However, Flacco is playing the Minnesota Vikings, at team that gives up a lot of fantasy points to quarterbacks. Almost 22 fantasy points per game, to put an exact number on it.
Just look at what McCown was able to accomplish against the Vikings just last week.
If Joe Flacco wasn’t Joe Flacco and instead his name was Drew Brees would you start him this week? Probably, yes. Imagine a scenario in which a 2-QB owner drafted Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick as the centrepieces to a 2-QB fantasy football team earlier this off-season.
Now imagine that same owner taking Joe Flacco as a QB3 insurance policy.
Fast forward to Week 13, where Andrew Luck plays the Cincinnati Bengals, Colin Kaepernick plays the Seattle Seahawks, and Joe Flacco plays the Minnesota Vikings.
Think of the different rationales that owner is using to convince himself to start his studs, thinking they’ll produce and play differently because it’s the fantasy football playoff season.
Don’t say you can’t picture such a scenario, because we’ve all been in that situation. We know it’s the fantasy playoffs this week, but do Luck, Kaepernick and Flacco know? And if they did, would they care? How would they play any differently even if they did know your fantasy playoff hopes were riding on their arms?
When deciding if your QB3 is a better play than your QB1 or QB2 during the playoffs there are plenty of aspects to factor in when making your final selection.
Recent quarterback play, team situation, like if the team your quarterback playing for is currently marred in a dumpster fire situation, fantasy points scored against, and matchup, are a few examples of what should be factoring into your decision.
The name of your quarterback should be the last factor to hold any weight, if any at all, when making your decision.
Sure, Kaepernick and his ‘Kap’ nickname sound cool, and Joe Flacco is boring ole’ Joe Flacco, but boring ole’ Joe Flacco gets to throw against a Minnesota Vikings defense giving up the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.
‘Kap’, on the other hand, takes on a Seattle Seahawks that has given up the second fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year, and that includes Drew Brees’ recent QB29 performance in Week 13.
Flacco over Kap, or Flacco over Luck isn’t an easy decision to make, but if you put in the time to research their respective situations, the decision could actually be easier than you think it is.
To recap: start your studs isn’t the slam dunk mantra it once was, you can buy a knock off designer sweater for a couple of bucks at your local thrift shop, and Joe Flacco might advance your quest at a fantasy championship if you give him the shot.
*Stats used in this article from FantasyData.com and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports
