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Not every fantasy owner was lucky enough to draft Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson to their team this year. Many may have punted the position and spent the season on the waiver wire looking to find the next unexpected hero, or decided to go with a mediocre option hoping for consistency. Unless you’ve got a top five guy on your squad, odds are you’ve faced many complicated line-up decisions at the position this year. Luckily for you, we are here to provide some advice that may make that decision a bit easier for you this week.
QB Starts
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan displayed what he is capable of against a top-tier opponent when he threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns against the 49ers No. 1 rated pass defense in the NFL. He faces a much friendlier defense this week in the Jaguars 17th ranked pass defense. Ryan may have lost his No. 2 receiver in Calvin Ridley, but last week he found his way back to Old Faithful, Julio Jones, to pull out a victory. Ryan enters this game as the 12th ranked fantasy quarterback on the season but has the potential to outplay his current ranking against a struggling defense that has recently allowed 24 points to Phillip Rivers and 32 points to Ryan Tannehill.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Speaking of Ryan Tannehill, the former Dolphins QB has rebranded himself with his new team and has gone on a tear recently with the Tennessee Titans. The Saints defense is by no means an easy match-up, but they have allowed 24 passing TDs on the season and Tannehill will likely need to throw early and often to keep up with the Saints dynamic offense. His chemistry with breakout wide receiver A.J. Brown seems to grow each week and the strong play of Derrick Henry forces defenses to divide resources equally between the pass and the run. Tannehill has averaged 24.5 points per game since the Week 11 Bye and will look to continue this trend in Week 16.
QB Sits
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen may currently be the No. 6 ranked fantasy quarterback on the season, however nobody would have guessed he’d be in that position after his miserable performance against the Patriots in Week 4. In that game he completed only 13 of 28 passes for 153 yards, no TDs, and he threw three interceptions before exiting early due to injury. He now faces that same team, who is every bit as strong as they were back in September, at their home field, in a key divisional match-up with playoff implications. The Patriots defense will bring their best, and it is unlikely that they will allow a QB 1 performance from Josh Allen in Foxborough.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Nobody has lived up to the idea that a good quarterback in reality may not be a good quarterback in fantasy football quite like Tom Brady has. Since the Week 10 Bye, Brady has scored less than 13 points in four of five games. The Patriots have largely been carried by their defense this year and Brady has suffered from a dearth of reliable receivers, as the team has seen great turmoil at the position. Coming into a game against the third ranked pass defense in the NFL does not bode well for Brady to turn things around this week.
The Buffalo Bills have only allowed 13 passing TDs on the season and have recorded 13 interceptions to match that number. They have not been friendly to fantasy quarterbacks, holding three of their last five opposing QBs to under 13 points. Brady somehow remains owned in 91% of ESPN leagues, but he does not belong in anybody’s line-up this week. All in all this AFC East showdown is one to avoid for fantasy QBs.