Week 14 (QB) – The Peak, Weak, and Sneak of the Week!
The Peak, Weak, and Sneak of the Week!
If you are new to the article, thank you for reading! The ‘Peak, Weak, and Sneak of the Week’ column will be a weekly article about three quarterbacks that I believe could impact your DraftKings lineup in a positive or negative manner. The three categories are below:
Peak – A quarterback I like most this week, based on matchup, and their cost.
Weak – A quarterback who a lot of analysts are high on, or has a large price tag that will not be worth their cost.
Sneak – A quarterback sleeper for the week. A low-cost quarterback with boom potential.
‘Peak of the Week’ – Ben Roethlisberger ($7,200) – Roethlisberger is coming off a monster win and performance Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts. Big Ben is the 5th most expensive quarterback this weekend, but I believe he is well worth the asking price.
Roethlisberger gets to play against a Cincinnati defense who has actually been quite good against the pass this season. The Bengals average 1.3 interceptions per game; tied for third best in the NFL.
While the Bengals may have done well in previous weeks against the pass, their secondary has been decimated by injuries of late. Right cornerback, Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, slot cornerback Leon Hall, and free safety George Iloka all did not practice on Wednesday. All three players have a slim chance of playing in week 14.
Roethlisberger has played quite well this season, when healthy, putting up massive passing numbers. In his past 3 games, he has thrown for 1199 yards (a shade under 400 yards per game at 399.99), while throwing for 8 touchdowns against 3 interceptions. With Cincinnati depleted in the secondary, expect Big Ben to put up big numbers.
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
‘Weak of the Week’ – Matt Ryan ($6,700) – Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons has fallen from grace. Once a bona fide franchise quarterback, the 9 year veteran has not had a good season. Starting off hot, the Falcons were 5-0, but now sit at 6-6 for the season.
Ryan and the Falcons face up against the Carolina Panthers, who have been stingy on defense against the run and pass all season. The Panthers average more interceptions (1.6) per game than allowed touchdown passes (1.3). The Panthers also give up the 9th least pass yards per game to opposing quarterbacks (245.3), coming into week 14.
Matt Ryan has thrown for as many touchdowns (6), as he has interceptions (6) in his past 3 games. He has not eclipsed 300 yards passing in his last 3 games as well. A wise man once said, “There are times when a well-placed pawn is more powerful than a king.” In this instance, Matt Ryan is no pawn, nor king. Do not play Matt Ryan.
‘Sneak of the Week’ – Jameis Winston ($5,500) – Jameis Winston is coming off a mediocre game against a floundering Atlanta Falcons team where he threw for 1 touchdown against 1 interception. Thankfully, the New Orleans Saints are coming to Tampa Bay this weekend.
As discussed last week for the ‘Peak of the Week’ in Cam Newton, the New Orleans Saints defense is atrocious. The Saints defense continues to be rank dead last in fantasy points given up per game, now at 24.28.
Cam Newton threw for 5 more touchdowns last week. In the past 5 games the New Orleans Saints ‘Defense’ have stepped on the field, they have given up 21 touchdowns through the air. 21. That equals more than 4 pass touchdowns per game.
Jameis has thrown for 7 touchdowns in his last 3 games. He has thrown 5 touchdowns in a game once this year, just 3 games ago. Does Famous Jameis have it in him again? I don’t think so, but I do believe having a healthy Austin Seferian-Jenkins could pay off big down the stretch, including this game against the Saints. Channel your inner Jameis and sneak into the cash section of DraftKings tournaments, like he sneaked those crab legs out of Publix.
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for this weekly column, along with more NFL advice and the college football bowl picks coming soon!