Sometimes there are stories that get way too much coverage in the non-fantasy world. Perhaps no story received more publicity this season than Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. He has been a lightning rod for talk since he announced he was going pro and it looks like the fantasy world is going to get its chance to get involved with the Johnny Football obsession.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 14
Johnny Football! Woo! Besides him, what other fantasy quarterback pickups could help you in the playoffs?
He took over on Sunday and led an 80-yard TD drive capped by a rushing score of his own in Cleveland's loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are one of the toughest matchups for an offense, so Manziel even getting one score on his small opportunity bodes well for him.
It’s not going to be easy for fantasy owners to start Manziel, but it’s almost impossible to leave him on the wire. Let’s take a look at some matchups, for Manziel and for some of the other quarterbacks who could help fantasy owners in the playoffs.
Note: The old “start your stars in the playoffs” thought still rules.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns (owned in 12 percent of leagues) -- If you have any sort of concerns about your quarterback, you have to add him. In other words, unless you have Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, you should be adding Manziel. He actually gets a great matchup this week at home against the Indianapolis Colts. It's going to take a little slice of crazy to use him now, though, and most of the value lies in his Week 16 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. He'll get the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, which isn't too bad.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans (owned in 8 percent of leagues) -- Wow, he exploded for a six-touchdown game to go with 358 passing yards in Week 13. Fitzpatrick didn't even need to play the last eight minutes of the game, so it could have been an even bigger output. Before last week, Fitzpatrick was not good in fantasy and actually hadn't topped 300 yards in any game this season. His unspectacular play led to him being pulled from the starting lineup in favor of Ryan Mallett -- Mallett's now out for the season with a pectoral injury, though. The Texans get another great matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, but it's still going to be too tough to count on him in most one-quarterback leagues. Plus, his price jumped big-time in FanDuel.
Kyle Orton, Buffalo Bills (owned in 13 percent of leagues) -- This one is more about the matchup. The Bills will travel to Denver and take on the Broncos in Week 14. The Broncos came into this week as the fifth-best matchup for fantasy quarterbacks before their game with the Kansas City Chiefs. They have given up some huge games and haven't been great at home. Orton may have a banged-up Sammy Watkins to work with, which will be essential for his success. He's a mid-level QB2 with upside this week.
Shaun Hill, St. Louis Rams (owned in 3 percent of leagues) -- The Rams busted out for 52 points, but somehow Hill threw for only 183 yards and two scores. It was all running back Tre Mason, and their opponents will likely be looking to slow him down for the rest of the season. That could open up some passing for the Rams, who get a great matchup against Washington in Week 14 -- they were just torched by Andrew Luck and have been brutal all season. Hill is a decent QB2 this week.
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (owned in 8 percent of leagues) -- He actually played well, as the Vikings were able to put up 31 points against the Carolina Panthers. That probably speaks more volumes about how awful the Panthers are, but Bridgewater did throw two touchdowns without a pick -- the first time in his young career that he's thrown multiple scores without an interception. Teddy gets a great matchup again on Sunday against the Jets. He is at home, so he's a low-end QB2.
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