Week 16 Rankings (2018): Top 25 Quarterbacks

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

And here we are!  For most leagues Week 16 marks the finals, so everything is on the line.  You’ve battled for 15 weeks, so who now should you trust?  Who is too risky with your fantasy championship hanging in the balance?  Let’s not waste time and jump right into our Week 16 rankings:

1. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – at Seattle
2. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – at Carolina
3. Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – at Philadelphia
4. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – vs. Pittsburgh
5. Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Kansas City
6. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – vs. Atlanta
7. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at New Orleans
8. Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Tampa Bay
9. Mitchell Trubisky – Chicago Bears – at San Francisco
10. Andrew Luck – Indianapolis Colts – vs. New York Giants
11. Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills – at New England
12. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at New York Jets
13. Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – at Arizona
14. Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – at Detroit
15. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – vs. Buffalo
16. Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns – vs. Cincinnati
17. Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – vs. Denver
18. Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Baltimore
19. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens – at Los Angeles Chargers
20. Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Dallas
21. Nick Foles – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Houston
22. Sam Darnold – New York Jets – vs. Green Bay
23. Case Keenum – Denver Broncos – at Oakland
24. Eli Manning – New York Giants – at Indianapolis
25. Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – vs. Washington

Thoughts:

• It was a “down” day for Mahomes, yet he still threw for 243 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15.  There’s simply no way that he doesn’t line up atop the rankings, especially against a Seattle defense that had allowed the fourth most points per week to opposing quarterbacks from Week 11-14 (and then allowed 275 yards in Week 15 to Nick Mullens and the San Francisco 49ers).
• Jared Goff has really started to struggle, with 0 TD and 6 INT over his past two games (only 1 TD throw in his past three).  While the Arizona Cardinals only have 6 INT on the season, they’ve been among the better defenses in the league at stopping opposing quarterbacks overall (entering Week 15 they had allowed the sixth fewest points per week).  While it’s hard to envision sitting Goff, he’s going to be tough to trust.
• Dak Prescott has been pretty hit or miss of late, seemingly trading big weeks with disappointments.  Coming off a poor showing on the road against the Colts (206 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) he gets to come home and take on a Tampa Bay defense that has struggled against opposing quarterbacks all season long (31 TD passes allowed).  There’s risk, but be ready to fire him up as a viable QB1 in all formats.
• Will Week 16 again be the Marlon Mack show for Indianapolis?  They didn’t need Andrew Luck this past week, as he threw for 192 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT (second time in the past three weeks that he’s thrown for under 250 yards and 0 TD).  That’s a similar formula to that of the Tennessee Titans, who watched Derrick Henry run all over the New York Giants, and that potential is going to suppress Luck’s ranking.
• Aaron Rodgers suffered a groin injury in Week 15 so we’ll have to monitor the news to see what his status is.  If he plays he should be in position to post QB1 type numbers against the Jets, but with little to play for there’s a good chance the Packers don’t put him at risk of further injury.  He’s been included in the rankings, but have an alternative in place.
• Has the time come to consider Josh Allen a viable QB1?  It would certainly appear so, as he scored on the ground for the third time in four games (despite his rushing yards dropping to just 16).  Factor in a matchup with the Patriots, where the Bills could be forced to play catchup, and it’s easy to envision him as a viable starter.
• While the perception has been that Jameis Winston has been a good option since returning to the lineup, he’s actually thrown for 250 yards or fewer in four of the five games.  Coming off a 0 TD performance and drawing the Cowboys, he’s nothing more than a high risk QB2.

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