It’s that time of year. Nope, not Christmas. It’s fantasy football playoff time, and lineup decisions become more important than ever.
This week is highlighted by the return of Justin Fields and the continued absence of Daniel Jones. There’s also the question of whether or not Justin Fields will have his customary weapons this week due to Covid-19 protocols. So stay tuned on that front.
A couple of mid-range guys (Ryan Tannehill, Jimmy Garoppolo) may get weapons back (Julio Jones, Deebo Samuel). And lastly—before we hit the notes below—Cam Newton is a bit of an enigma given the prime matchup but his ongoing struggles.
More news and notes are below. As always, please share any Week 14 questions in the comments or haggle away if your guy is too high or too low…
QB Rankings for Week 14
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Opponent | Notes |
| 1 | Josh Allen | BUF | @ TB | He battled through the elements last week, but this week he gets warmer weather and a potential shootout with Brady. |
| 2 | Kyler Murray | ARZ | vs LAR | He accounted for 4 scores last week and set season highs in rush attempts (10) and rushing yardage (59). |
| 3 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | @ CLE | He looks “off” as a passer, but the rushing upside remains to give him a safe floor. Still, this projects as a rough and tumble, low-scoring divisional game. |
| 4 | Dak Prescott | DAL | @ WAS | He gets the best matchup by numbers–WAS has allowed a league-high 26 pass TDs and has a bottom five 6.9 NY/A. |
| 5 | Taysom Hill | NO | @ NYJ | Hill finished as the QB4 against DAL last week despite throwing four picks–that’s what rushing ability does for you. If you need to swing for the fences, Hill is one such play against NYJ. |
| 6 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs CHI | A-Rod has back-to-back 300+ yard games and seven scores over the last two weeks. |
| 7 | Justin Herbert | LAC | vs NYG | This ranking assumes he’ll have Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams clear Covid protocols. |
| 8 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | vs LV | He shredded the Raiders in Week 10 (400+ and 5 TDs) so I’m putting him ahead of the next two brutal matchups. |
| 9 | Tom Brady | TB | vs BUF | This is the toughest pass defense in the land, with only eight passing scores allowed and just 5.1 NY/A (both marks the best in the NFL). |
| 10 | Matthew Stafford | LAR | @ ARI | It makes much more sense to run on ARI (4.7 Y/A) than to pass on them (5.5 NY/A, 2nd-best in NFL). |
| 11 | Russell Wilson | SEA | @ HOU | The Texans have been swiss cheese on run D (4.6 Y/A, 20 TDs) so there’s hope for a clean game from Russ, who tossed a pair of scores last week. |
| 12 | Joe Burrow | CIN | vs SF | He’s quietly one of the safest starts in the NFL each week. Monitor his finger injury, though. |
| 13 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | vs PIT | Adam Thielen is out for MIN, but Joe Haden’s absence for PIT will help. |
| 14 | Derek Carr | LV | @ KC | I considered Cam, but he was benched for PJ Walker last week and Carr belongs in the Burrow-Cousins grouping, anyway. |
| 15 | Cam Newton | CAR | vs ATL | He’s completed 55.8% of passes with Carolina, a mark lower than all 33 qualified QBs this year. But ATL has allowed 25 passing scores and CAR (5-7) is still on the playoff bubble. |
| 16 | Taylor Heinicke | WAS | vs DAL | Heinicke’s performances aren’t always shiny, but he’s consistently a mid-range QB option. |
| 17 | Teddy Bridgewater | DEN | vs DET | Cousins ripped the Lions up last week (340, 2 TDs) and DET has the stone worst 7.5 NY/A in the NFL. |
| 18 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | @ MIN | This is a great chance at a spike week given that Minny has allowed the fourth-most points to enemy QBs. |
| 19 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | vs JAC | It sounds like he’ll get Julio Jones back this week. Maybe he’s useful as a decoy, at least… |
| 20 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | @ CIN | Deebo Samuel (groin) is expected to give it a go this week. |
| 21 | Matt Ryan | ATL | @ CAR | CAR (5.5 NY/A, only 17 TDs) is quietly one of the better pass defenses. Now if they can just move the ball a little… |
| 22 | Trevor Lawrence | JAC | @ TEN | He hasn’t been good, but he was tolerable in an easy ATL matchup and this one reads similarly. |
| 23 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | vs BAL | This should be a gritty, defensive divisional game. |
| 24 | Zach Wilson | NYJ | vs NO | He accounted for three scores last week. The Saints (6.8 NY/A) are suprisingly not good on pass D by the numbers. |
| 25 | Jared Goff | DET | @ DEN | He’s got five scores in his last two games, but this is a buzzsaw of a defense. |
| 26 | Justin Fields | CHI | @ GB | He’s back to health but on the road against a stout GB defense that may get Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith back. |
| 27 | Davis Mills | HOU | vs SEA | TyGod is week to week, so Mills gets another shot to show he belongs in the NFL. |
| 28 | Jake Fromm | NYG | @ LAC | Daniel Jones is out, and Mike Glennon isn’t a certainty. Expect the GMen to try to pound the rock. |