by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

It feels like the NFL season just started yet for most this week marks the beginning of the fantasy playoffs.  It’s amazing how quickly that “snuck” up on us, isn’t it?  Who are the quarterbacks we are ready to depend on?  Who could be worth the gamble?  Which bigger name are you willing to leave on your bench?  Let’s break it all down for Week 14:

1. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
2. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Baltimore
3. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Cincinnati
4. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Oakland
5. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – vs. Atlanta
6. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – at Cleveland
7. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – vs. Indianapolis
8. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
9. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – at Houston
10. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – at Seattle
11. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Minnesota
12. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – vs. Carolina
13. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – at Green Bay
14. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at Miami
15. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – at Chicago
16. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – at Kansas City
17. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Philadelphia
18. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – vs. Jacksonville
19. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – vs. Los Angeles Rams
20. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – vs. Pittsburgh
21. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Dallas
22. Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills – vs. New York Jets
23. Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphins – vs. New England
24. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – at Arizona
25. Case Kennum – Denver Broncos – at San Francisco

Thoughts:

• The last time that Philip Rivers threw for less than 2 TD was Week 16 of the 2017 season against the New York Jets, meaning he’s thrown for 2+ TD in 13 straight regular season games.  That’s a highly impressive streak and there’s little reason to think he won’t continue it, taking on a Cincinnati defense that entered Week 13 having allowed the most points per week to opposing quarterbacks.  Rivers isn’t generally viewed as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, but at least for this week he deserves to be considered as such.
• Drew Brees is coming off one of the most disappointing performances of the season, throwing for 127 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT against the Dallas Cowboys.  He’s now thrown for 171 yards or fewer in back-to-back games and we all know that the Saints’ offense is notoriously better at home than on the road.  While they will battle the Buccaneers, in Tampa Bay, this week does anyone believe that they won’t bounce back?  In Week 1 Brees burned them for 439 yards and 3 TD and Tampa Bay’s defense has struggled to stop opposing quarterbacks all season long.  Don’t make the mistake of downgrading Brees off of one poor performance (even one that came at the most critical of times).
• Andrew Luck was stymied in Week 13 and draws another tough matchup on the road in Week 14, taking on the Houston Texans.  Luck has not performed as well away from home this season (he’s averaging 249.3 yards/game with 13 TD and 8 INT), and while he should be able to get some yards (Houston did allow Baker Mayfield to throw for nearly 400 yards in Week 13) he’s not going to be ranked as highly as we have become accustomed to this season.
• Taking on the Miami Dolphins we all want to push Tom Brady back up the rankings, but is it justified?  Sure he threw for 311 yards in Week 13 but it came with 1 TD and 1 INT, giving him 4 TD over his past five games.  He could put together a big game at any moment, but are you willing to depend on him?
• The Chicago Bears have a league high 21 INT and they have been tough against opposing quarterbacks all season long.  Obviously that’s not going to eliminate the value of Jared Goff, but he’s coming off a poor performance against the Detroit Lions (17-33, 207 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), will be on the road again and the offense could easily run through Todd Gurley.  Consider him a borderline QB1, but not necessarily a must start option.
• It was a disappointing performance for Baker Mayfield, with 3 INT, but he also threw for 397 yards as he tried to rally the team against the Texans.  He’s going to have a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed 10 TD vs. 0 INT over the past four games.
• With Joe Flacco expected back this week will Lamar Jackson be “the man” or will the Ravens move to a timeshare under center?  That risk has to suppress Jackson’s value, who continues to show how much of an impact he can make (despite the fact that he’s still developing in his passing ability).  Depending on the news this week his ranking could definitely change.

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Make sure to check out all of our Week 14 rankings: