Jeff Driskel and Cody Kessler are new starters for Week 13 with Andy Dalton's injury and Blake Bortles' benching. Each are short underdogs and at home against the Colts and Broncos respectively. Are either worth the risk on declining teams falling out of the playoffs?
If neither is interesting, who is your cheap quarterback of interest in Week 13? Some options include:
- Nick Mullens (at Seattle)
- Derek Carr (vs. Kansas City)
- Ryan Tannehill (vs. Buffalo)
- Josh Allen (at Miami)
- Matthew Stafford (vs. Rams)
Phil Alexander: Hard pass on Cody Kessler, who will be asked to hand the ball off and not lose the game by attempting downfield throws. Driskel, on the other hand, has my attention. His $4,500 salary (DraftKings), opens up some interesting roster construction possibilities. While he shouldn't be confused with Lamar Jackson as a rusher, Driskel has 4.56 speed at 6'4'', 236 pounds. If he manages 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground (he has two in limited action this year), he'll just about return a 3x salary multiple for cash games before we even consider his passing stats.
BJ VanderWoude: I have to hand it to Jeff Driskel, he looked pretty good coming in to replace Andy Dalton last week. He had command of the offense, kept his eyes downfield and managed to score a touchdown through the air, and then another on the ground where Joe Mixon actually pushed him the entire way into the end zone. Driskel is an athletic quarterback with speed (4.55 40 yard dash at the NFL combine) but what really has me considering him this week is his extremely low salary across the industry. If he can put up the same number of points he did last week--in a full game vs one quarter--Driskel will be one of the better quarterback values on the board this week. He does face a hungry Broncos defense that can pressure the quarterback as well as any defense in the NFL, but Driskel will be at home, and I could see the Bengals devising an offensive game plan that plays to Driskel's mobility and actually use the aggressive pass rush against the Broncos. If you do play him, I would caution against stacking him or least not in many lineups. His ability to reach value doesn't necessarily depend on him throwing for 300+ yards or multiple touchdowns.
James Brimacombe: This late in the season I don’t know if I want to go and play some of these dwindling teams quarterbacks. For GPP purposes I would maybe consider Stafford and Carr both hoping that they can pile up the yards and points trying to play catch up, but I don’t love the spots as a whole. Josh Allen is an interesting choice against the Dolphins is interesting as Allen has shown that he can deliver on the ground as a running quarterback as he has found the end zone four times rushing over the last five games. Allen is coming off a game against Jacksonville where he threw for 160 yards and a touchdown and also rushed 13 times for 99 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Will Grant: After their big Monday Night shoot-out win two weeks ago, the Rams are expected to grind the Lions into the ground this week. However, Detroit will be coming off 10 days rest after a tough loss at home against the Bears and will no just lay down for the team with the best record in the league. Given the fact that the Rams gave up 50 points to the Chiefs in that shoot-out, the Lions should have plenty of opportunities to score.
Kerryon Johnson is still not practicing, which means that the Detroit offense will lean heavily on Matthew Stafford in this game. That means big numbers for him and his favorite target Kenny Golladay. Over the last three games, Golladay is averaging over six receptions and 90 yards receiving per game. Look for another solid performance like this against the Rams and a strong chance for a touchdown as well, making Golladay and Stafford a great stack for a reasonable price.
Dan Hindery: Driskel is interesting due to his athleticism. He ran a 4.56-forty time at the combine and has put up big rushing numbers in his preseason outings. If you get a rushing touchdown, there is a good chance he makes good on his bargain-basement pricing. I wish the matchup was a little better, though. Denver’s speed off the edge is going to be a nightmare for Cincinnati’s offensive tackles.
