
- 2023: 49.2%
- 2024: 38.9%
It’s possible you added Fields for depth at the position and are now saddled with a tough decision. My answer is yes.
Yes, I’d play him over Patrick Mahomes.
It’s a tough click to make and could look dumb, but I follow the numbers and everything I’ve looked at leans the way of Fields.
What a world.
Kyler Murray | ARI (at SF)
I had Kyler Murray ranked as my QB1 last week, thinking that an ideal matchup against the Commanders would prove more impactful than not having Trey McBride at his disposal.
I stand by that train of thought, but Arizona had the ball for under 27 minutes and never got on track. Murray was efficient with a 72.7% completion rate, he just didn’t have a ton of valuable opportunities.
He’s not my QB1 this week in a tougher matchup, but Murray’s versatility, along with a nice stable of pass catchers, makes him a lineup lock that you need not think twice about, even after consecutive underwhelming weeks. He faced the 49ers once last season and had 45 opportunities (pass + rush attempts) — if he gets anything like that on Sunday, his production ceiling is as high as anyone in the sport.
Lamar Jackson | BAL (at CIN)
Lamar Jackson has thrown a total of 33 passes over the past two weeks (both wins) after averaging 37.5 attempts per game through the first two games of the season (both losses). But with his ability to gash defenses on the ground in this Todd Monken offense, he’s been able to finish as a top-10 fantasy QB in all four weeks this season with three top-five finishes to his name.
Longest QB streaks since 2023 with a 15+ yard rush
- Jackson: Weeks 14-17, 2023
- Kyler Murray: Week 18, 2023 – Week 3, 2024
- Jackson: Weeks 1-4, 2024
The reigning MVP has cleared 22 fantasy points in four of his past five games against the Bengals (50+ rushing yards in each of those contests) and has multiple passing scores in five of his past seven against the divisional rival.
Jackson is my top overall quarterback this week and will be heavily rostered across my DFS portfolio for his elite floor.
Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. NO)
At what point do we ignore the name on the back of the jersey and focus on the raw production?
Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been a top-15 producer at the position in three straight weeks, and this doesn’t exactly profile as a bounce-back situation with the Saints owning the lowest opponent passer rating against (68.0; NFL average: 90.4).
If you manage your team like I do and refuse to roster multiple quarterbacks, I don’t think you need to panic and make a move. The Saints have allowed the second most yards per pass to the tight end position through four weeks (9.4), and that figures to be where Mahomes is leaning this week as his aging star at the position is seemingly the only skill player on this team that can stay on the field.
Mahomes did drop a dime to Xavier Worthy last week, snapping a 30-game run without a 50-yard touchdown pass, at least giving us a glimpse of what we think could be an impactful connection as this season wears on.
Mahomes is hovering around QB10 in my rankings, his lowest mark of the season, but I doubt I ever get to the point where I’ll consider him an auto-bench.
Trevor Lawrence | JAX (vs. IND)
These days, it’s rare to see the Jaguars broken down (be it on TV, a podcast, or otherwise) without mention of Lawrence’s losing streak. Yes, things have been a mess, there’s no avoiding that, but we live in a fantasy world where every week is the most important of the season, regardless of what the NFL standings say.
Trevor Lawrence completed at least two-thirds of his passes with multiple scores in both games against these Colts a season ago, a level of success that I think is well within the range of outcomes for Sunday. The numbers aren’t pretty this season (53.3% completion percentage with under 180 passing yards in three of four games), but he’s missed on a handful of bombs that could have been plays worth 5-7 fantasy points.
Those misses are, of course, on Lawrence, but we have seen him connect on those attempts in the past; against the seventh-worst defense in terms of yards per pass, we could get a spike week for the NFL’s QB3 in terms of average depth of throw.
Lawrence is hovering around QB15 in my rankings. He isn’t someone I’d plug in over your current option in season-long formats, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if his name is highlighted on some big-money DFS builds.
Which Quarterbacks Should Fantasy Managers Sit in Week 5?
Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at MIN in London)
Catch and release.
A Jennifer Garner movie from nearly 20 years ago or the name of the Jets’ playbook?
How about both? Rodgers has the highest quick-pass rate of his career (73.4%; he never reached 70% as a Packer after becoming their full-time starter), and while that has worked when everything clicks (two top-12 finishes), it also takes very little to disturb (QB20 or worse in his other two games).
In theory, the blitz-happy Vikings should be susceptible to such a playbook, but they’ve been able to operate with controlled aggression due to positive game scripts. Your confidence in Rodgers, in my opinion, hinges on your belief in the Vikings.
Minnesota owns the third-lowest opponent passer rating this season (75.0), and after watching them suffocate Rodgers’ former employer for three quarters before letting their guard down, I’m tempted to doubt that he can be efficient enough to make this low volume (10th-slowest) offense that lacks creativity (ninth-lowest play-action rate) work.
Aaron Rodgers is an easy bench for me this week and ranks outside of my top 15 at the position.
