Buckle up, people. Week 14 is here and it’s the final week before the fantasy playoffs. It’s also the final round of bye weeks, with a headache-inducing six teams out. For quarterbacks, that means Marcus Mariota, Justin Fields, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Andy Dalton and Taylor Heinicke are all out. Add to that a couple of significant injuries to the position, and there’s a lot to unpack as we get into the Week 14 quarterback rankings and notes.
The big injury news is that Lamar Jackson will miss multiple weeks with a sprained PCL. Tyler Huntley played well in his stead and is a solid replacement moving forward. The other injury headline is that Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot. While he could return in 7-8 weeks, his season is effectively over in Fantasyland. Rookie Brock Purdy filled in nicely last week and is the team’s expected starter moving forward, with Josh Johnson as the backup option.
In other quarterback news, Baker Mayfield was released by the Panthers and claimed by the Rams. Matthew Stafford is on the IR with a neck injury and is likely out for the season. Backup John Wolford is also dealing with a neck injury, making Mayfield a possible starter for Thursday night’s game against the Raiders. Stay tuned.
Quarterback Notes
Bye Weeks: ATL, CHI, GB, IND, NO, WAS
- Kirk Cousins has faced top-eight defenses in three of the last four weeks and it’s shown. He failed to throw multiple touchdowns in all but one of those games and ranked as the QB26 over that span. However, Cousins has a prime opportunity to rebound this week against Detroit. The Lions are the worst defense against quarterbacks, allowing 23.2 fantasy points per game. Cousins last faced Detroit in Week 3 and threw 41 times for 260 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Expect a bounce-back performance this week.
- Jared Goff is coming off a QB4 finish where he completed 31-of-41 passes for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s thrown two touchdowns in back-to-back games and scored the 10th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks during that span. Goff should be able to keep rolling this week against division-rival Minnesota. The Vikings have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. They’ve also given up the most passing yards to the position. Goff finally has a healthy set of receivers and should be able to take advantage. He’s my QB10 this week.
- Tyler Huntley will get the start for Baltimore in Week 14. He played well last week after Lamar Jackson left with a knee injury, completing 27 of his 32 pass attempts for 187 yards and an interception. He also added another 41 yards on the ground and punched in the team’s only touchdown with his legs. Much of Huntley’s value comes from his mobility – he averaged 60 rushing yards per game in his four starts for the Ravens last season. Huntley gets a plus matchup this week against Pittsburgh. The Steelers have surrendered the second-most passing touchdowns (23) and ninth-most fantasy points (17.9) to quarterbacks. Huntley is a top-tier QB2 with upside in Week 14.
- Deshaun Watson’s Week 13 debut didn’t go as planned. He failed to throw a touchdown and completed 12-of-22 passes for 131 yards and one interception. He also tacked on 21 rushing yards but finished as the QB30 for the week. Watson will be hard to trust until he posts better numbers, and this week is going to be tough. He faces a top-six Bengals defense that has only allowed 11 passing touchdowns through 12 weeks. They’ve also been a stingy unit on the ground, allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards to the position. Watson is a back-end QB2 for me this week.
Week 14 Quarterback Rankings
More Week 14 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings
Rnk | Player | Team | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jalen Hurts | PHI | @NYG |
2 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | @DEN |
3 | Josh Allen | BUF | NYJ |
4 | Joe Burrow | CIN | CLE |
5 | Justin Herbert | LAC | MIA |
6 | Tua Tagovailoa | MIA | @LAC |
7 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | @DET |
8 | Kyler Murray | ARI | NE |
9 | Dak Prescott | DAL | HOU |
10 | Jared Goff | DET | MIN |
11 | Trevor Lawrence | JAX | @TEN |
12 | Geno Smith | SEA | CAR |
13 | Derek Carr | LVR | @LAR |
14 | Tyler Huntley | BAL | @PIT |
15 | Mike White | NYJ | @BUF |
16 | Daniel Jones | NYG | PHI |
17 | Mac Jones | NE | @ARI |
18 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | JAX |
19 | Deshaun Watson | CLE | @CIN |
20 | Tom Brady | TB | @SF |
21 | Kenny Pickett | PIT | BAL |
22 | Sam Darnold | CAR | @SEA |
23 | Russell Wilson | DEN | KC |
24 | Brock Purdy | SF | TB |
25 | John Wolford | LAR | LVR |
26 | Baker Mayfield | LAR | LVR |
27 | Kyle Allen | HOU | @DAL |