Start or Sit Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, or Lamar Jackson?
It’s the fantasy football semifinals, and every start or sit decision could mean the last fantasy decision you make for the 2018 season. We certainly hope you’ll join us again next week, and the only way to do that is to make sure we give you good start or sit advice this week. We do that by highlighting three players in marginal positions who should finish the week as quality starters for you.
Start or Sit Josh Allen versus Detroit
Josh Allen has continued his inexplicable hot streak, going from a footnote and afterthought in 2018 fantasy football (a la Sam Darnold) into a late-season fantasy football tour de force. His 335 rushing yards over the last three weeks is second in the NFL (only to fellow rookie Saquon Barkley). This fact is a big reason why no quarterback has scored more fantasy points over the last three weeks than Allen. Well that fact, and a Patrick Mahomes bye week. His legs have done a ton for his fantasy point production, and it’s been extremely necessary, as he has just 35 more passing yards than Jeff Driskel, just three passing touchdowns, and the third-most interceptions in that span. The Lions are an extraordinarily neutral matchup, giving up the seventeenth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Two weeks ago, they stymied Jared Goff, but the Rams have been a sneaky mess since the big shootout with the Chiefs. Then they stopped Josh Rosen and the Cardinals, but that is literally not an achievement. Before those two games, Chase Daniel, Cam Newton, and Mitchell Trubisky combined for eight passing touchdowns, 942 passing yards, and just one interception. They’re a neutral matchup, and one you shouldn’t worry about when deciding if you should start or sit Josh Allen. I’m going to continue to roll with the hot hand and start Josh Allen this week.
Start or Sit Dak Prescott at Indianapolis
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Dak Prescott this year, we can call them BAC (before Amari Cooper) and ACE (Amari Cooper Era). And that’s because, with Amari Cooper, he’s been aces (oh god I’m so sorry I’m trying to delete this). In weeks one through seven, Cooper averaged 202 passing yards a game, with 1.1 touchdowns and 0.6 interceptions. He as a thoroughly uninspiring quarterback, averaging only 16.6 fantasy points per game (with his only 20+ point games coming in the two weeks BAC). In the ACE, Prescott has three 20+ point games, and he has not dipped below 14 points once. He’s a completely different quarterback, and he’s QB6 over the last five weeks. The Colts, like the Lions above, are a completely irrelevant defense when evaluating whether to start or sit Prescott and other opposing fantasy quarterbacks. They’ve been torched by such fantasy luminaries as Sam Darnold, Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, and Ryan Tannehill. For me, that means that Dak Prescott will continue his hot streak, putting up top-ten numbers without much of a second thought. This week, Dak Prescott is a start.
Start or Sit Lamar Jackson versus Tampa Bay
Like Prescott and Josh Allen above, Lamar Jackson has come on hot lately, and he has been able to use his legs to boost his fantasy production into useful territory. I’m fully confident that his ankle injury will heal properly, and that he will stay on as the Ravens starting quarterback, even if Joe Flacco can make his way back this weekend. Unlike Allen and Prescott, Jackson’s limitations have been on full display, as he’s tied for thirteenth among quarterbacks in his time as a starter. That’ll happen when you have three touchdown passes in four games, and you average only 150 passing yards a game. Still, his rushing provides a good floor, but not one as high as Josh Allen. However, unlike Josh Allen, he has an extremely good matchup this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccos allow the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and are defensive sieves on the road (they allow 39.8 points per game away from Raymond James Stadium, aka the Big Scurvy). They’ve given up multiple touchdowns to every quarterback since they bye except Nick Mullens and Alex Smith, and that’s a list that includes Andy Dalton and Eli Manning. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers make for a great matchup this week, which makes me feel good about calling him a start for those of us who are trying to decide if they should start or sit Lamar Jackson this weekend.
All three of these guys should continue their hot streaks, and should all end up inside the top-fifteen at the position this week. If you’re trying to decide who to start or sit among them, I would go with
- Dak Prescott
- Josh Allen
- Lamar Jackson
And good luck in your fantasy semi-finals!
Looking for more week fifteen start or sit advice? Check out our additional pieces below!
Start or Sit Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, or Kirk Cousins?
Start or Sit Adrian Peterson, Kenyan Drake, or Josh Adams?
Start or Sit Jaylen Samuels, Doug Martin, Gus Edwards, or Elijah McGuire?
Start or Sit Curtis Samuel, Tyler Lockett, or Allen Robinson?
Start or Sit Calvin Ridley, Kenny Golladay, or Kenny Stills?
Start or Sit Gerald Everett, Dallas Goedert, or Chris Herndon?
Start or Sit Jimmy Graham, Vernon Davis, or Blake Jarwin?
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