Andy Dalton | CAR (at CHI)
You can’t stop the Red Rifle, you can only hope to contain him. Believe it or not, Andy Dalton is the only quarterback in the league this season with consecutive games of 25+ completions and multiple scoring strikes, a production level that has earned him finishes of eighth and 13th in his starts.
The funny part is that nothing has really changed in this offense; he’s simply better at running the designs that Bryce Young was.
Leaders in quick-pass rate (min. 50 attempts):
- Dalton: 83.3%
- Mayfield: 79.1%
- Young: 75%
Everything Dalton has done over the past two weeks passes the eye test for me, but this matchup serves as a stop sign. Not a normal stop sign in a quiet neighborhood that is often rolled through without much issue – we are talking about the type that precedes a train stop and is followed by multiple hints that moving forward might not be in your best interest.
The Bears own the second-lowest passer rating against this season (69.0), a number that is the result of their ability to shut down those quick/short passes (league-low 66.6 opponent passer rating on balls thrown less than 10 yards downfield).
Both things can be true – I don’t think Dalton holding weekly value is a fluke, and I don’t want any piece of him this week (currently my QB22). The Bears’ defense is one I’d rather not mess with, and if their offense continues to trend in the right direction, teams facing Chicago could have both a quality and quantity problem.
Bo Nix | DEN (vs. LV)
By now, you’ve seen Bo Nix’s halftime and full-time box scores from a downright ugly Week 4 win over the Jets. I’m not as concerned about the floor performance as I am about the fact that the Broncos can win a game with that little from their offense.
I continue to believe that Nix will pop up on highlight shows in a positive way throughout this season, but not on nearly a consistent enough basis to make it matter for us. He has just one finish this season better than QB20, and that’s the range I have him ranked this week.
Dak Prescott | DAL (at PIT)
I don’t mean to nitpick but in a game with a 55-yard touchdown pass and a completion percentage north of 81%, 16.7 fantasy points against the Giants on Thursday was underwhelming.
Dak Prescott took what the defense was giving him. While that’s not a bad thing for Dallas, fantasy managers need more aggression — aggression that I fear we might not see on a weekly basis, given the limitations of his supporting cast outside of the great CeeDee Lamb.
New York put a cap on its defense and held Prescott to a 5.5 average depth of target. This after three straight games of Dallas’ QB recording a rate of at least 8.5 yards.
I was impressed with his ball placement on some of those in-breaking routes, which leaves him open for future upside in catch-and-run spots. But the fact that he was just 4 of 8 passing on third downs (18-19 otherwise) caught my eye.
Struggles in that department, obviously, kill drives and lower possession expectations. Prescott remains a fringe QB1 due to the Cowboys’ inability to move the ball on the ground. They led for seven of nine drives in Week 4 and couldn’t enforce their will (23 carries for 80 yards), but the upside is limited in a significant way.
Daniel Jones | NYG (at SEA)
Daniel Jones completed 29 passes on Thursday night, tied for the second-highest total he’s ever recorded. He cleared his season high by 45 passing yards yet failed to reach 10 fantasy points and let anyone who played him down after a pair of top-12 finishes at the position against the Commanders and Browns.
Jones looked fine as an NFL quarterback, but he didn’t do any of the things we needed from a fantasy point of view. After a gimme 39-yard completion on the third play of the game to Malik Nabers, Jones went just 2 of 7 with an interception when attempting to throw deep in Week 4.
The quantity of throws doesn’t project to be the issue for Jones, given the state of the Giants team; but the quality is obviously a concern. Oftentimes, he can make up for this flaw with his legs, but Jones carried the ball just four times for three yards and has yet to break a 10-yard gain on the ground this season.
I don’t doubt that Jones will post another few usable weeks this season, which is great if you roster him in a Best Ball setting, but the idea of choosing to play him in a redraft format isn’t for me.
Since 2008, Jones has been one of two quarterbacks to throw 40+ passes without a touchdown in two September games in the same season (the other: Jacoby Brissett last season).
Derek Carr | NO (at KC)
Derek Carr is playing good football (72% completion rate and 8.2 yards per pass attempt), but his path to fantasy viability isn’t as simple as playing well.
Taysom Hill subbed in for him last week in goal-line situations, and Alvin Kamara has turned back the hands of time in the early going, two happenings that cut Carr’s upside out from underneath him. After a pair of top-six finishes to open the season, New Orleans’ signal caller has fantasy finishes of QB25 and QB29 to his name – that’s not going to work.
Only six teams have allowed fewer deep completions than the Chiefs this season (eight), and they own the seventh-best red-zone defense in the league. I’m trending toward not wanting to mess with a Chiefs matchup if I don’t have to – the defense is better than the league average and the offense isn’t putting points on the board at a rate that requires increased aggression from their opponents.
The Chiefs allow the second-most yards per RB target this season, so if you want to double down with a Carr/Kamara stack in DFS, that’s an option backed with logic – it’s logic that is accurate but will not be impacting how I build out my daily lineups.
