(Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire)
What a week and what a game. If you didn’t see the Monday night game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, do what you need to to find it. Don’t just watch the highlights. Don’t check the box score. You need to go and watch that game. Why? It was the highest scoring Monday Night Football game of all time, and the third highest scoring of any NFL game ever. There were 10 passing touchdowns thrown and an electric receiver who went over 200 yards. There was an MVP candidate on display who showed some good (6 touchdowns) and some bad (5 turnovers). There were two 9-1 teams fighting to see who has claim as the best in the league. This one was a rare game that lived up to the hype, and blew it away. It’s a game I won’t soon forget. It’s fitting, then, that this game produced our top two QB options this week. Patrick Mahomes and Jared Goff were the far and away top two, and we see the whole top 12 here.
| Player | Team | Opponent | Percent Owned | Fantasy Points |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | LA Rams | 99% | 50.7 |
| Jared Goff | LA Rams | Kansas City | 97% | 43.3 |
| Drew Brees | New Orleans | Philadelphia | 100% | 34.2 |
| Cam Newton | Carolina | Detroit | 99% | 30.1 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | Jacksonville | 96% | 29.8 |
| Philip Rivers | LA Chargers | Denver | 95% | 27.7 |
| Andrew Luck | Indianapolis | Tennessee | 93% | 26.9 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay | Seattle | 100% | 24.9 |
| Kirk Cousins | Minnesota | Chicago | 95% | 21.6 |
| Andy Dalton | Cincinnati | Baltimore | 57% | 21.5 |
| Russell Wilson | Seattle | Green Bay | 93% | 21.0 |
| Jameis Winston | Tampa Bay | NY Giants | 9% | 19.6 |
In addition to the aforementioned shootout, we saw a bunch of chalk this week in who to start. Eleven of the Twelve were better than 50% owned, and ten were better than 90% owned. That’s crazy, but it repeats what we saw last week: once you find your quarterback, it’s worth your while to hold on and stick with the hot hand. As the season goes on, it gets harder and harder to find someone good that isn’t already owned. Still, I’m always up for the challenge. How did we do last week? We streamed Dak Prescott (16.9), Lamar Jackson (19.2), Blake Bortles (6.9), and Eli Manning (19.5) with Eli having been our stream of the week. He was #13 overall, and Lamar Jackson was #14. I’m happy with that outcome, and it reminds us that running quarterbacks ALWAYS have value. I remember watching a league-mate ride Tim Tebow to a fantasy championship as he somehow seemed to fall into points every single week. I also should have been on top of the Tampa Bay starting QB. They seem to put up points every week, and it slipped off my radar. With all this in mind, who do we like in week 12? Let’s find out.
Baker Mayfield (53%)
I technically cannot call him a streamer as he’s now over 50% owned, but I highly recommend getting on the Baker Mayfield train if you still have time. Cincinnati is generous to opposing defenses, and Mayfield has proven more than capable of taking advantage of such a situation. I like Cleveland this week against against a fading Bengals team that has lost 4 of their last 5, and I like Mayfield moving forward period. This might be your last chance to hop on an up-and-coming QB.
Jameis Winston (42%, stream of the week)
Whoever starts for the Tampa Bay Bucs seems to be fantasy relevant this year. Tampa Bay has put up 25+ points in five of the last six weeks, and I still love their weapons. They don’t win any games, but they are good at putting up points amidst this mess of a season. It seems like ages ago that they were 2-0, “Fitzmagic” was all the rage, and people wondered if Winston would even be necessary. Now? There is a weekly quarterback switch with Jameis now back up to the plate. Assuming he lasts the whole game, I expect good numbers and Jameis Winston is my easy start of the week.
Lamar Jackson (37%)
Lamar Jackson didn’t look great in his debut as a passer. However, he has the good fortune of being potentially the best running QB in the league. He put up 100 yards in his debut, and this always makes for a safe floor. I’m sure the Ravens don’t want Jackson running that much each week, but I still love that added dimension to his game. I would happily start Jackson and count on the “Tebow effect” to carry me to at least 15 points, with upside for much more. Let’s not forget that the Ravens play the lowly Raiders, and it’s all good here.
Eli Manning (24%)
Eli Manning continues his quiet hot streak of late, having won his last two games and putting up 300 yards or multiple passing touchdowns in the last 4 weeks, all while throwing only 2 interceptions in that time. He faces off against division rival Philadelphia, who has been kind enough to opposing quarterbacks. I expect the Giants to keep their momentum as they take on a clearly disappointing Eagles team that isn’t where they thought they would be 2 months ago. Such is life. I like Eli, even if I’m not sure the Giants will win this week.
Nick Mullens (11%)
This last pick is where we tend to get into desperation mode. I certainly would not run out and fight for Nick Mullens on Black Friday morning, but he certainly has some things going for him. Mullens has put up 250+ yards in each of his two starts thus far. Also, he gets to face a Tampa bay defense that likes to give up yards, points, wins, and anything else a quarterback’s heart desires. Facing such a “beatable” opponent, I would take my chances with Mullens in a deep league where Winston and Jackson are already gone. He probably is about equal to Eli this week for me in my confidence level.
I wanted to finish up by wishing all my readers a Happy Thansgiving, and a safe and happy holiday weekend. Enjoy the turkey, the football, the family, and the day to remember how much we are blessed with. Thanks for reading, and Go Bears!