Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
My hope as a life-long Bears fan has always been to find the quarterback. I was excited when the Jay Cutler trade was first pulled off, and I always hoped he’d bring us over the hump. However, I quickly learned that the passing offense wasn’t going to be elite with Cutler under center. He didn’t seem to do the things Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees could. Sure, he had his good days. He got us to an NFC Championship and we nearly won it. I still didn’t expect the elite passing attack. So, when we drafted Mitchell Trubisky, I had high hopes for what he could become. Sure, I had been beaten down by the likes of Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, and Craig Krenzel. I still dreamed, though, of the man who could competently lead us and make me happy he was our guy. Well, I’m starting to believe Mitchell Trubisky is that guy. While fantasy points aren’t everything, they certainly have some link to success. Trubisky has now broken the 25 point mark 4 times, he’s had four 300-yard games, and he’s scored 3+touchdowns in four games as well. Basically, he’s doing things I’ve never seen a Bears quarterback do. I give this lead in because Mitchell Trubisky was once again the top quarterback in week 10, and I’m starting to think he should be started each week. He sat at only 77% owned as of last week, so a quarter of you can find him. Consider him the best option of the week, and a great one to roll with moving forward. That being said, let’s take a look at the full top-12 list.
Quarterback | Team | Opponent | Percent Owned | Fantasy Points |
Mitchell Trubisky | Chicago | Detroit | 77% | 36.0 |
Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | Carolina | 96% | 35.8 |
Drew Brees | New Orleans | Cincinnati | 100% | 28.9 |
Russell Wilson | Seattle | LA Rams | 93% | 26.2 |
Baker Mayfield | Cleveland | Atlanta | 42% | 22.6 |
Dak Prescott | Dallas | Philadelphia | 45% | 21.7 |
Blake Bortles | Jacksonville | Indianapolis | 22% | 21.6 |
Marcus Mariota | Tennessee | New England | 39% | 21.3 |
Andrew Luck | Indianapolis | Jacksonville | 93% | 21.3 |
Carson Wentz | Philadelphia | Dallas | 95% | 21.1 |
Jared Goff | LA Rams | Seattle | 97% | 21.0 |
Matt Ryan | Atlanta | Cleveland | 97% | 20.5 |
We actually had some streamers break in this week, and we were fortunate to catch two of them on the list. We began with Andy Dalton as underowned, but he once again let us down. Maybe it’s time to move on from the Bengals quarterback until he shows he can really bounce back. Our stream of the week was Baker Mayfield, and he came through in a big way with 22.6 points and a #5 finish overall. Marcus Mariota was our second option and he put up 21.3 points for eighth place. Last was Eli Manning who, despite missing the list, still scored well with 19.2 points and a 14th place finish. We missed on Dak Prescott and Blake Bortles, and I have a different take on each player. For Prescott, it might be time to pay attention. He has put up multiple scores in each of his last four games and he faces the Atlanta defense this week. That could be a nice option. For Bortles, I still want to see more before I buy back in again. Still, that was a good week against the Colts.
Matthew Stafford (74%)
Matthew Stafford has thrown touchdowns in 7 of his last 8 games. The Carolina Panthers have given up multiple passing touchdowns in their last 8 games in a row. This seems like a great matchup to jump on for week 11, but everyone hasn’t caught on yet. I would jump on this option above all streamers this week, and it is available in better than a quarter of leagues. Sure, the Lions have had a down season. However, the passing game has held strong and that opportunity is ours.
Dak Prescott (45%)
Dak Prescott has had a bit of a bounce back in the last few weeks, once again looking like a young quarterback with promise instead of a dud. However, the real promise this week lies in the Atlanta defense, who has given up 3+ touchdowns in six different games this year, including to Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, and Baker Mayfield. I like how Dallas looked last week against Philly, and I could see another big week for both them and their offense.
Joe Flacco/ Lamar Jackson (22%)
It’s not often I recommend a streamer and I don’t even know who it’s going to be behind center. The Baltimore Ravens are playing the Bengals this week, and Cincinnati is statistically the easiest opponent for quarterbacks to play this year. They have given up 3+ passing touchdowns four times, and multiple touchdowns in 7 of 9 games. I hope we get Joe Flacco and then I’m all in this week. However, I wouldn’t mind rolling with Lamar Jackson and seeing what he can do. That rushing ability could make for a great week, even if the aerial attack falters. Make sure to keep an eye on this one, though, as Flacco is minute by minute as far as playing or not.
Blake Bortles (22%)
Following the pattern we’ve been seeing today, Blake Bortles and the Jaguars are playing the Steelers–yet another team that likes to give up passing yards and passing touchdowns. Bortles, for his part, looked good last week against the Colts and he has definitely proven that he is capable of throwing down big weeks. I could see both teams putting up points, and this would force Bortles to throw…while most likely putting up points.
Eli Manning (20%, stream of the week)
Statistically, and despite the dismal record for the Giants, Eli Manning has had a decent season. He has close to a 2-1 TD-Int ratio, he still has some excellent weapons, and I know this team is capable of a big week. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers give up 2.5 passing touchdowns per week, and they like to score themselves. This is a great combination because it means the Giants are almost guaranteed to be passing. Not only would I start Eli this week, but he is my stream of the week.