Week 13 treated my QB2 streaming recommendation options kinder than they had in weeks past, from an overall point of view.
The three QB2 streamers I spoke about where Josh McCown, EJ Manuel, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. McCown was QB6, Manuel QB13, and Fitzpatrick QB18. That’s a QB1, a high-end QB2, and a mid-range QB2.
With the playoffs here in a majority of 2-QB fantasy football leagues, getting the opportunity to insert a potential fantasy QB1 into your QB2 slot is a big advantage, and is a move that could pay major dividend towards whether or not you’ll be advancing to round 2 of your leagues’ fantasy playoffs.
Below you’ll find a few QB2 streaming recommendations for the first week of the 2013 fantasy football playoff schedule.
Week 14 QB2 Streaming Circle of Trust
Nick Foles
I mentioned it in previous QB2 streaming pieces on XN Sports, but Nick Foles has graduated from the QB2 strreaming tier, and is a full-time QB1 in 2-QB leagues.
However, not everybody feels that way, as they are still waiting for the glass slipper to fall off of Foles’ foot. That doesn’t seem likely to happen this week, or for the rest of the playoff stretch either.
Since Week 5, Foles is fantasy football’s fifth best quarterback, including his bye and alien abduction game versus the Cowboys.
You have to be both lucky and good to post a 19:0 touchdown to interception ratio, and Foles has been both. You also have to be lucky and good to make the playoffs of your 2-QB fantasy football league, and if you’ve been riding Foles, let the luck and good times continue.
Josh McCown
Week 13 saw Josh McCown complete 63.9 percent of his passes for 355 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The passing yards total was the highest of the season for McCown, and it was the third time this year he has thrown two touchdowns.
McCown has been a fantasy revelation this season in Marc Trestman’s offense as Jay Cutler understudy, and the signs are pointing towards Cutler missing another week. That’s good for McCown owners in 2-QB leagues that have rode McCown to the playoffs.
Week 14 sees the Bears face the Dallas Cowboys, who have seen a fair share of quarterbacks go off on them.
Four times the Cowboys have allowed a quarterback to throw for over 400 passing yards against them, including Matthew Stafford’s 488 passing yard day. Drew Brees was eight yards shy of making that total five, when he threw for 392 passing yards against them Week 10.
We’ve seen McCown be an efficient volume thrower under Trestman, and with Tony Romo on the other side of the field teeing off against a burnable Bears’ defense, this game has shoot out potential. When that’s a possibility, you always have to feel good about starting any quarterback in such a scenario.
Alex Smith
Alex Smith did it again, posting another QB1 performance in Week 13, as he finished as QB5 for the week.
On the season Smith now sits at QB9, and has rewarded fantasy owners that drafted him in their 2-QB leagues.
A matchup versus the Washington Redskins is on the agenda for Smith to kick off the fantasy playoffs, and after Nick Foles, he would be the second most coveted fantasy quarterback I would want leading my 2-QB playoff squad.
After the Redskins, Smith faces the Raiders, and the Colts, and he makes for an ideal QB2 rest of the season.
Sticking on the topic of this week, the Redskins defense has given up a passing touchdown in every game, minus one, which was in Week 11 to Nick Foles, but Foles was able to score on the ground that week.
The Redskins have also allowed 20 or more rushing yards in a game four times this year, and Smith is averaging 30 yards rushing per game this season.
If I was able to secure an extra three fantasy points from my quarterback each week I’d be happy with the extra #KonamiCode points.
EJ Manuel
In two straight games Manuel has scored exactly 18.7 standard fantasy points. Manuel was drafted as a QB3 in many 2-QB leagues this off-season, with a late friendly fantasy schedule circled by many of his drafters who were looking ahead.
We’re now at that point of the year, and Week 14 sees Manuel go up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In their last eight games the Buccaneers have allowed opposing starting quarterbacks to throw for multiple touchdowns, and have given up a total of 19 touchdowns—compared to 11 interceptions during that span.
Manuel has a workman like conservative approach to him, and even his coaches have urged him to air the ball out.
The weapons around Manuel are finally healthy at the same time, with Stevie Johnson, Robert Woods, and speedster Marquise Goodwin raring to go. Not to mention safety valves in Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. who are always up for a check down pass.
Since returning from injury, Manuel has a combined five touchdowns to only one turnover. If you’re wondering whether or not to trot out Manuel in the first week of your fantasy playoffs, the answer should be yes.
*Stats used in this article from FantasyData.com, and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports
