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If you entered the playoffs fantasy playoffs starting top options in good matchups like Drew Brees vs CAR, Ryan Tannehill vs BAL, Eli Manning @ TEN, or Colin Kaepernick @ OAK, or forced to play Peyton Manning vs BUF or Phillip Rivers vs NE, chances are you may be gearing up for the consolation bracket.
If you somehow made it through, will you be able to trust these quarterbacks moving forward into the semi-finals and championship weeks?
I would have no problem with Peyton Manning in my lineup. Heading to San Diego with a banged up C.J. Anderson against a good Charger run defense, this game script should involve a lot of passing for Manning. The likely return of his red zone target, Julius Thomas, should help to improve those passing numbers as well.
With the Saints on the verge of a total implosion, Drew Brees is an option that makes me a little more nervous. You look at the schedule with the Bears and Falcons in the next two weeks and should love those matchups with any quarterback. However, Brees and the Saints have been maddeningly inconsistent. You better have a great option to play if you want to bench Brees, though. It will be very difficult to tolerate a loss this week if Brees has a monster game on your bench.
Eli Manning will be an enticing option this week at home against a confused Redskins' secondary. Washington is having all kinds of problems in coverage. Manning should have a good game targeting his new favorite weapon, Odell Beckham early and often.
As for Tannehill and Kaepernick, I would not trust them for the final weeks of the fantasy playoffs and would consider dropping them for a better options. Both have a difficult schedule ahead and have not been performing well recently even against good matchups.
This week offers up some interesting decisions as elite options like Rodgers and Brady have difficult matchups and yet we finally get Johnny Football as the starter in Cleveland. Week 15 is a very tough time to set him in your roster to see what happens. But if you don't have one of the top options at quarterback, you can do a lot worse than going with the upside of Johnny Manziel.
Here is how I see the quarterback position playing out for this week. Good luck to everyone still involved.
RANK |
PLAYER |
TEAM |
OPPONENT |
1 | Andrew Luck | Indianapolis Colts | vs Texans |
2 | Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos | @ Chargers |
3 | Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh Steelers | @ Falcons |
4 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers | @ Bills |
5 | Matt Ryan | Atlanta Falcons | vs Steelers |
6 | Tony Romo | Dallas Cowboys | @ Eagles |
7 | Drew Brees | New Orleans Saints | @ Bears |
8 | Mark Sanchez | Philadelphia Eagles | vs Cowboys |
9 | Jay Cutler | Chicago Bears | vs Saints |
10 | Eli Manning | New York Giants | vs Redskins |
11 | Phillip Rivers | San Diego Chargers | vs Broncos |
12 | Russell Wilson | Seattle Seahawks | vs 49ers |
13 | Kyle Orton | Buffalo Bills | vs Packers |
14 | Johnny Manziel | Cleveland Browns | vs Bengals |
15 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | vs Dolphins |
16 | Matthew Stafford | Detroit Lions | vs Vikings |
17 | Joe Flacco | Baltimore Ravens | vs Jaguars |
18 | Ryan Tannehill | Miami Dolphins | @ Patriots |
19 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | Houston Texans | @ Colts |
20 | Jake Locker | Tennessee Titans | vs Jets |
21 |
Alex Smith |
Kansas City Chiefs | vs Raiders |
22 | Andy Dalton | Cincinnati Bengals | @ Browns |
23 | Josh McCown | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @ Panthers |
24 | Robert Griffin | Washington Redskins | @ Giants |
25 | Derek Anderson | Carolina Panthers | vs Buccaneers |
26 | Blake Bortles | Jacksonville Jaguars | @ Ravens |
27 | Derek Carr | Oakland Raiders | @ Chiefs |
28 | Shaun Hill | St. Louis Rams | vs Cardinals |
29 | Geno Smith | New York Jets | @ Titans |
30 | Colin Kaepernick | San Francisco 49ers | @ Seahawks |
31 | Teddy Bridgewater | Minnesota Vikings | @ Lions |
32 | Drew Stanton | Arizona Cardinals | @ Rams |