Sit: Tyler Huntley — Baltimore Ravens (vs ATL)
A week after the Baltimore Ravens lost Lamar Jackson to an injury, the playoff hopefuls lost backup quarterback Tyler Huntley during their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before departing the game due to a concussion, Huntley played pretty well. The backup went 8-of-12 for 88 yards and rushed for an additional 31 yards. Huntley was cleared in time to play last week against Cleveland, but he struggled immensely. In leading Baltimore to three points, Huntley completed 17 passes for 138 yards and one interception. If Lamar Jackson can’t go this week, Huntley will once again take snaps under center — but that doesn’t mean you should play him.
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Start: Sam Darnold — Carolina Panthers (vs DET)
Sam Darnold was scooped up a few weeks back in fantasy leagues after a decent season-debut. If he’s still available, we would advise adding him to your roster — especially with this week’s matchup. He’s always been volatile as a passer, and could easily revert to his old ways. However, Darnold has also flashed potential throughout his young career. Detroit is playing some very good football at the moment, but its defense is still susceptible to big plays. Darnold can put up some points in this contest.
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Start: Patrick Mahomes — Kansas City Chiefs (vs SEA)
Patrick Mahomes is a must-start every week — we all know this. Mahomes has been on fire this season. The superstar has thrown for four or more TDs three times this season, and has posted scores above 30 points on four occasions. With your fantasy league likely entering the semifinals, there is no question when it comes to slotting Mahomes into your lineup. Against the Texans, Mahomes went 36-of-41 for 336 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two pass, one rush). Mahomes will go off against the reeling Seahawks.
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Sit: Kenny Pickett — Pittsburgh Steelers (vs LV)
Since becoming Pittsburgh’s QB1 midway through its Week 4 loss to the New York Jets, Kenny Pickett has flashed his talent — but he has also struggled to make a huge difference. Two weeks ago, Pickett left Pittsburgh loss to Baltimore with a concussion. Pickett missed Pittsburgh’s win over Carolina, and Mitch Trubisky was decent in his place. With the Steelers out of playoff contention it is unlikely that Pickett will be rushed back. Don’t start him.
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Start: Kirk Cousins — Minnesota Vikings (vs NYG)
Wow. Kirk Cousins and the NFC North champs found themselves in a 33-0 hole at halftime. Miraculously, Cousins and Co. rallied to force overtime and eventually won, 39-36, in an instant-classic. In the second half, Cousins threw four touchdown passes en route to a 34.40 PPR total. While Minnesota’s QB likely won’t reach that number this week, he should be in your starting lineup for your semifinal matchup.
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Start: Brock Purdy — San Francisco 49ers (vs WSH)
With Jimmy Garoppolo out for the year (in addition to Trey Lance), the 49ers have turned to seventh round pick Brock Purdy as their starting QB. We’ve seen Kyle Shanahan do this before. In the past, some of the QBs who have looked fantasy viable in Shanahan’s offense includes Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. Purdy isn’t any less talented than those two, and he certainly has plenty of playmakers around him. Against Seattle, Purdy threw two touchdown passes and didn’t commit a turnover. His 16.48 PPR total isn’t outstanding, but he has played well enough to warrant a start if you don’t have a top-tier QB on your roster.
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Start: Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills (at CHI)
Josh Allen picked a great time to have his third 30-point fantasy outing of the season. In a thrilling victory over the Miami Dolphins, Allen threw four touchdown passes, amassed 304 passing yards, and added 77 yards on the ground. Allen’s 35.86 PPR points likely resulted in a win for most fantasy owners, and there is no reason to believe he can’t approach that mark this week against the Chicago Bears.
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Sit: Daniel Jones — New York Giants (at MIN)
This is an easy one. In last week’s win over the Washington Commanders, Daniel Jones finished with a lousy PPR score of 9.90. Overall, Jones accounted for 195 yards and zero touchdowns. Jones now has two sub-10 scores this season, and has failed to crack the 20-point mark the past four weeks. You cannot trust Jones to lead your team to victory in the semifinals.
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Sit: Jared Goff — Detroit Lions (at CAR)
Ahead of last week’s slate of games, we recommended sitting Jared Goff due to the Jets fielding a much better defense than the Jaguars and Vikings — Detroit’s two previous opponents. In Detroit’s win over New York, Goff threw for 252 yards and one score. It was a fine outing for Goff, but those numbers don’t result in a good fantasy score. Goff finished with a PPR total of 14.08 — his seventh sub-15 game this year. We don’t feel great about starting him this week despite Detroit’s current form.
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Sit: Russell Wilson — Denver Broncos (at LAR)
Russell Wilson has played exactly two good games as a Denver Bronco — and his team lost both games. Wilson has been one of the biggest disappointments in 2022. The former star has thrown 11 touchdown passes, and has topped 300 passing yards just once. Two weeks ago, Wilson was enjoying his best game as a Bronco when he suffered a scary concussion. Wilson was on the sidelines this past weekend, and Denver ended its five-game losing streak without its high-priced QB. Wilson shouldn’t be in your lineup this week regardless of his status.
