Start or Sit Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, or Josh Allen?
It’s the fantasy football finals, and you are completely unsure of your roster, despite it getting you all the way here! Don’t act like you aren’t. If you were certain, you wouldn’t be reading this. This final chapter of our weekly start or sit features highlights three players with good matchups and three with bad matchups at each position. We hope to give you some sort of scapegoat when you make the wrong decisions this weekend. After all, you only make the correct calls in your fantasy football start or sit decisions. Every other time was some goon on the internet letting you down.
Start or Sit Dak Prescott versus Tampa Bay
Dak Prescott had a down week last week, but that was the theme of the NFL in week fifteen of the two thousand and eighteen season. The Cowboys fell apart entirely last weekend, getting blanked by the Colts. There’s no shame in getting shut down by Indianapolis, as they allow the ninth-fewest points per game and the tenth-fewest yards. I’m ready to give Dak a big, fat mulligan for his 206 yards, no touchdown, one pick contest last week. Prior to that, he averaged 21.25 fantasy points per game in his prior eight contests. 21.25 fantasy points per game would be the fifth-most points per game on the season. This week, Dak gets the purportedly improved Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, which allows the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks on the year. While they have gotten better than “just absolutely dreadful,” they still aren’t world beaters. Lamar Jackson got them for 16.74 fantasy points last week without even being a good quarterback yet. Dak Prescott has played well for over half a season now, and a down game last week isn’t enough for me to sit him if I was deciding if I should start or sit him; he’s a start this week.
Start or Sit Baker Mayfield versus Cincinnati
Baker Mayfield has had two down contests, from a fantasy football perspective. He’s averaged just 213 yards passing over the last two games while totaling three touchdowns and a pick. Those are a couple of boring, wet fart games that would have anyone wondering if they should start or sit Mayfield. This week, things should be a bit easier for him to produce. The Bengals have stymied three-straight quarterbacks, at least from a fantasy football perspective. Two of them (Case Keenum and Derek Carr), have shown that they can’t be trusted to do anything of value on a football field this year. Philip Rivers didn’t have to do much and turned it over to their run game and defense. That was a bad fantasy game by choice. The Browns have no such luxury (allowing Baker a bad game as they grind the Bengals to dust), as they are suddenly playing for their playoff lives. I trust Mayfield to produce against the Bengals, and those wondering if they should start or sit him should start him. The last time he played the Bengals, he scored four touchdowns against them. I’ll take that proof of concept.
Start or Sit Josh Allen at New England
Kind of crazy to think that Josh Allen has been a top-ten quarterback for five weeks. Kind of crazy to think that he’s been a top-five quarterback. What’s even crazier? Only Patrick Mahomes averages more fantasy points per game over the last five weeks. The Detroit Lions and their defense that seems to be specially-built to stop running quarterbacks held him to just 16 yards last week, but he scored his third rushing touchdown in four games. Had Allen made it to 18 rushing yards, he would have hit his fourth-straight 20-point fantasy contest. Those bonkers rushing statistics give him a great floor to work with, and it’s more than okay if the Patriots slow down his passing ability. The Patriots haven’t faced many quarterbacks who have tried to rush against them, but Blake Bortles, Deshaun Watson, and Mitchell Trubisky all chipped in at least 35 rushing yards against them. There aren’t many hotter quarterbacks right now, and considering start or sit decisions based on what happened over half a season ago is a terrible decision. Go ahead and keep the good times rolling, and start him this week.
These guys are all good fantasy football options this week, but for those of you trying to decide between them, I would start them in this order:
- Dak Prescott
- Josh Allen
- Baker Mayfield
Looking for more week sixteen start or sit advice? Check out our additional pieces below!
Start or Sit Cam Newton, Jared Goff, or Tom Brady?
Start or Sit Marlon Mack, Chris Carson, or Damien Williams?
Start or Sit Matt Breida, Smallwood, or Peyton Barber?
Start or Sit Dante Pettis, Robby Anderson, or Josh Gordon?
Start or Sit Jarvis Landry, Chris Hogan, or Antonio Callaway?
Start or Sit Blake Jarwin, Chris Herndon, or David Njoku?
Start or Sit Jimmy Graham, Vance McDonald, or Austin Hooper?
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