Thanks to Alex Sonty for filling in for me last week.
Only two quarterbacks are must-plays to me for this week: Cam Newton and Drew Brees. There are a lot of good options, a lot of okay options, and a few bad ones (looking at you, Teddy). Let's move on to this week's streamers.
Jameis Winston versus New Orleans Saints
The allure of a matchup with the Saints may be slightly diminished after Brian Hoyer's clunker two weeks back, but Cam Newton's stellar performance indicates this is the same Saints defense worth targeting. Jameis Winston has been mediocre in games against the Colts and Falcons after his five-touchdown game in Philadelphia, but should be in for a bounce-back here.
Alex Smith versus San Diego Chargers
While he hasn't achieved fantasy success through the air the past two weeks, Alex Smith could be in for a big game against the Chargers if game script develops well. Last week, Brock Osweiler joined Teddy Bridegwater as the only quarterbacks to tank against the Chargers, but that shouldn't take anything away from Smith being an excellent floor play. The Chargers have allowed three passing touchdowns only twice along with only three 300-yard passers this season.
Johnny Manziel versus San Francisco 49ers
While I'm not sure if Johnny Manziel will finish this game, he should be all set to start it. Last week, Jay Cutler joined ... you guessed it, Teddy Bridgewater, as the only quarterbacks to score single-digit fantasy points against the Niners. As the 49ers are weaker on the road, Manziel is a (likely) boom-or- (probably) bust play this week.
Blaine Gabbert at Cleveland Browns
I'm trying to be careful as to not extrapolate Blaine Gabbert's rushing touchdown, which provided a healthy boost to his point total in Week 13. There's definitely a chance of a letdown game here, but the matchup with Cleveland is keeping me interested. I can easily see a long Torrey Smith touchdown occurring.
Brock Osweiler versus Oakland Raiders
He's been a disappointment from a fantasy standpoint, but I'm not giving up on Brock Osweiler yet. Oakland's secondary is nothing to be afraid of, as the Raiders lack anyone who can stop Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Rank | Player | Team | Opponent |
1 | Cam Newton | Carolina Panthers | Atlanta Falcons |
2 | Drew Brees | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
3 | Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cincinnati Bengals |
4 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers | Dallas Cowboys |
5 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Houston Texans |
6 | Andy Dalton | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers |
7 | Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks | Baltimore Ravens |
8 | Jameis Winston | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | New Orleans Saints |
9 | Tyrod Taylor | Buffalo Bills | Philadelphia Eagles |
10 | Blake Bortles | Jacksonville Jaguars | Indianapolis Colts |
11 | Carson Palmer | Arizona Cardinals | Minnesota Vikings |
12 | Eli Manning | New York Giants | Miami Dolphins |
13 | Alex Smith | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers |
14 | Ryan Tannehill | Miami Dolphins | New York Giants |
15 | Johnny Manziel | Cleveland Browns | San Francisco 49ers |
16 | Blaine Gabbert | San Francisco 49ers | Cleveland Browns |
17 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | New York Jets | Tennessee Titans |
18 | Brock Osweiler | Denver Broncos | Oakland Raiders |
19 | Brian Hoyer | Houston Texans | New England Patriots |
20 | Marcus Mariota | Tennessee Titans | New York Jets |
21 | Jay Cutler | Chicago Bears | Washington Redskins |
22 | Kirk Cousins | Washington Redskins | Chicago Bears |
23 | Philip Rivers | San Diego Chargers | Kansas City Chiefs |
24 | Matt Hasselbeck | Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars |
25 | Matthew Stafford | Detroit Lions | St. Louis Rams |
26 | Matt Ryan | Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers |
27 | Derek Carr | Oakland Raiders | Denver Broncos |
28 | Sam Bradford | Philadelphia Eagles | Buffalo Bills |
29 | Matt Schaub | Baltimore Ravens | Seattle Seahawks |
30 | Matt Cassel | Dallas Cowboys | Green Bay Packers |
31 | Nick Foles | St. Louis Rams | Detroit Lions |
32 | Teddy Bridgewater | Minnesota Vikings | Arizona Cardinals |