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Start: Trevor Lawrence — Jacksonville Jaguars (at NYJ)
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are surging as of late, and could be on the verge of breaking into the postseason bracket. Lawrence is beginning to look the part of a franchise quarterback during this recent stretch. Over his last six games, Lawrence has thrown 14 TDs and one INT — including seven scores (plus one rushing) in the last two. The Jets’ defense certainly provides more resistance than most groups, but Lawrence has been locked-in and playing at a high level.
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Sit: Trace McSorely — Arizona Cardinals (vs TB)
Arizona’s season is over — if that wasn’t already apparent. With Colt McCoy going down with a concussion in its recent loss to the Broncos, it looks like Trace McSorley will take over reins under center for the remainder of the season. McSorley is a good athlete, but a limited passer. He’s thrown three interceptions in his last two appearances, and hasn’t really done much damage on the ground. There’s no chance you want him in your starting lineup for the fantasy postseason.
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Sit: Derek Carr — Las Vegas Raiders (at PIT)
Raiders QB Derek Carr ended up posting a solid fantasy line in the win over the Patriots thanks to a late touchdown drive. Carr ended the game with three touchdowns — his second 3-TD outing after failing to reach that number all of last season. Still, this offense has been massively inconsistent as the team attempts to reintegrate previously injured players like Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller. With a frigid forecast set in Pittsburgh for this one, Carr can be safely avoided as he’s typically performed poorly in colder climates.
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Sit: Mac Jones — New England Patriots (vs CIN)
We instructed you to sit Mac Jones last week even in a favorable matchup against the Raiders. The second-year QB was dismal in the crushing defeat to Vegas, throwing for just 112 yards on 13-of-31 passing and zero scores. Jones’ day got even worse when Raiders defender Chandler Jones stiff-armed the QB on his way to a preposterous game-winning score. This offense is anemic outside of Rhamondre Stevenson’s brilliance. Going up against a red-hot Bengals defense that just forced Tom Brady into four turnovers, Jones is going to have a long, unproductive game.
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Start: Geno Smith — Seattle Seahawks (at KC)
Even in a loss to the 49ers, Geno Smith continued his strong play. Smith’s modest totals (238 yards, one TD) aren’t so bad when you consider the 49ers have allowed just one 300-yard passer this seasonhe classi. And, Smith’s 15.32 fantasy total is a top-5 mark surrendered to a QB by San Francisco thus far. Smith remains one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league, and could be in for a massive performance against Kansas City. Seattle’s backs are up against the wall with the NFC Wild Card race ramping up. This matchup could be a high-scoring affair as it pits two explosive offenses against leaky defenses.
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Sit: Davis Mills — Houston Texans (at TEN)
Davis Mills earned the starting role in Houston once again, and was predictably mediocre in his return to the lineup two weeks ago. Even in a game in which the Texans put up 23 points against a top defense, Mills finished the day with just 6.20 fantasy points. That’s because backup QB Jeff Driskel was responsible for the only Houston passing touchdown on the day. Mills did bounce back against the Chiefs, posting a respectable 18.94 fantasy points in the overtime loss. Still, the QB wasn’t overly impressive as he threw for just 121 yards on the day. That’s three-straight games under 200 yards for Mills. Keep him glued to your bench if you want any chance of winning your fantasy playoff matchup.
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Sit: Zach Wilson — New York Jets (vs JAC)
In his return to the lineup after being benched for Mike White, former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson did some good things and some not-so-good things. Wilson connected on two touchdown passes to TE CJ Uzomah, one of which came on a beautifully-thrown deep pass for a 40-yard score. However, aside from the two touchdown passes, Wilson was woefully inaccurate as he completed just over 50-percent of his passes. With a matchup against the Jaguars set for Thursday, it looks like Wilson will get another start as White heals from his rib injury. The Jaguars aren’t imposing defensively, but Wilson has done nothing to gain our trust from a fantasy standpoint.
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Start: Justin Hebert — Los Angeles Chargers (at IND)
With his WR corps now healthy, Herbert should feast down the stretch. Herbert did struggle against the Titans, but he did show resolve down the stretch when he led LA’s offense on a game-winning drive in the final moments. It’s the fantasy playoffs, you can’t possibly bench Herbert now. Especially against an Indianapolis defense that just surrendered four touchdowns to Kirk Cousins in the second half alone.
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Sit: Deshaun Watson — Cleveland Browns (vs NO)
As of now, there isn’t much evidence to believe Deshaun Watson is particularly good at football. Of course, there were always going to be some growing pains after sitting out for over a season. However, Cleveland’s offense hasn’t seen any sort of boost since Watson returned from his suspension. In the win over the Ravens, Watson threw for just 161 yards on 28 pass attempts, while adding his second touchdown of the year. As of now, there are far more intriguing options than Watson in your starting lineup.
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Start: Jalen Hurts — Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)
Jalen Hurts continues to be one of the most consistent fantasy contributors at the QB position. Doing his best Cam Newton impression, Hurts has been a dominant dual threat who has excelled on the ground and through the air. Even though the passing game wasn’t clicking against the Bears (two INTs), Hurts dominated as a runner as he notched three rushing touchdowns on the day. Hurts has been one of fantasy football’s MVP’s throughout this season, and he will continue his dominance in a heated divisional matchup with the Cowboys this week.
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