Week 6 vs. Indianapolis
Matt Cassel threw for 141 yards and a touchdown subbing for an injured Marcus Mariota last week and it appears Mariota could be out again this week, though check his Friday status. Indianapolis is 30th in points allowed to quarterbacks, having given up 2 passing touchdowns in each of the past three games. But Cassel doesn't have enough on the ball any longer to necessarily take advantage of that. Don't put him in your lineup if he plays.
Week 17 vs. Houston
Home, away or on the Moon, expecting Cassel to have a good game against Houston's pass defense just isn't realistic. He did throw for 124 yards and a touchdown in relief of injured Marcus Mariota last week but also threw an interception. And even Mariota threw for just 202 yards and no scores the first time around against the Texans' tough pass defense. No thanks.
Week 15 vs New York Jets
Matt Cassel was awful Sunday against the Packers. He only completed 45 percent of his passes for 114 yards and zero touchdowns. He added a pick for good measure. Not a banner day for the veteran QB.
Cassel will still be the starter this Saturday against New York. The Jets are 17th in aFPA to quarterbacks, but it really shouldn't matter. Cassel has not performed well with the Cowboys. He should remain on your bench as one of the lowest rated quarterbacks for Week 15.
Week 14 vs Packers
Despite a win for the Cowboys with Tony Romo on the bench, QB Matt Cassel's numbers were underwhelming, but definitely indicated game management mode. He completed 55% of his passes for 223 yards and had zero touchdowns and interceptions. Cassel is not going to put up big numbers any time soon which is why he is not on the fantasy radar. Keep him on the bench against Green Bay for Week 14.
Week 13 vs Redskins
Matt Cassel is back under center for the rest of the season after Tony Romo was re-injured. It wasn't a very good first run for the veteran QB who put up one solid fantasy outing (against Philly) in four starts.
Cassel faces Washington who is 19th in aFPA to quarterbacks. We aren't expecting much from the Cowboys offense. Keep Cassel on the bench and he will not very likely much fantasy value the rest of the season.
Week 10 at Tampa Bay
We have been pretty hard on Matt Cassel and for good reason. He has been bad until last week. Cassel actually had an impactful game for the Cowboys with 299 yards passing and three touchdowns. Even though most people didn't play him in any leagues, he at least gives you another option with the injuries and bye weeks.
The Cowboys will travel to Tampa and face the Bucs who are 27th in aFPA to quarterbacks. Even with the good matchup, we want to see Cassel do it again to consider him for our roster. He still ranks a low-end QB2 at this point, but that could start to change with another strong performance.
Week 9 vs Philadelphia
There are two good things you can say about Matt Cassel. He didn't throw an interception last week and he isn't Brandon Weeden. But that's about it after he threw for only 97 yards in another Cowboys loss. He does have a bum knee but should be the starter.
The Eagles are 9th in aFPA to quarterbacks so that won't make Cassel's job any easier. Oh, one other good thing. He isn't the worst rated fantasy QB in the NFL this week. But he is in the bottom three. If you play him, you are desperate or you are trying to tank your already lost fantasy season.
Week 8 vs Seattle
The good thing for Matt Cassel is Brandon Weeden is his backup, so the Cowboys will probably stick with him until Tony Romo returns. Cassel wasn't very good last week, as the three INTs stood out and the Dallas offense continued to struggle.
It won't get any easier this week as the Cowboys play Seattle, who has been very good against opposing quarterbacks (5th in a FPA). There is no reason to even think about playing Cassel. He is the worst fantasy quarterback for Week 8.
Week 7 vs New York Giants
The Cowboys had enough of Brandon Weeden and will have 33-year old Matt Cassel behind center on Sunday. Let's face it. There is not much more hope with Cassel in the lineup, especially with WR Dez Bryant still sidelined.
Cassel has had some big games as a starter in his career with New England and Kansas City, but he's had a lot of stinkers, too. He does have a decent matchup against New York who is 23rd in aFPA to quarterbacks. However, don't get sucked into the 'star' mystique. Cassel should be nowhere near your starting lineup. In fact, he is rated as the worst fantasy quarterback in the NFL for Week 7.
Fantasy Upside
Matt Cassel is a veteran who has had some mild success during his NFL career. Part of the problem is the last year he was even close to being an effective NFL starter was 2010 with Kansas City. But the Bills will likely want a game manager and Cassel can be that. He had nine starts the last two seasons with Minnesota and actually managed to complete 59.6% of his passes. But that might be the best thing we can say about him from a statistical standpoint.
Fantasy Downside
Cassel threw 14 touchdowns in 9 starts over the past two seasons with the Vikings. He accompanied that with 13 interceptions and really looked bad most of the time. Really, Cassel is an NFL backup so the fact the Bills are considering him a starter shows how desperate they are. In other words, Cassel's numbers aren't going to magically get better. In fact, they might get worse.
Bottom Line
Most likely, the Bills quarterback for 2015 will not be a strong fantasy option. Obviously, Buffalo brought in a veteran like Matt Cassel because of their doubt in E.J. Manuel. The Bills aren't publicly dismissing Manuel, but Cassel will have the inside track for the job. No matter who it is, it will be one of the lowest rated starting fantasy quarterbacks in 2015. Unless you have a league where you need three or four quarterbacks on the roster, no reason to have Cassel on your team.
