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Week 13 is nearly in the books, which (almost) universally indicates that it is time for the fantasy football playoffs. We have more than enough information at our fingertips to understand which teams to attack or to stay away from regarding the quarterback position. Given the win or go home format that comes with this time of the year, it becomes even more essential to pay attention to the matchups if you don’t have a perennial top quarterback. Heck, even Russell Wilson has found a way to struggle the last few weeks after being considered the front runner for MVP at the beginning of the year.
So what do we know heading into the fantasy playoffs? We know that you want to start quarterbacks that play against the Seahawks, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, and Titans. Those teams have allowed over 3,000 passing yards on the season and all of them give up plenty of points. We also know that we need to avoid the Steelers, Rams, Colts, Saints, and Giants. All of those fantasy defenses are stout against quarterbacks, allowing less than 16 fantasy points per week to quarterbacks on the season. The Giants may have been a surprise addition to that list a week ago before giving up just 12 points to Seattle by holding Russ Wilson to 263 passing yards and one touchdown with an interception.
In this article, I will be focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 20% rostered).
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Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo: 61% rostered ESPN: 69.1% rostered
Taysom Hill had his best passing game since taking over the offense for Drew Brees. Hill completed 27 of 37 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on Sunday. He also continued to be a significant threat on the ground, rushing the ball 14 times for 83 yards. Hill has now picked apart the Falcons’ secondary in two of his three starts but has had at least 17 fantasy points in all of his games as the QB1 in New Orleans.
Hill will likely get the start again in Week 14 as Drew Brees continues to heal from his broken ribs. He will have another favorable matchup against a Philadelphia Eagles Defense that has struggled to contain the opponents passing games. The Eagles have allowed 2,860 passing yards and 17 touchdowns on the season after getting picked apart by Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. They have only generated three interceptions on the season.
Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo: 40% rostered ESPN: 15.6% rostered
Philip Rivers continued his hot start and kept the Colts winning against the Texans Defense in Week 13. Rivers completed 27 of 35 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. It was the third consecutive game where Rivers had multiple passing touchdowns and the first time since Week 10 he had zero interceptions. Rivers has scored at least 16 fantasy points in five of six games since the Colts’ Week 7 bye.
Rivers is poised to have a strong stretch as the fantasy playoffs kick-off. In Week 14, he will get a shot at a pathetic Raiders’ secondary that just allowed Sam Darnold and the Jets to have a shot to get their first win of the season. Darnold threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. In Week 15, Rivers will have another shot at a Texans defense that will still be without Bradley Roby and struggled to contain the Colts last week. Rivers is worth a bench stash in case your QB1 has a tough matchup in a win or go home situation.
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 33% rostered ESPN: 25.6% rostered
Teddy Bridgewater looked pretty rough knocking off the rust in Week 12. Bridgewater only completed 19 of 36 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown with an interception against the weak Vikings’ secondary. He also missed a wide-open D.J. Moore in the back of the end zone toward the end of the game in what would have been a game-winning touchdown. Thankfully, Bridgewater and the Panthers had the Week 13 bye, giving him another week to heal up and get back on the same page with his wide receivers. He will also probably get Christian McCaffery back in Week 14, which can only help his production. Bridgewater is on a streak of at least three games with 15 fantasy points (Week 11’s injury week not included).
Bridgewater and the Panthers have a solid matchup on the horizon, getting a game against a good but not great Broncos’ secondary. Denver has been solid, but not spectacular against opposing quarterbacks by allowing over 18 fantasy points per week to this position in 2020.
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Sam Darnold, New York Jets
Yahoo: 8% rostered ESPN: 1.6% rostered
Sam Darnold had his first positive fantasy game since Week 4 of this season. Darnold completed 14 of his 23 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. The third-year quarterback also added three carries for 26 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. Darnold looked good at times and also has a pretty solid complement of weapons in the passing game between Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder, and rookie Denzel Mims. Typically you want nothing to do with the Jets’ passing attack, but next week provides an interesting exception.
The Jets will travel to Seattle next week to play the Seahawks, the fantasy defense that allows the most points per week against opposing quarterbacks on the season. Seattle will see a statistical boost after their Week 13 game, but that was because they were playing against a Colt McCoy-led Giants’ offense that had enough of a lead to focus on running the ball to kill the clock. The Jets won’t likely be able to replicate that game plan, which would lead to plenty of chances for Darnold to air it out against a subpar secondary.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Yahoo: 2% rostered ESPN: 1.6% rostered
If you missed your chance to add Jalen Hurts last week, you still have another chance to add an interesting dual-threat quarterback heading into the fantasy playoffs. Carson Wentz struggled again in Week 13 which led to Jalen Hurts taking a lot of snaps in the second half with the Eagles trailing by multiple scores. Hurts came in and immediately helped spark the offense, drawing the Eagles close before ultimately falling to the Packers. Hurts was 5 of 12 passing (and wasn’t helped by a couple of drops) for 109 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also added five carries for 29 yards on the ground. Wentz struggled yet again, completing just 6 of his 15 passes for 79 yards.
Ultimately, the Eagles will probably stick with Carson Wentz again next week in a very difficult matchup against the Saints. However, New Orleans has been playing very well on defense and could force another quarterback change. If that happens, Hurts could provide his solid floor as a rusher and passer. If the Eagles decide to get an extended look at Hurts as the year comes to a close, he will close the season out with a Week 15 matchup against the Cardinals, Week 16 against Dallas, and Week 17 against the Washington Football Team.
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