Gardner Minshew II | LV (at DEN)
Gardner Minshew led the league in completion percentage through two weeks (77.5%), but his efficiency has tailed off since (61.5%), and I’m not sure I see that changing with Davante Adams banged up and/or on the trade block.
Denver is a top-three defense in both blitz and pressure rate, making it an uphill battle for Minshew to finish as a top-15 producer for the first time this season.
Jacoby Brissett | NE (vs. MIA)
Jacoby Brissett ran for 32 yards in the upset win over the Bengals to open the season, giving Superflex managers some hope that he could backdoor his way into some fantasy points.
It was a mirage.
Brissett has just nine rushing yards to his name since that “explosion,” and considering that he is averaging just 5.3 yards per pass attempt in an offense that would rather not throw the ball, there’s little reason to be optimistic.
His peak performance this season is QB24, a rating he could surpass this week, but not by much. Which QB will lead this game in fantasy points is potentially an interesting wager to make with your friends.
I’m workshopping ideas here. I still have a handful of days to find a reason to devote a screen to this game.
Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. BAL)
Over the past three weeks, Joe Burrow has thrown multiple touchdown passes, recorded a triple-digit passer rating, and led his Bengals to at least 25 points in all three games. The stinker to open the season against the Patriots (164 passing yards with no touchdowns) is a distant memory at this point, as Joe Cool seems to have found his rhythm, potentially saving Cincinnati’s season in the process.
This matchup, however, is a little different than the cupcakes he has faced in each of the past two weeks (Commanders and Panthers), two matchups that allowed him to earn an A- and B by our tough QB+ grading scale. The Ravens own the ninth-highest non-blitz sack rate this season, positioning them to put Burrow in a tough spot given that his quick-throw rate is pacing for the lowest of his career.
This Cincinnati offense can be dangerous, but the down-the-field routes often take time to develop, and that’s not a luxury I’m projecting Burrow to have on Sunday. He has failed to hit 15.4 fantasy points in each of his past three regular season games against Baltimore, averaging a borderline pathetic 5.4 yards per pass attempt across those contests.
Sandwiched between two early season matchups with the Ravens are games against the Giants, Browns, Eagles, and Raiders – you’re going to get plenty of usage out of Burrow in the coming month, but I’d sit him down this week if you have the opportunity to play a Baker Mayfield or maybe even a Geno Smith instead.
Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. GB)
Matthew Stafford was going to be operating on the fringes of usability this season in a best-case scenario, so it should be no surprise that his value has tailed off given the impactful injuries.
After completing 34 passes in the season-opening loss to the Lions with an active Puka Nacua, Stafford hasn’t even attempted 30 passes in a game. For a pocket-locked QB, it shouldn’t be a surprise that limited volume at that level has resulted in three straight finishes outside of the top-20 scorers at the position.
Stafford is a low-end QB2 this week that I’m actively looking to replace with other options if at all possible in a Superflex setting (Joe Flacco is an easy play over him if he gets the start, and I’m not against embracing chaos with Bo Nix against the Raiders if you have the choice).
Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. NYJ in London)
Another week, another multi-touchdown effort from Sam Darnold. The efficiency is great to see, but is his fantasy stock a little too tied to something that could prove to be fleeting?
Maybe you trust the Darnold/Kevin O’Connell tandem in a Brock Purdy/Kyle Shanahan sort of way. If not, Darnold’s standing as a viable weekly option is on thin ice. He’s not a stiff, but he’s far from the type of quarterback who will pile up the points with his legs.
Any signal-caller with that profile who has more fantasy points than completions this season is going to be flagged by my regression metrics.
That’s not to take anything away from what Darnold has done through September — he’s been amazing. That said, fantasy is a game of looking forward, not back (his pace for 47 passing TDs means nothing to me), and that has me lower than the industry on him.
Darnold isn’t in the QB1 conversation this week, and I have no problem in saying that I think the month we just saw from the former third-overall pick will be his best of the season.
If you’re with me, sell him to the highest bidder and build up your roster elsewhere. If not, then you’re hanging your hat on an outlier season and praying for similar efficacy in this matchup in Week 17 when the Packers come to Minnesota.
Tyler Huntley | MIA (at NE)
Tyler Huntley and this entire Dolphins offense was abysmal on Monday night, so much so that my social media feeds were spammed with, “Thank God there’s a second game” posts. They weren’t wrong – Miami’s offense was just as tough a watch last week as they were the week before, and I’m not sure what that will change for the foreseeable future.
On the bright side, Huntley rushed for a score and directed 61.9% of his passes to Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle. Sure, those passes did almost nothing of significance, but him concentrating his looks on his primary playmakers, along with some above-average mobility, is enough for me to take his side this weekend when I inevitably get a handful of Superflex questions regarding him against a low-end WR2 with a five-to-seven-target projection.
It’s ugly in Miami these days, and this is the game I am least looking forward to watching. Check back for our picks and predictions column – I’ll be diving into the props to find some excuse to keep an eye on this AFC East pillow fight.