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We’ve had excellent results through 4 weeks this year, bringing you diamonds in the rough like Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Blake Bortles, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Mitchell Trubisky.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (at LAC)
36% owned in Yahoo! Leagues, 20.4% owned in ESPN Leagues
Carr had a lackluster showing through Weeks 1-3, but he got the job done in Week 4 against a solid Cleveland defense (437 passing yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs). While I don’t think he’ll repeat that performance against the Chargers this week, I do think he’s got a shot to finish in the low-end QB1/high-end QB2 range. LAC gave us big days from Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff. Even guys like Josh Allen (245 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 8 rushes for 32 yards) and C.J. Beathard (298 passing yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 7 rushes for 19 yards) had decent showings against too. If my QB is on bye, I’d feel alright rolling with Carr this week.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (at KC)
33% owned in Yahoo! Leagues, 18.1% owned in ESPN Leagues
Blake Bortles had himself a day last weekend (388 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 rushes for 28 yards) and it’s safe to assume he’ll have a similar performance this week as he squares off against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. KC has allowed 1,314 passing yards to opposing QBs so far (2nd most in the league). This is a great opportunity for Bortles to surpass 300 passing yards for the 3rd time in 5 games this year. It’s worth noting that KC allowed a red zone rushing score to Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2 and gave up 23 yards on just 3 carries to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 3. Bortles has posted rushing lines of 28, 27, 35, and 42 yards through the first 4 weeks. That’s rushing production that just can’t be ignored. He’s 3rd amongst QBs with 132 total rushing yards – good for 7.3 yards per carry. Expect him to stay productive on the ground — and maybe even punch one in for 6.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (at CLE)
25% owned in Yahoo! Leagues, 16.5% owned in ESPN Leagues
The guy’s gonna keep showing up on this list until y’all start paying attention. Flacco is the QB14 through 4 weeks of the 2018 NFL season and this week he faces a Cleveland defense that just allowed Derek Carr to throw for 437 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 INTs. John Brown is playing like a man on fire and Flacco just keeps looking for him. Additionally, stud rookie TE Hayden Hurst is expected to make his debut this week, boosting Flacco’s ability to score and move the chains. It might sound crazy, but Flacco’s got a great shot to finish as a solid QB1 this week.