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Well, folks, this is it. It has been a wild ride this season thanks to a litany of injuries and quarantines throughout the NFL season. We have seen veteran quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger continue to show they are fantasy viable while a crop of new talented players like Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert prove the future at the quarterback position looks bright.
Week 16 saw nine quarterbacks surpass the 300-yard passing threshold, including surprising names like Andy Dalton and Brandon Allen. Tom Brady paced quarterbacks through the air, throwing for four touchdown passes and zero interceptions against the hapless Lions secondary. Six other quarterbacks threw for three touchdown passes with another eight adding two passing scores.
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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Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo: 56% rostered
After navigating a rough three weeks of matchups against the Buccaneers (17.1 fantasy points), Bears (19.34 fantasy points), and Saints (23.64 fantasy points), Kirk Cousins finds himself in a nice, easy game to close out the 2020 NFL season. Since the Vikings’ Week 7 bye, Cousins has five games with over 20 fantasy points. In that time, he has six games with over 270 passing yards and has five games with three passing touchdowns, and two other games with two scores through the air. In his last nine games, Cousins has thrown only three interceptions.
The Vikings will get a shot at a weak and depleted Lions Defense that will likely be playing without Matthew Stafford at quarterback. The Lions have allowed an average of 23 fantasy points per game and have generated just seven interceptions on the season. Detroit has allowed the most passing touchdowns to quarterbacks this season (35). Cousins completed 13 of 20 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns in their first matchup and could easily put up numbers that meet or exceed that total again.
Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo: 40% rostered
Philip Rivers struggled in his Week 16 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing for 270 yards with just one touchdown and an interception. His 12.8 fantasy points were his lowest output since Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens. Before Week 16, Rivers was on a nice little streak. He had thrown for at least 285 yards in four of his last seven games. Since Week 10, Rivers has a 13 to 3 touchdown to interception ratio. Rivers was feasting on inadequate defenses and picking apart opposing secondaries. The good news for fantasy players with a Week 17 championship game? Rivers and the Colts are still fighting for playoff position and will have a game against a Jacksonville team with nothing to play for except the number 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
Jacksonville has been contending with Detroit for the worst defense against quarterbacks in fantasy football this season and just allowed Mitchell Trubisky to pass for 265 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception in a 41-17 blowout for the Bears. Rivers and the Colts will be on the revenge warpath after the Jaguars handed them a Week 1 loss and Rivers could be poised for a big day with a playoff berth on the line.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo: 39% rostered
After leaving the Chargers game Week 15 with a strained groin, Derek Carr returned to the starting lineup to take on a difficult Dolphins’ secondary in a must-win game for the Raiders. The Raiders didn’t win, but it certainly wasn’t because of Derek Carr. Carr completed 21 of 34 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown while also adding a one-yard dive into the end zone. Carr looked solid for somebody who was knocked out of his last game with a seemingly major injury although it wasn’t enough to take down the Dolphins behind Tua and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Carr’s status in a relatively meaningless Week 17 game, but if he does play he will be in a fantastic matchup.
Carr and the Raiders face a Denver team that features Drew Lock’s turnover-prone ways and a defensive secondary that has struggled to generate turnovers all season. Denver is allowing only 19.8 points per week to quarterbacks but has only eight interceptions on the season. In Week 16, Denver allowed Justin Herbert to throw for 253 yards and a touchdown despite missing Hunter Henry and Keenan Allen in the passing game. If Carr is rested to heal up in Week 16, Marcus Mariota offers the same passing ability with rushing upside, so keep an eye on the waiver wire for this one.
2QB League Options and Stashes
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Yahoo: 17% rostered
Mitchell Trubisky continues to play well as a game manager with rushing upside as the Bears play themselves into playoff position. Since returning to the starting lineup, Trubisky is averaging 18.8 fantasy points per week, putting him in the QB1 conversation since Week 12. Trubisky has thrown for 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns with just four interceptions since the Bears’ Week 11 bye week and remains a weekly threat for a rushing touchdown once the Bears get inside the 10-yard line. The Packers will have to play their starters in this game to try and clinch the #1 seed in the NFC, which could lead Trubisky to put the ball in the air to keep the Bears’ playoff hopes alive.
In their first matchup, Trubisky threw the ball 46 times, completing 26 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Nobody will feel great putting Trubisky in their starting lineups, but given the quarterback landscape and the number of teams that could be resting starters, he has a very interesting upside as a dual-threat option.
C.J. Beathard, San Francisco 49ers
Yahoo: 1% rostered
C.J. Beathard played well for the 49ers in his first start since Nick Mullens got hurt. Beathard completed 13 of 22 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Beathard also added three carries for 18 yards in a surprising win against a Cardinals team fighting for their playoff lives. Beathard isn’t the most impressive quarterback but he can move the ball and has some major weapons to utilize in the form of George Kittle and rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Beathard gets a fantastic Week 17 matchup against a weak Seattle secondary. The Seahawks Defense has been much stronger since figuring out how to generate a pass rush, but Beathard still has starting upside and could be a difference-maker in a moment of pure fantasy desperation.
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