Week 12 Rankings (2018): Top 25 Quarterbacks

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Just like that Thanksgiving week is upon us.  It seems like just yesterday that the NFL season was getting started, now we are a few short weeks away from the fantasy playoffs.  That complicates every decision as there is little room for error, and with three Thursday games there are that many more early week decisions.  Who should we be trusting?  Let’s take a look:

1. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – vs. Atlanta
2. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – vs. New Orleans
3. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Miami
4. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at Minnesota
5. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – at Carolina
6. Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. New York Giants
7. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – vs. Seattle
8. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Arizona
9. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – at Detroit
10. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Denver
11. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at New York Jets
12. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – at Cincinnati
13. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. San Francisco
14. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Green Bay
15. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Oakland
16. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Washington
17. Eli Manning – New York Giants – at Philadelphia
18. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – vs. Tennessee
19. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – vs. Chicago
20. Nick Mullens – San Francisco 49ers – at Tampa Bay
21. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Cleveland
22. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos – vs. Pittsburgh
23. Brock Osweiler – Miami Dolphins – at Indianapolis
24. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – at Baltimore
25. Josh Rosen – Arizona Cardinals – at Los Angeles Chargers

Thoughts:

• While the New Orleans Saints are coming off an impressive defensive effort against the Philadelphia Eagles (Carson Wentz completed 19 of 33 passes for 156 yards, 0 TD and 3 INT), was it a bad offensive effort or an outstanding defense?  The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle and don’t forget Matt Ryan torched them back in Week 3 (374 yards, 5 TD).  It would be easy to be a little skeptical given the performance of New Orleans in Week 11, but this should be a shootout and Ryan is going to be putting up plenty of points.
• From Week 8–10 Tom Brady totaled 1 TD pass…  Let that sink in for a second.  Tough opponents or not, would anyone have predicted that happening for any three week period?  The offense has been in a little bit in flux, and the return of Rob Gronkowski and having the bye week to figure things out should go a long way in helping him get right (as does a matchup with the New York Jets).  While it’s impossible to have him ranked as one of the best options, don’t be surprised to see Brady explode this week.
• While Baker Mayfield hasn’t lit up the score sheet in terms of yardage (216 yards or fewer in three of the past four games), he has 9 TD vs. 2 INT over this stretch and draws an incredibly favorable matchup against the Bengals.  He’s a rookie quarterback who will be playing on the road so there’s always going to be a little bit of risk, but there’s also obvious upside.
• Even if Joe Flacco were healthy enough to return in Week 12, would the Ravens make the change back?  Lamar Jackson is coming off a fantastic effort, completing 13 of 19 passes while rushing for 117 yards.  It shows just how dynamic of a player he is, and with Oakland on the schedule it’s easy to envision Jackson not relinquishing the role and thriving once again.  That said he’s no guarantee to produce, as a lot of his value is going to stem solely from his ability to run.
• The matchup with Seattle seems difficult, but over the past four weeks they have actually been middle of the road against opposing quarterbacks with 1,188 yards, 8 TD and 1 INT.  While we have to be at least a little bit cautious with Cam Newton, continue to view him as a QB1.
• Since blowing up Miami Deshaun Watson as thrown for 442 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT while rushing for just 45 yards in the subsequent two games.  Considering a difficult matchup with the Titans is he really a player you want to trust?
• While the injury is said to be minor, Mitchell Trubisky did pop up on the injury report yesterday.  Monitor the news just in case this turns out to be more than meets the eye.

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