Week 4 vs. Cleveland
Kirk Cousins perhaps had his best fantasy game of the season last week, throwing for 296 yards and two TDs without and interception, his first game this year without a pick. It's good news for fantasy owners, as reports said teammates weren't happy with Cousins' performances over the first two weeks.
This week Cousins gets the Browns in pretty nice matchup that has seen other QBs have pretty successful days. Cousins gets a nice ranking on our site coming in as a mid-range QB1 and ranked sixth. The Browns are 19th in allowing fantasy points to QBs, so Cousins has a good chance to put up fantasy numbers this week. Cousins is spreading the ball around this year, pretty much dividing targets among his stud receivers last week: DeSean Jackson 8, Jamison Crowder 7, PIerre Garcon 7 and Jordan Reed 7.
Week 3 at New York Giants
It's safe to say the wheels are starting to come off for a lot of Kirk Cousins owners. After a second-straight week of unimpressive fantasy production, those who drafted him are looking to cut bait for free agent options. While it may be too soon to do that, Cousins needs to turn things around quickly for his owners and his actual teammates who are starting to speak out against him already. Last week, he did throw for 364 yards and a TD with one INT, so it wasn't a terrible performance but owners have seen much better.
This week the Skins travel to the Giants in what should be a nice matchup. NYG is ranked just 26th in allowing fantasy points to QBs, but it's tough to trust Cousins right now, and as a result he comes in just 20th on our list, making him just an average QB2 play. Keep in mind, the Giants D just held Drew Brees in check. The good news for owners is Cousins has five straight weeks of very favorable matchups and a chance to once again make fantasy owners happy.
Week 2 vs. Dallas
Kirk Cousins threw for 329 yards last week but didn't record a TD and had two INTs against the Steelers defense. It certainly wasn't the kind of start owners hoped for who waited at QB.
The bad news is it's a bad matchup on paper this week against Dallas. The Skins are at home in this contest but the Cowboys are third in allowing fantasy points to QBs and Cousins is more of a low-end QB1, high-end QB2 option on our list. The good news is Eli Manning tossed three TD passe last against the 'Boys defense so there's hope Cousins can turn things around. Manning only threw for 207 yards and that could be a trend. Cousins threw for just 176 yards and 219 yards in matchups last year against Dallas but did have three TD passes in one game and one TD pass in the other. Washington may try to get the run game going as the Cowboys gave up about 5 yards a carry in Week 1.
Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh
In Weeks 7-16 last year, Kirk Cousins threw 23 TDs to just 3 INTs. He was one of the hottest QBs in the league over that stretch. Now fantasy owners are hoping things carry over into 2016 as Cousins likely fell into the later rounds in most drafts, hopefully giving those same owners lots of value.
Cousins gets a nice start to the season against the Steelers who were 23rd in allowing fantasy points to QBs last season. Cousins already comes in as a QB1 option and is 10th on our list for Week 1. Questions continue to surround the team's running game and some who follow the Skins feel Cousins is going to have to air it out again in 2016, and he certainly has the weapons to do just that. Cousins seems like a pretty safe play in just about any format this week, especially when you consider the Steelers were fourth in allowing fantasy points to RBs last season.
Fantasy Upside
It's almost as if a switch went on for Kirk Cousins last season. Weeks 1-6 he threw six TDs and eight INTs before finishing Weeks 7-16 throwing 23 TDs to just three INTs. HC Jay Gruden was supposed to bring a running attack to Washington but it turned out the offense needed to throw to be successful. There's already talk of that being the case again this year with WRs like Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and emerging WRs Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson. With Robert Griffin III out of the picture, the job is clearly Cousins.
Fantasy Downside
There's still a bit of a question as to whether or not Cousins is for real. Can Cousins continue the pace from the second half of the season or will he revert back to Weeks 1-6. With Alfred Morris now out of the way, there's a chance the team will want to feed Matt Jones and Chris Thompson the ball to establish a running game, something the Skins struggled to do last season. This would obviously put a dent in Cousins' fantasy potential.
