The whole Jameis Winston experience was upon us this past Sunday. The former Heisman winner and No. 1 pick seems to find a way into starting quarterback duties no matter where he goes, and he nearly delivered a massive upset victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 12.
It makes us wonder if Jameis could be a fantasy football QB1 next week against the New England Patriots. Let’s dig into the numbers.
Analysis
It’s worth noting that Jaxson Dart will be the starting quarterback in Week 13 if he can clear concussion protocol. He’s got a week to do it, but that’s no guarantee. If the rookie needs another week, it’ll be Winston under center one more time.
If he does start, Winston gets a solid matchup against the Patriots. They’re middle of the pack in yards allowed per pass attempt and have allowed a 20/8 touchdown-to-interception ratio on the year. There’s a lot of meat on the bone for Jameis if he’s out there.
It’s also worth considering that Winston is effectively matchup-proof when it comes to his fantasy value. Detroit had a great defense, and the quarterback put up 31 fantasy points on his opponents’ heads despite completing only 50% of his passes. The big-play potential is out of this world with his deep ball throwing, ability to scramble, and… receiving upside?
There will be rough plays. Jameis continues to toss picks with regularity, but we expect nothing less from one of the founding members of the 30-30 club. However, the touchdowns and big plays outweigh the turnovers on the fantasy scoresheet. The more risks he takes, the more payoff your lineup gets.
I wouldn’t go abandoning your solid QB1 for Jameis next week. But he’s got QB1 appeal in a matchup that should be high-scoring and include favorable game script. He’s the top streaming option on the board by far and worth considering over lower-end QB1s with unfavorable matchups.
