Patrick Mahomes has been a let down this season in fantasy football, but he broke through with a big game last weekend. He is a must start this week as he and the Chiefs face a Bucs defense that has been torched through the air this season.
Start: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow, QB3 on the season, has a decent matchup this week at home vs. the Raiders, who have given up 21+ to the position in three of the last four weeks. For his part, Burrow has been legit all year, though his last two finishes leave a bit to be desired (QB16, QB23). He’s generally been a Top 10 player other than that, and these last two can be blamed on the matchup and lack of his full complement of weapons. Higgins is day-to-day, but at this point, I’d expect him to go. The Bengal defense is bad enough to keep this competitive throughout, and Burrow should be just fine.
Start: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
It’s a tough matchup for Allen and the Bills this week, but I still like him as a Top 12 at the position. Miami, despite some fantastic performances against the position, was just gouged on the road against the Cardinals – a trend I expected to continue this week in Orchard Park. Allen has three Top 5 finishes and four Top 10 in eight games. Since the Cooper trade, the offense has opened back up, and Allen has posted 20.0+ in back-to-back games. This game has the highest O/U on the slate, and I expect both offenses to be cooking, which speaks to opportunity in this game.
Sit: Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite their middle-of-the-pack ranking, the Chiefs have been solid against opposing QBs this season, holding the position to fewer than 20.0 points in 6/7 games (the only dud was Lamar in Week 1). At home, on Monday Night Football, I expect that to continue. Andy Reid’s offense is third in time of possession on the season, so I think they’ll control the clock here to keep Baker off the field. Additionally, Baker will be without both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin again this week. While that didn’t seem to be a problem against the Falcons, I don’t expect Baker to throw the ball 50 times this game. You start him if you have him, but I expect him outside the Top 12 this week.
Start: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
There were signs of life last week for Herbert and this offense, with a couple of huge plays bolstering Herbert’s final line – 20/32-279-2-0, good for QB9 on the week. His other finishes? Just one inside the Top 20. This offense just isn’t good, and the Cleveland defense poses a tough matchup. The Browns have given up 24.0+ in three of the last four, but those were games against some damn good QBs – Jayden Daniels (24.2), Jalen Hurts (26.5), and Lamar Jackson (27.05). Herbert isn’t those guys on a good day, so the sit is strongly advised.
