Week 15 was a strange one for fantasy football quarterbacks. The top three guys -- Eli Manning, Matt Ryan and Alex Smith -- were probably not starting in many leagues while fantasy owners of Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers all saw their signal caller rank outside the top nine scorers. Rodgers was especially bad, failing to score with two interceptions in, by far, his worth game of the season.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 7 quarterbacks to target for Week 16
Robert Griffin III is back on the fantasy radar. He’s worth a look if you need help.
When it comes to a pickup of a quarterback this week, it is not going to be easy to count on any of these guys in one-quarterback leagues. Although, if you’re in a two-QB league, perhaps some of these players can help you. The top three have nice matchups, too. Obviously, owners of Luck, Rodgers and Manning should not even consider benching them:
Here are five quarterbacks worth a look this week:
Robert Griffin III, Washington (owned in 31 percent of leagues) - He is going to get the start for Washington in Week 16. RG3 will also get a fantastic matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at home. The Eagles have been the third-easiest matchup for quarterbacks all season and they have been particularly bad lately. RG3 had a decent game Sunday, passing for 236 yards and one touchdown. He would have added a rushing TD, but the referees overruled it due to him losing possession before crossing the goal line. He will be a top-15 option this week with monster upside.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns (owned in 38 percent of leagues) - Welp, his debut did not go well and you’ve probably heard about it by now. He and his Browns only had five first downs and he threw two interceptions. He also had a total QBR of 1.0, so that is all you need to know. The good news is that he gets a great matchup against the Carolina Panthers, who have been a bottom-10 defense against fantasy quarterbacks. You’d have to be crazy to start him in a one-QB league, but he’s worth a look in two-QB formats.
Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (owned in 36 percent of leagues) - He had one of his best games of the season, passing for 297 yards and two scores in a win over the Oakland Raiders. The bad news is, he still hasn’t found a receiver for a touchdown all season, so there is going to be very little upside. The good news, however, is he gets a nice matchup this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith is a low-upside QB2.
Kyle Orton Buffalo Bills (owned in 13 percent of leagues) - He had an awful game Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, passing for 158 yards, no scores and one interception. The Bills are going to get a much better matchup this week against the Oakland Raiders. Alex Smith just lit them up, so it’s possible for Orton to do so, as well. He’s a low-end, low-upside QB2.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (owned in 7 percent of leagues) - The main reason to consider Bortles is he gets a nice matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans gave up a monster day to Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 13 and the New York Jets had a positive day against them, too. He would be a high-upside play as a QB2.
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