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The quarterback position was full of surprises in Week 13. No one expected Ryan Fitzpatrick to be the highest scoring QB on this slate or Deshaun Watson right behind him against a tough Patriots defense. Nonetheless, we have lots to discuss as we head into Week 14. Salaries via DraftKings.
Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6,000) vs. Jets
Not only did Fitz post an impressive performance, but it was also enough to actually BEAT the Eagles by a score of 37-31. We can always count of him to throw the ball and he did just that, completing 27-of-39 attempts for 365 yards three touchdowns and an interception, good for 30.8 DKFP. We all knew that the Eagles secondary had its issues but they simply couldn’t handle DeVante Parker, who not only was Fitzpatricks favorite target but accounted for 159 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches and 37.9 DKFP. As for Fitz, this was the second time he’s thrown for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in a game. He’s riding a lot of momentum right now and will draw a very favorable matchup in Week 14.
Seeing a $600 increase in salary, Fitz will now face the Jets in a divisional matchup in New York. The Jets hover around league average in terms of production allowed to opposing QB’s with 18.7 DKFP and 257 passing yards. To be fair, however, their schedule has been fairly soft as of late, seeing Dwayne Haskins, Derek Carr and Andy Dalton over the last three weeks. Hate to say it, but Fitz is probably the best QB they’ll see as of late. The Jets secondary has so many holes that it’s going to be tough once again to stop Parker, who himself jumped a massive $1,200 in salary to $6,900 this week. That QB-WR stack will be widely talked about as the week progresses and rightfully so, as the Jets allow an average of 38.7 DKFP and 165 receiving yards to opposing receivers. Get ready to fire up FitzMagic in Week 14!
Baker Mayfield ($6,300) vs. Bengals
After two weeks of “feeling dangerous,” Mayfield flopped in a tough loss to the Steelers, who were decimated by injuries in this game. Even without JuJu Smith-Schuster or James Conner and the rookie QB Devlin Hodges under center, the Browns couldn’t come away with a victory. Mayfield came out of this game with just 10 DKFP, making this his second-lowest fantasy performance of the season. In doing so, he completed 18-of-32 pass attempts for 196 yards a touchdown and an interception. To be fair, the Steelers defense doesn’t get enough love in my opinion, so it wouldn’t be fair to overlook that fact. After cooling off Mayfield, they’ve now haven’t had a QB throw for more than 250 yards in six straight games. And Mayfield suffered a hand bruise when he banged it against a defender’s helmet.
Mayfield will look to bounce back in Week 14 against the Bengals, who under the guidance of Andy Dalton ($5,200), won their first game of the season against the Jets in Week 13. The Bengals against opposing QB’s allow an average of 21.6 DKFP and 254 passing yards. The 8.42 YPPA is tied for the second-highest in the league, trailing only the Giants at 8.47. They’ve also allowed the most rushing yards to opposing QB’s, averaging 36.7 per game. While we don’t usually roster Mayfield with his rushing upside in mind, we have seen him run for 18, 22 and 35 yards this year when needed. While his salary is a bit expensive, going up $100 in Week 14, he certainly will carry low ownership on a 13-game slate.