X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

ADP Showdown - Jameis Winston vs Philip Rivers

You will be hard pressed to find two guys closer in ADP than Jameis Winston and Philip Rivers. As of the time of this writing, they are right next to each other at 10.07. If you are waiting on a QB (which you should be), the 10th round is a perfect time to grab one.

There are an abundance of options at the QB position. You don't have to take Winston or Rivers. But for the sake of argument, let's assume you have to choose between these two guys. Which one is it?

Despite their proximity in ADP, I don't think this one is particularly close, which is interesting because even in my personal rankings, I have them right next to each other.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

Stop Playing It Safe

When selecting any quarterback, the goal is to find a difference maker at the position. You can very easily stream a low-end QB1 but, ideally, you want to find a guy like 2018 Patrick Mahomes (obviously it's rarely to that extent, but you get the point).

In 2018, Rivers finished as the QB13 by average PPG. "Bucs QB" finished as the QB2. Therein lies the problem with Winston. For Rivers, there is a 100% chance he will be the starting QB for all 16 games as long as he is healthy. For Winston, well, he lost his job twice last season and the team declined to sign him to a long-term deal despite spending a #1 overall pick on him. From a season-long standpoint, there really is no debate that Rivers is the safer option.

But who cares about safe? It's the 10th round. It's the quarterback position. Here are Rivers' finishes by average PPG over the past five seasons: QB13, QB13, QB19, QB14, QB13. What exactly is this doing for your fantasy team? In typical 12-team leagues, you can stream a QB better than Rivers. Sure, Winston may end up getting benched midseason. If that happens, you can just drop him and...wait for it...stream!

 

Tangible Upside

Winston is throwing to one of the best WR duos in the league in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He has a super athletic TE in O.J. Howard. His team has a terrible defense, which should force the Bucs into shootouts. Bruce Arians has a history pushing the ball downfield, especially when he has the weapons to do it. The Bucs have no semblance of a running game. There is a reason that Bucs QB was so prolific in 2018 and the offense projects to be even better this year. I do think there is a very real risk Winston throws the ball to the other team too often to maintain his job. He is a bad NFL QB while being a potentially great fantasy QB.

And that is the key to this debate. Winston is a potentially great fantasy QB. "Great" is simply not in Rivers' range of outcomes. He is 37 years old. He is what he is. If Rivers has this breakout fantasy season at age 37, he can do it without me and I won't feel bad about it. Rivers does have strong weapons in his own right. Keenan Allen is one of the most reliable pass catchers in the league. Mike Williams is a red zone threat. Hunter Henry is returning from injury. However, the Chargers have a much better defense than the Bucs and they actually have a running game with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. Over the course of 16 games, I would expect Winston to throw significantly more touchdowns (and interceptions) than Rivers as well as average at least 25 more yards per game.

Rivers is a safe, high-floor option. He is not going to put your fantasy team over the top and his production is very replaceable. Winston may end up being terrible. He may end up getting benched. But he has upside to make a difference in your lineup. If Winston fails, you will have no trouble replacing him with production as good, if not better, than what Rivers will provide in single-QB leagues. Take Winston over Rivers every time.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

J.J. McCarthy23 mins ago

Vikings Expected To Stay Put, Could Still Land J.J. McCarthy
Drake Maye27 mins ago

Patriots Expected To Stay At No. 3 And Take Drake Maye
Joel Embiid34 mins ago

Good To Go Thursday
J.P. France1 hour ago

Optioned To Triple-A Sugar Land
José Ramírez1 hour ago

Jose Ramirez Launches Grand Slam In Three-Hit Day
Kansas City Chiefs2 hours ago

Chiefs Looking To Trade Up From No. 32
Daniel Gafford2 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Jacksonville Jaguars2 hours ago

Jaguars Looking To Move Up For Pass-Catcher?
Tim Hardaway2 hours ago

Jr. Ruled Out For Game 3
Drake Maye2 hours ago

Vikings Tense As They Look To Trade Up For Drake Maye
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Doubtful For Game 3
Khris Middleton2 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Practice, Questionable For Game 3
Dean Wade2 hours ago

Ruled Out For First Round
Sonny Milano2 hours ago

Misses Practice On Thursday
Filip Chytil2 hours ago

Joins Rangers For Trip To Washington
Jesper Fast2 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Matt Martin3 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Anton Lundell3 hours ago

Takes Over As Second-Line Center Thursday
Deebo Samuel3 hours ago

49ers Have Discussed Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk In Trade Talks
Ryan Lomberg3 hours ago