Bottom Line
If you're going to build your team around WRs and RBs and wait on QB, Cousins is a guy who should be available later in drafts. Right now we rank Cousins 13th among QBs on our list. His ADP is the 11th round in 12-team leagues, that's high-value potential as a low-end QB1 in 12-team leagues. In ten-team leagues, Cousins makes for an excellent QB2 option whether you take your QB1 early or later in drafts.
Week 18 vs Green Bay
Kirk Cousins threw for three TDs in the regular season final game against the Cowboys last week. Since we've focused a lot on this in the second half, his totals since Week 6 are now 23 TDs and just three INTs in that span. That includes 11 TDs over his last three games.
It's tough to find a hotter QB than Cousins right now. What's also impressive is only one of the defenses in the last three weeks (Eagles) were ranked in the bottom half of the league in terms of giving up fantasy points to QBs, so Cousins continues to get it done from a fantasy perspective. In the Wild Card round this week, Cousins gets the Packers at home. The Packers are 10th in allowing fantasy points to QBs so it's not a great matchup. Cousins is ranked fourth on our list and this game has one of the higher over-unders for the weekend, so look for some points to be put up.
Week 17 at Dallas
Kirk Cousins had a big game last week in a great matchup against the Eagles, he threw for four TDs and had 365 passing yards, all season highs.
This week could be a different story. The Skins have clinched the division and the playoff berth and are pretty much locked into the fourth seed. It's possible the team rests some guys this Week 17 game, however there has been no official word. Still, those who play Cousins may risk an early exit as the team preps for the playoffs. Cousins is way down our list at 19th, going against the Cowboys who are actually the top team in allowing fantasy points to QBs. This may be a week to stay away from Cousins in your lineup.
As for next year, Cousins has certainly played well since Week 7 with 20 TDs and just three INTs in that span. He'll at least have high-end QB2 value next year and should make for a decent committee option.
Week 16 vs. Philadelphia
Kirk Cousins threw for 319 yards and four TDs last week without and INT against Buffalo. As we continue to keep track, that's now 16 TDs and three INTs since Week 7. The first six week, Cousins had six TDs and eight INTs.
If you're riding the Cousins wave of success, this could be another big week for owners. Cousins takes on the Eagles who are 25th in allowing fantasy points to QBs and really should have been burned worse than they were last week by Carson Palmer if not for a few drops. Either way, this is a real nice matchup for Cousins and his owners and he's a lower-end QB1 option this week as a result, coming in 12th on our list.
Week 15 vs. Buffalo
Kirk Cousins hit the 300 yard mark last week and added another TD. He did throw in INT, his first since Week 11 against the Panthers. It wasn't a terrible fantasy performance but Cousins fantasy out has kept him as a lower end QB2 option over the past several weeks. He's thrown one TD in five of the last six weeks, with four coming against the Saints in Week 10. Still in his last seven games he has 12 TDs and 3 INTs so in deeper leagues with multiple QBs he's getting the job done. This week, you can likely expect much of the same as the Bills are ninth in allowing fantasy points to QBs so this is a tough matchup and Cousins is again down our list as a lower-end QB2 option.
Week 14 at Bears
Kirk Cousins threw for 219 yards and a TD last week in a loss to the Cowboys. Cousins continues to play pretty well as of late and over his last six games he now has 11 TDs to just two INTs.
This week, it's a pretty friendly matchup against the Bears who are 23rd in allowing fantasy points to QBs. But, Cousins comes in on our list as a very low-end QB2 this week despite the favorable matchup. Cousins is a guy to at least consider in two QB leagues, though. We had a news story on Tuesday that said the Skins may need to throw a little more because of a struggling running game - meaning throw short, safe passes instead of handing off. This could give Cousins a bump in production if the receivers can turn these into bigger gains. It's perhaps a small reason to be more excited about Cousins than his ranking might indicate.
