You only start one quarterback so you better make it count. Quality and upside are important here while securing a solid floor. I know that sounds like a lot so let’s try and keep it simple. Look for a good matchup, a quarterback who has been performing well with a strong supporting cast, a defense that will be favorable to opposing signal callers, and a game script that supports success. For the most part, the quarterbacks at the top of the salary list speak for themselves as elite options, but here we dig deeper. Now that we got that out of the way, who fits that criteria for this week?
For those who have yet to subscribe, what are you waiting for? Until then you will get one free pick to whet your appetite. After last week’s game we saw Tom Brady ($6,500 DK, $7,500 FD) turned into a punchline as he forgot what down it was at the end of the game. Other than that Brady hasn’t been embarrassing himself in his new home. For this week’s matchup against the Packers he will be working on 10 days of rest in what should be a shootout between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks with Aaron Rodgers on the other side of the field. This should serve to motivate Brady after he didn’t stand out from the crowd last week. In Brady’s defense he was working with a banged up receiving corps which should be in a lot better shape on Sunday as he completed 25 passes for just 253 yards and one touchdown. Overall Brady has started the season off on a solid note with 1,375 passing yards and 12 touchdowns against four interceptions. We know that there will be a lot offense and Brady shouldn’t have an issue keeping up with Rodgers on the scoreboard.
Subscribers can now expect to get six more picks as we take a closer look at some more quarterbacks at varying price points who deserve our attention this week along with a few from whom we should keep our distance. And not all will break the back either which will leave plenty of room for help at running back and wide receiver. So, keep on going and take a look at what we have to offer.
It turns out all DeShaun Watson ($7,000 DK, $8,200 FD) needed was a new coach as things went a lot better for the Texans in last week’s victory. Watson looked like a different player as he took advantage of a week Jacksonville defense while also getting new addition Brandin Cooks heavily involved in the passing game for the first time this season. This week Watson faces a Titans team that will be coming off a short week and against whom opposing quarterbacks have had success against so far in this young season. Watson will be coming off a game in which he completed 25 passes for 359 yards while throwing three touchdown passes. Through the first five games of the season Watson is on pace for over 4,500 passing yards as he is up to 1,451 yards along with nine touchdowns. Add in the fact that Watson always brings at least the possibility of picking up some running production, and we have a solid option for the week.
Sometimes doing what is asked of you is all that is needed. Last week all that Pittsburgh needed from Ben Roethlisberger ($6,700 DK, $7,600 FD) was to be a game manager and with 27 completions for 239 yards and three touchdowns, he was exactly that. Roethlisberger cemented the fact that we can now add Chase Claypool to Pittsburgh’s stable of elite and game breaking wide receivers. In general it has been a quiet start to the season for Roethlisberger with just 1,016 passing yards but he does have 10 touchdown passes against just one interception while only eclipsing the 300-yard mark once. This week against Cleveland, who has struggled against opposing fantasy quarterbacks so far this year, I would expect to see a second 300-yard effort.
When it comes to cheaper options that have caught our eye this week I wouldn’t go any lower than Ryan Tannehill ($5,900 DK, $7,300 FD). He will be operating on a short week against a Houston team that did look better this past Sunday, but it still should be a positive situation for the Tennessee quarterback. Getting back a healthy A.J. Brown is a plus for Tannehill who threw for 809 yards and six touchdowns in the first three games of the season. He followed that up with a very efficient effort against the Bills as the Titans blew them out on Tuesday. Tannehill completed 21 of his 28 pass attempts for 195 yards and three touchdowns. I wouldn’t go crazy with a high ceiling here but Tannehill does give you a solid floor of production that could come in handy when building the rest of your roster.
Staying in the same price tier Matthew Stafford ($6,300 DK, $7,300 FD) is also deserving of our attention. Stafford is coming off an early season bye week and heading into a good matchup with the Jaguars. If you are looking for true upside, then keep scrolling, but in reality that does not apply to most of our options this week on the main slate. While that doesn’t bode well in a GPP, it does allow you to stack your roster elsewhere while lining up perfectly with that you would be looking to do in a cash game by securing steady production. The Detroit quarterback has been a consistent producer all season with 1,017 passing yards and eight touchdowns along with three interceptions and there is no reason not to expect to see that continue this week.
I promise, this isn’t a copy and paste job. We are back here once again, now for the third straight week, as I advocate to keep our distance from Lamar Jackson ($7,700 DK, $9,000 FD). In case anyone is keeping track, it was the correct call last week as Jackson completed just 19 of 37 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns while throwing an interception. What really kept Jackson’s value down though was the fact that he carried to ball just twice. Granted the outcome of the game never really was in doubt, but it’s not going to cut it for fantasy owners. On the season Jackson has just one rushing touchdown through the first five weeks as his upside is beginning to diminish. Things have gone downhill for Jackson after throwing for 275 yards in Week 1 as he has just 949 passing yards for the season for an average of less than 200 each week. If you are waiting for Jackson to turn things around, I would at least wait one more week as the Eagles will prove to be a tough opponent in Week 6.
In fantasy football a set of “automatics” generally emerge each season such as targeting the Jets in your survivor pool. Through the first five weeks of the season it has become standard practice to target the Atlanta defense with your quarterback. This week things could be different though as the Falcons will be playing for a new coach as a change was made following their sluggish start. And do you really want to take a chance and hinge a portion of your fantasy week on Kirk Cousins ($6,100 DK, $7,300)? In a high scoring game against another weak passing defense in Seattle last week, Cousins failed to stand out as he completed 27 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The most yards Cousins has passed for in a game so far this season is just 260 and his eight touchdowns (along with seven interceptions) fail to generate much in the way of confidence.
