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The quarterback position has been decimated by poor play and injuries. Some fantasy owners have been effected by the late-season injuries to Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. Others have suffered from the slow start by Tom Brady. The rest probably went against Peyton Manning. However, there are quarterbacks available that have great matchups during these last few weeks and could help your team sneak into the playoffs.
Players like Matt Ryan and Colin Kaepernick have not lived up to their preseason projections. Despite being ranked at No. 11, Ryan has thrown just one touchdown in each of the last three games. Kaepernick, on the other hand, has rushed for three touchdowns all season.
To make up for those lost points, here are three quarterbacks who have good matchups and could put up 20 points per game.
Alex Smith: It seems like Smith is never mentioned in any fantasy football articles. He has quietly put up 127 fantasy points so far and is ranked No. 13. Of course, Smith has not thrown a touchdown in five separate games, and in those games he averaged 9.4 fantasy points. In the other four games this season, he averages 20 points.
In the upcoming weeks, Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs play the Denver Broncos twice, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders, all of which are top-12 in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. He is available in 36.7 percent of ESPN leagues and is a nice fill-in for Rodgers’ owners.
EJ Manuel: The Buffalo Bills rookie played well in his first three games, scoring 49 total fantasy points. He scored only 10 in the next two and missed the last four. His first game back, Manuel scored just nine points, but that’s to be expected when missing that much time. Manuel gets a second look at the New York Jets‘ defense. They sacked him eight times in Week 3, but Manuel scored 19 points.
He may not be a good play this week with Steve Johnson and Robert Woods missing, but after the Week 12 bye, he’s a player worth looking at. The Bills play the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars, teams giving up at least 18 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks.
Geno Smith: Smith is the other rookie to make this list. He’s been hit-or-miss during his first season. He’s scored double-digit points in five weeks and single digits in four, and it’s been every other week. He did score 11 points last week, which means he should score less than 10 this week, but that won’t happen. He plays against the Bills, a team he scored 24 points against the first time around. While he may not get that high, he has a chance to score 15-17 points.
The Jets have reestablished themselves as a run-first team with Chris Ivory, which will allow Smith time to find the open receiver when passing. He is available in over 90 percent of leagues and is a nice stash in deep and dynasty leagues.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy football writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Mr_Piv1127.
