Which quarterbacks have the most favorable matchups for fantasy playoffs? Who is the best streaming option? And who has a poor matchup?
Here’s a breakdown of five notable quarterbacks featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman’s Week 16 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 QB
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes retains the No. 1 spot again, sporting an average rank of 1.3 among our rankers. His 26.5 fantasy points per game this season leads all quarterbacks by more than 4.0 points per game.
Playing in Seattle isn’t ideal, but that shouldn’t matter for Mahomes in this high-powered Chiefs offense. The Seahawks also lack a pass rush, ranking 18th in pressure rate and 17th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted sack rate.
The Most Favorable Matchups
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Since the Cowboys acquired Amari Cooper in Week 9, Dak’s 17.6 fantasy points per game ranks sixth among quarterbacks over that span. Prescott draws a favorable matchup against a Buccaneers defense that’s allowing 6.2 yards per play (second-highest).
Dak has also been tremendous at home this season:
Dak Prescott's season has been a tale of home/road splits. At home, Prescott's passer rating this year is 111.3 versus just 78.9 on the road. #Cowboys get #Bucs at home next. pic.twitter.com/k5CZv4W2TL
— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) December 18, 2018
Prescott is ranked eighth overall among our rankers.
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
Watson has a solid matchup against an Eagles defense that ranks 20th in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA. The Eagles are also allowing 6.0 yards per play and a 40.4% scoring rate to opposing offenses. Both marks rank in bottom-seven in the league.
Watsons ranks inside the top eight among all our rankers.
Matchup Downgrade
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Brady has a tough matchup against a Bills team that’s allowing a league-low 16.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. The Bills have also allowed just 4.9 yards per play, trailing only the Ravens (4.7) and Bears (4.8) — they’re the only three defenses in the league allowing fewer than 5.0 yards per play.
Overall, it’s difficult to be excited about a quarterback who has been mediocre in efficiency this season, averaging just 0.49 fantasy points per dropback (15th).
The Best Streamer
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Since Allen returned from injury in Week 12, he leads all quarterbacks in fantasy points and trails only Mahomes in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks.
With teams done with bye weeks, you likely don’t need Allen, but he’s still an intriguing option against a Patriots defense that’s allowing the eighth-most yards per play (5.9) and ranks 30th in adjusted sack rate.
Deshaun Watson
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
