With the fantasy football playoffs underway, who were the most valuable quarterbacks in week 15? Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield and Aidan O’Connell, just as we predicted, right? I imagine there will be a fair few lineups out there who had to watch Goff rack up the points on the bench after he struggled in the two weeks prior. Whether you can trust him again is the big question this week. We discuss that and plenty of other questionable matchups below. Hopefully see you in fantasy football championship week!
Quarterbacks
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CJ Beathard – Sit (Projection 12 Points)
With Trevor Lawrence in concussion protocol, CJ Beathard is most likely going to be starting for Jacksonville against Tampa Bay. It is a shame for Lawrence’s fantasy owners because Tampa Bay’s secondary have been awful this year, and he was surely due a big outing. If he clears concussion protocol, then he is a slam dunk start.
If he does not, then I can’t recommend CJ Beathard. He has only accounted for 112 passing yards over the last two years, which is not someone that I want to be pinning my fantasy hopes on. Pray that Lawrence plays and don’t go anywhere near Beathard if he doesn’t.
Baker Mayfield – Start (Projection 16 Points)
Not only was Baker Mayfield the second-highest-scoring quarterback in week 15, but he was also the first-ever opposing quarterback to register a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field. His 381 passing yards and 4 touchdowns helped the Buccs to a crucial victory and momentum will be sky-high as Tampa Bay hunts for playoff action.
The Jaguars are this week’s opposition, and they come into this game bruised after three consecutive losses. They are bleeding yards through the air, which sets Mayfield up nicely for another big day. Tampa Bay got Chris Godwin going for a season-high performance last week, and everyone knows what Mike Evans can do to disrupt a game. Baker has all the weapons he needs, and is a great start in my opinion.
Arizona Cardinals vs Chicago Bears
Kyler Murray – Start (Projection 16.3 Points)
This game is a battle between dual-threat quarterbacks and I like them both to have good games. Chicago’s defense have been surprisingly stout in recent weeks, but I expect this to be a game where Murray can have some success. He hasn’t topped 16 fantasy points in his last two outings, but they came against the Steelers’ and 49ers’ tough defenses.
The Chicago Bears are good, but a big step down from San Francisco. The Cardinals will see this as one of their last remaining opportunities to win and will be pulling out all the stops to do so. I think we see a lot of rush attempts from Kyler and enough scores to give us a nice total in the fantasy playoffs.
Justin Fields – Start (Projection 20.4 Points)
It is a similar story to Justin Fields. He is coming off a low-scoring game against the Cleveland Browns but faces a far weaker defense this week. Just two weeks ago, Fields scored 26 fantasy points against the Detroit Lions, and I expect the Bears to opt for a similar game plan this week.
Fields had 12 carries in that game, resulting in 58 yards and a score. He looks his best when he is using his legs, but he benefits from having DJ Moore to help him out in the receiving game. The duo have been elite together and should feast against a Cardinals defense that is in the bottom third of the league against quarterbacks and wide receivers in fantasy.
Cleveland Browns vs Houston Texans
Joe Flacco – Start (Projection 13.6 Points)
Three straight games over 18 fantasy points for Joe Flacco has surprised everyone, and I think it is time to pay attention. Houston are giving up the 7th most passing yards per game, making Flacco an interesting option this week. He has had at least 44 pass attempts in all of his games for Cleveland, which shows a level of trust and confidence that wasn’t there with other Browns’ quarterbacks this year.
It has been great to see this surprise storyline unfold, and I don’t see why it would stop this week. Flacco has a fantastic connection with David Njoku and he helped Amari Cooper to a big game against Chicago. It’s mad to be saying this in 2023, but you can rely on Joe Flacco to give you a pretty good floor in your fantasy playoffs.
CJ Stroud – Sit (Projection 12.6 Points)
CJ Stroud missed last week’s game with a concussion, but we are going to assume that he will be back for this game. Despite being back on the field for the Texans, he should remain on the bench for your fantasy team. The Browns are giving up just 158 passing yards per game, which makes them the best in the NFL.
In addition to Cleveland’s excellence, Stroud will be without his two top receivers, Tank Dell and Nico Collins. It was a rough outing of just 91 yards from 23 pass attempts against the Jets without them (before his concussion), and I don’t see this one going much better. Sit Stroud and hope that you get the opportunity to play him in week 17 against the Titans.
Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings
Jared Goff – Start (Projection 16.4 Points)
Goff failed to capitalize on a matchup with the Bears two weeks ago, before going nuclear on the Broncos last week. It makes this week’s decision a bit harder, but I will be marking him down as a start. Minnesota are right around league average when it comes to facing quarterbacks. They are considerably better against the run than the pass though, so this should be another week where Goff lets it loose.
After a few underwhelming weeks, Detroit have seemingly found their groove. And it came against a Denver defense that was in very good form. I reckon the slump is over for Detroit, and they should be back to their free-flowing, point-scoring ways. An attackable secondary in Minnesota means Goff is a great start for me.
Nick Mullens – Sit (Projection 16)
Mullens had a surprisingly good outing against the Bengals in week 15. He passed for 303 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, resulting in a 20-point fantasy day. Despite this being an even better matchup for him on paper, I can’t be recommending him as a start. He has some amazing weapons, but you don’t want to be banking your fantasy hopes on a backup who has played one game on the season.
If there is truly nothing left in terms of quarterbacks on the waiver wire, and you just lost Lawrence to a concussion, then maybe I could see him being an appealing option. But for 99% of situations, I wouldn’t risk it with Mullens.
