Week 1 at New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston is suspended for the first three games of the season, which means Ryan Fitzpatrick will start in his place. Fitzpatrick isn't bad, per se, but he certainly isn't a very appealing option in fantasy. And while the Saints were once a dream matchup, they proved last season to be a very difficult one for QBs.
The Bucs do have talent around Fitzpatrick, but it's hard to imagine him putting up big numbers. Fitzpatrick is one of the poorer options at QB this week.
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a solid game last week, throwing for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. As we predicted, having Mike Evans back in the lineup changed things a bit and he was able to perform a lot better than he did in his first start.
With Jameis Winston still sidelined, Fitzpatrick will draw another start this week in a somewhat difficult matchup against the Falcons. Atlanta wasn't too tough earlier in the season, but in the last three games, the Falcons have allowed an average of 190 pass yards per game, and just 2 total passing touchdowns.
Fitzpatrick isn't a terrible choice, but he doesn't offer much excitement. He's a middle-of-the-road option at QB.
Week 11 at Miami Dolphins
The Bucs' passing offense was on fire with Jameis Winston at QB, but has slowed down to a molasses pace with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Winston was having a 300-yard game practically every week, but Fitzpatrick only managed 157 yards and one score (and an interception) last week against the Jets.
He gets a decent matchup this week against the Dolphins, a team that allowed 4 passing scores to Cam Newton last week. He also gets Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans back this week, which should really help out his numbers.
Fitzpatrick is somewhat hard to trust, but he's not a terrible option as a low-end QB1 this week in a favorable matchup.
Week 10 vs. New York Jets
Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start this week as Jameis Winston will be sidelined for a while with an injury. Fitzpatrick looked good in Week 6 when he came in and replaced Winston, throwing for nearly 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, but he looked awful last week. We expect him to be just fine with a full week of practice in a favorable matchup against the Jets.
We'd like him even more if Mike Evans was playing this week, but with the top option out, Fitzpatrick takes a bit of a ding. But the Jets have allowed a multi-touchdown game in five straight weeks. Fitzpatrick is a solid option this week as a low-end QB1.
Week 17 vs Buffalo
Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start in the finale and you can count on the boo-birds being out in full force in Met Life Stadium. Many fans and analysts in New York would like rookie Christian Hackenberg to start the meaningless game. However, that won't happen unless Fitzpatrick gets hurt.
Fitzpatrick did play last week when Bryce Petty went down and was awful. We don't expect anything different Sunday. Sit Fitzpatrick and play just about anyone else for Week 17.
Week 13 vs Indianapolis
Ryan Fitzpatrick actually showed glimpses of the 2015 Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, throwing for 269 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was a good sign for the Jets, who are trying to get some stability back at the position. But can he pull it off two straight weeks?
The Jets face the Colts, who are 30th in aFPA to quarterbacks, so the short answer to that question should be yes. He has a great matchup and just needs to continue to be efficient and avoid mistakes.
Even with the matchup against Indy, Fitz still only ranks a low-end QB2, so keep Fitzpatrick on the bench for Week 13.
Week 12 vs New England
Ryan Fitzpatrick's fantasy value remains very low and he is not even an option in Week 12. At this point, he shouldn't even be on your roster.
Week 10 vs Los Angeles
Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to struggle and had not throw multiple touchdowns in a game since Week 1. It's hard to believe he is going to turn it around. He just isn't the same quarterback from 2015. Eight touchdown passes compared to 13 interceptions tells the story.
Fitzpatrick will face the Rams in Week 10 who are 11th in aFPA to quarterbacks. Even with a decent matchup, the Jets offense continues to be anemic. Not only should you keep Fitzpatrick on the bench, he is one of the worst fantasy quarterback plays this weekend.
Week 9 at Miami
In his first start since being benched, Ryan Fitzpatrick did not impress in throwing for 228 yards and one touchdown against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but the good news is he didn't throw any interceptions.
Fitzpatrick was pretty good against Miami last season. He threw five touchdowns with only one pick in the two meetings. The Dolphins are 15th in aFPA to quarterbacks this season. Those two facts might lead you to think Fitzpatrick is a good play this week, but the eye test says otherwise. Fitzpatrick's struggles continue, and until we see some sustained improvement, keep him on the bench.
Week 8 at Cleveland
Ryan Fitzpatrick's benching didn't last very long. With his replacement Geno Smith suffering a knee injury and now out for the season, Fitzpatrick is back as the starter for the Jets. In relief last week, he did complete 75% of his passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. We are still not sure how much is going to change from what Fitzpatrick has done this season which has been mostly negative.
He does have a great matchup against the Browns who are 31st in aFPA to quarterbacks. But even going against the Browns defense, we are not sure which Ryan Fitzpatrick we will see - 2015 or 2016 version.
Sit Fitzpatrick for Week 8. We want evidence that he is back to his old self before we gamble on putting him back in the lineup.
