One of our favorite narratives on the Fantasy Football Today podcast is the revenge game narrative, where a player faces his former team. This week we have at least two of thos matchups with Gardner Minshew facing the Jaguars in Jacksonville in a battle for first place in the division while Jimmy Garoppolo and the Raiders host Bill Belichick and the Patriots. It is at least possible we also see Tyrod Taylor against the Buffalo Bills, but that matchup isn't quite as exciting.
The truth is, from a Fantasy perspective Garoppolo's matchup against the Patriots doesn't look that fun either. No quarterback has scored 20 Fantasy points against them this season and they've played Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott. The only way you should be starting Garoppolo is if you're ina. two-QB league. Minshew is a different story.
Every quarterback that has faced the Jaguars, other than Desmond Ridder, has scored at least 22 Fantasy points. That includes rookies C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. And Minshew has lived around 20 Fantasy points for most of his career as a starter. I would start him this week over Stroud, Dak Prescott, Geno Smith, and many others. Besides, if ever a revenge game were to mean something it would be in a guys first start in his old stadium against the QB that the team drafted to replace him.
Mayfield has hit 19 Fantasy points or more in three of four starts and the Lions have allowed at least 19 Fantasy points to every quarterback but one this season, Desmond Ridder. The Buccaneers can't run the ball efficiently, and the Lions have been much stingier against the run than the pass. Coming off a bye week this Tampa offense should have a good plan that calls for a high number of pass attempts. As long as Mike Evans is back, Mayfield is a borderline QB1.
Minshew is going back to Jacksonville for a revenge game that also happens to be a battle for first place with his old team. The Jaguars have surrendered the sixth-most Fantasy points to opposing QBs, with only Desmond Ridder failing to reach 22 Fantasy points. If you enjoy a good narrative, this is as good as they get.
Murray's roster rate is ticking up as we get closer to his return. Once it is announced it will probably be too late to add him for free. Expect Murray to be a borderline top-12 QB once he's healthy.
There's no Allen, Mahomes, Jackson, or Herbert on the main slate. So in cash games I'll be looking to the captain of the best offense in football. The Panthers won't provide any resistance and the lack of De'Von Achane may mean a couple more passing touchdowns than we've seen the past two weeks.
I moved Cousins to the contrarian section because of the loss of Justin Jefferson. But make no mistake, Cousins is my top QB value for the fourth week in a row. The loss of his WR1 should keep his roster rate lower, but I do believe Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and K.J. Osborn are completely capable of lighting up this Bears defense.
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Heath's projections
My full set of Week 6 Fantasy Football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 6. Projected stats for all starting quarterbacks are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.
