Justin Fields – Fantasy football QB streamer for the playoffs
By Nick Skrip
We are officially in the fantasy football playoff season. I am hoping if you play fantasy football, that you have at least that to look forward to with the lack of actual Chicago Bears real-life playoffs. The fantasy playoffs in most leagues will run weeks 15-17, with single-game eliminations moving forward. Plugging in the right players is crucial on a weekly basis, with some fantasy managers using a streaming strategy for certain positions, meaning that the starter rotates depending on the need or matchup.
The quarterback position is one that some fantasy managers choose to stream when they do not have a consistent option for fantasy or a top-level player drafted. Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields has become a fantasy football streaming option that can be used now within the fantasy playoffs depending on your roster.
Justin Fields: Recent games for fantasy football
- Week 8 vs. SF: 19/27 (70.5%) for 175 passing yards. 1 TD / 1 INT. 10 carries for 103 rushing yards and a rushing TD. 25.3 fantasy points. QB5 overall for the week.
- Week 9 vs. PIT: 17/29 (58.6%) for 291 passing yards. 1 TD / 1 INT. 8 carries for 45 rushing yards. 18.14 fantasy points. QB10 overall for the week.
- Week 14 vs. GB: 18/33 (54.5%) for 224 passing yards. 2 TD / 2 INT. 9 carries for 74 rushing yards. 18.36 fantasy points. 18.36 fantasy points. QB10 overall for the week.
Week 11 vs. Baltimore was left out due to the injury in that game. Looking strictly at the fantasy upside, Fields’ last three full games resulted in him being a Top 10 fantasy QB in all of them. If you play in 10 or 12 player fantasy leagues, that means he should have been someone’s starting QB for that week pending everyone in the league had a top 10 or 12 option.
I talked about the fantasy benefits of having a dual-threat QB in an article earlier this season previewing Fields, and how much of a fantasy boost this can become as we can see in his recent stats above.
Seeing Justin Fields perform as a top 10 QB for fantasy in each of his last three full games should bring confidence to potentially plug him in and play him — dependent on who your other QB would be of course. If the turnovers were limited, some of those scores would take a big boost and be an even better day.
Fantasy Playoffs
- MIN: 3rd most PPG (points per game) to QB’s for fantasy football
- SEA: 25th most PPG to QB’s for fantasy football
- NYG: 13th most PPG to QB’s for fantasy football
Two of the Bears’ next three games are definitely plus matchups for fantasy when it comes to the QB position. Even with Seattle though, the last two weeks Davis Mills (18.04 fantasy points) and Jimmy Garoppolo (20.14 fantasy points) had solid fantasy outings vs. them, so that 25th most mark does not speak for what has happened recently.
QBs for fantasy this season have had a mixture of ups and downs — even the top options. Patrick Mahomes for example, who many regarded as the best fantasy QB option, has had 36.24 – 7.5 – 12.56 – 20.32 fantasy points across the last four games. If this does not paint the inconsistency picture by a top player in the league, I’m not sure what does.
Seeing the three solid fantasy weeks in a row for Justin Fields (his healthy last three) should be a good sign moving forward that he can be used, especially seeing some plus fantasy matchups. The yardage that can be gained both through the air and the ground, plus the ability to score with his arm or his legs (5 total TDs in his last three full games) gives Fields an elevated boost to his fantasy ceiling. Limiting the turnovers will even further add to his bigger fantasy weeks.
If you ever are juggling who to start for your fantasy playoffs, just tag me on Twitter (@p2wfantasy) and just ask. Good luck!