Ruled Out For Game 3
Chicago Bears3 hours ago

Bears Willing To Trade Down From Ninth Pick
Zack Gelof4 hours ago

A's Place Zack Gelof On 10-Day Injured List
Alec Marsh4 hours ago

Lands On Injured List
Keibert Ruiz4 hours ago

Back From The Injured List
Jackson Merrill4 hours ago

Scratched With Groin Tigthness
Nolan Jones6 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Thursday
Los Angeles Rams6 hours ago

Rams Trying To Move Into Top 10
Max Muncy6 hours ago

On The Bench Thursday
Drake Maye6 hours ago

Giants Trying To Trade Up For Drake Maye
Alex Vlasic6 hours ago

Inks Six-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Kyle Okposo6 hours ago

To Suit Up In Game 3
William Nylander6 hours ago

Reportedly Dealing With Migraine Issue
Framber Valdez6 hours ago

To Start Sunday
Brett Pesce6 hours ago

Tony DeAngelo To Replace Brett Pesce
Cal Raleigh7 hours ago

Back In The Lineup Thursday
J.P. Crawford7 hours ago

Heading To The Injured List
Sam Bennett7 hours ago

To Miss At Least A Week
Ceddanne Rafaela7 hours ago

The Team's Everyday Shortstop
Vaughn Grissom7 hours ago

Unlikely To Return This Weekend
Rafael Devers7 hours ago

Likely To Return To Third Base On Saturday
Corey Seager7 hours ago

Serving As Designated Hitter Against Seattle
Jonathan India8 hours ago

Back In Action Thursday
Bryce Harper8 hours ago

Back From Paternity List
Jack Eichel9 hours ago

Makes NHL History In Game 2 Win
Brad Marchand9 hours ago

Racks Up Three Points In Game 3 Victory
Leon Draisaitl9 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Wednesday's Loss
Anze Kopitar9 hours ago

Completes Three-Point Night With Overtime Game-Winner
Mason Marchment9 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
Radek Faksa10 hours ago

Injured In Game 2
Trey Murphy10 hours ago

III Cools Off In Game 2
CJ McCollum10 hours ago

Blows Hot And Cold In Game 2
Brandon Ingram10 hours ago

Overcomes Cold Start In Game 2
Jonas Valanciunas10 hours ago

Leads Pelicans In Scoring Wednesday
Jalen Williams10 hours ago

Contributes In All Areas Wednesday
Chet Holmgren10 hours ago

Sets The Tone For Thunder In Game 2
Uros Medic10 hours ago

A Massive Favorite At UFC Vegas 91
Tim Means10 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander10 hours ago

Leads Thunder To Victory
Austen Lane10 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Jhonata Diniz10 hours ago

Making UFC Debut
Bogdan Guskov10 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Vegas 91
Ryan Spann10 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC Vegas 91
Garrett Whitlock19 hours ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer19 hours ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means19 hours ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh19 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Naz Reid21 hours ago

Named Sixth Man Of The Year
Mitchell Robinson21 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Joel Embiid21 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Bam Adebayo22 hours ago

Looks Good In Win Over Boston
Kristaps Porzingis22 hours ago

Struggles Offensively In Game 2
Jayson Tatum22 hours ago

Has A Decent Showing On Wednesday
Jaylen Brown22 hours ago

Leads The Way In Game 2
Tyler Herro22 hours ago

Gets It Done On Wednesday Night
Dallas Cowboys24 hours ago

Cowboys Pick Up Micah Parsons' Fifth-Year Option
Ezekiel Elliott24 hours ago

Cowboys Meeting With Ezekiel Elliott
Cincinnati Bengals24 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Requests A Trade From Bengals
Ryan Lomberg1 day ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Logan Thompson1 day ago

Heads Out For Another Win Wednesday
Jake Oettinger1 day ago

Tries To Bounce Back Wednesday
Michael Penix Jr.1 day ago

Could Be Among Top-Four Quarterbacks Selected
Jared Goff1 day ago

No New Deal “Imminent” For Jared Goff
J.J. McCarthy1 day ago

Broncos Interested In J.J. McCarthy
Detroit Lions1 day ago

Penei Sewell Becomes Highest-Paid Offensive Lineman
Justin Fields1 day ago

Steelers Not Expected To Pick Up Justin Fields' Fifth-Year Option
Rashod Bateman1 day ago

Ravens Sign Rashod Bateman To Contract Extension
Ja'Marr Chase1 day ago

Bengals Exercise Ja'Marr Chase's Fifth-Year Option
Amon-Ra St. Brown1 day ago

Lions Agree To Four-Year Extension With Amon-Ra St. Brown
Brandon Aiyuk2 days ago

Trade Remains "Very Much In Play"
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo3 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson4 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell4 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric4 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton4 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek4 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano4 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley4 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF