Week 7 at Buffalo Bills
For some reason, Miami is going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick this week as the Dolphins take on the Bills. He looked good last week playing late in the game against the Redskins, but that was against a bad defense. He gets a much tougher defense this week in Buffalo as the Bills have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Fitzpatrick was already a bad option to begin with, and the matchup makes him the worst QB option you can go with this week (outside of a backup who isn't starting).
Week 2 vs. New England Patriots
If you're reading about whether or not you should start Ryan Fitzpatrick in fantasy this week, then you should probably just give up fantasy football. In all seriousness, though, Fitzpatrick couldn't even make anything happen in garbage time last week. He finished with 185 yards with just one score and one interception. There's very little talent in Miami, and it got even smaller with Albert Wilson's injury. We can't put it much simpler than this: Don't start Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a weird season with Tampa Bay last year where at times he was the top-scoring quarterback in fantasy. He was eventually benched, however, and landed in Miami where he's won the quarterback job over Josh Rosen (for now). There's really nothing too exciting about Fitzpatrick considering he doesn't have many weapons here. He'll be a poor option most weeks, but especially this week against the Ravens who allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks last year. Fitzpatrick is quite possibly the worst starting quarterback option in fantasy this week.
Fantasy Upside
Early training camp indications show Ryan Fitzpatrick ahead of Josh Rosen in the QB battle in Miami. Fitzpatrick had a weird year in Tampa Bay last season with extreme highs and extreme lows. He started as the best QB in football, somehow finishing with three straight 400-yard games and 12 touchdowns.
Fantasy Downside
Fitzpatrick may have had 12 touchdowns in his first three games, but his last two games saw zero touchdowns and six turnovers. Plus, Miami has a lot less talent than what Tampa Bay had in 2018. There’s also the threat of Rosen coming in at QB at any moment this season.
2019 Bottom Line
We could see Fitzmagic in Miami, but we’re trending more towards Fitztragic. It’s hard to envision a 36-year-old journeyman QB (who turns 37 during the season) leading this offense anywhere. There are plenty of better quarterback options for you this year.
Week 11 at New York Giants
Ryan Fitzpatrick had one of the weirder games possible last week. He had a strong 400 yards passing, and 35 yards rushing, but somehow managed to never find the end zone as the Bucs scored three points all game. Instead, he turned the ball over three times. Fitzpatrick has taken advantage of the Bucs' receiving threats all year, but has also fell victim to several turnovers.
This week he gets a pretty tough matchup against the Giants who have only allowed three multi-touchdown games to QBs this season. Fitzpatrick has had some Fitzmagic this season, but in Week 11 he's just outside of QB1 territory.
Week 10 vs. Washington Redskins
Ryan Fitzpatrick bounced back to a strong performance in his re-debut with the Bucs. He finished with 243 yards and four touchdowns last week, while also throwing two interceptions. He even added 23 yards on the ground. He's now thrown at least three touchdowns in every one of his starts this season, making him an odd elite option in fantasy if he continues that trend.
He gets a decent matchup against the Redskins this week. Atlanta has allowed back-to-back 300-yard games to QBs, so Fitzpatrick should have no problem continuing his success. He's a mid-tier QB1 option.
Week 9 at Carolina Panthers
Fitzmagic is back! As you might remember, Ryan Fitzpatrick started the season with three straight 400-yard games before inexplicably being benched mid-game for Jameis Winston, who returned from suspension. He brought back his Fitzmagic last week nearly bringing the Bucs a win by throwing for 194 yards and two touchdowns in basically one quarter.
Fitzpatrick doesn't get a great matchup in his return, but the Panthers have allowed two passing touchdowns to QBs in six straight games. They've also given up three 300-yard games in that span, so there's opportunity for Fitzmagic to come back. He'll be a lower-end QB1 option in his return.
Week 4 at Chicago Bears
Jameis Winston returns from suspension this week, but the expectation is that Ryan Fitzpatrick will continue to start. No official decision has been made as of the writing of this post, but all signs indicate Fitz will start again.
Fitzpatrick has thrown for at least 400 yards in each of his three starts this season and has scored 12 total touchdowns. He's the No. 1 scorer in fantasy and has been spreading the ball around to all of Tampa's offensive weapons.
He might hit a road bump this week, however, as he faces a tough Bears defense. Chicago hasn't been a shutdown defense by any means, but on paper, it will be the toughest defense Fitzpatrick has played. We still like him as a low-end QB1 option.
Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a surprising star through the first two weeks of the season. He has nine total touchdowns (one rush) and led the league in passing yards heading into Week 3 after back-to-back 400-yard games. We're not sure if he'll remain the starter once Jameis Winston returns from suspension, but he sure has been nice so far.
We expect his strong season to continue this week as he faces the Steelers. Pittsburgh has allowed the second-most fantasy points to the position, including an insane six-touchdown game to Patrick Mahomes last week. This may be the final chance to cash-in on FitzMagic, but it should be a good one. We like him as a QB1 play.
Week 2 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
So uh, what happened last week? Ryan Fitzpatrick was nearly perfect, completing 21-of-28 passes for 417 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Oh yeah, and he had 36 rushing yards and scored on the ground as well. All against what was supposed to be a good defense.
We certainly don't expect that type of performance again, but the production is hard to ignore. We knew the Bucs had a lot of talented players on offense, we just didn't expect Fitzpatrick to take advantage of them like he did.
Fitzpatrick will get a tough test against the Eagles in Week 2 where we expect him to crash back to reality. We don't see him as a strong option at QB this week.
