Week 10 vs. Buffalo Bills
Baker Mayfield had another OK game last week, finishing with 273 passing yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also added 22 yards on the ground. It was the first time all season Mayfield didn't turn the ball over, but he still hasn't thrown more than one touchdown in any game this year. And don't expect him to this week in a brutal matchup against the Bills. Buffalo has allowed just five passing touchdowns to quarterbacks all season. With Mayfield's struggles and Buffalo's defense, we'd advise you to stay away from the Browns quarterback in Week 10.
Week 9 at Denver Broncos
As expected, Baker Mayfield struggled last week against the Patriots. He finished with 194 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He's continued both streaks of 1) throwing at least one interception in every game and 2) not throwing more than one touchdown in a game this season. Expect his struggles to continue this week against a tough Broncos defense that's allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Mayfield is among the lower-tier options of QBs in Week 9.
Week 8 at New England Patriots
Baker Mayfield had a much-needed bye last week as he's struggled all season long. He hasn't had more than one passing touchdown in any game this season, but he has thrown multiple interceptions in three games. In fact, he's thrown an interception in every game so far and hasn't thrown a touchdown in every game. And if you're in a league where sacks count against you, he's taken an average of 2.6 sacks per game. To make matters worse, he draws a brutal matchup against the Patriots this week who have by far allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Quarterbacks have thrown one touchdown to 18 interceptions while facing New England in 2019. This is a week to leave Mayfield on the bench.
Week 6 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Baker Mayfield looked awful last week in probably his worst NFL game ever. He completed just eight passes, finished with 100 yards, no touchdowns and three turnovers. It was yet another disappointing outing for the Browns quarterback as he now has a lower passer rating than Odell Beckham Jr. on the season. He hasn't had any games with more than one touchdown, and he has nine turnovers through five games. He gets a decent matchup this week against Seattle, who are allowing an average of 17.48 fantasy points to the position. But based on Mayfield's production so far, he's a below-average option at QB.
Week 5 at San Francisco 49ers
Baker Mayfield had his best game of the season in Week 4 throwing for a season-high 342 yards. But it still wasn't a great game as he had just one score, continuing his streak of not scoring more than one touchdown a game all season. He also threw an interception, which he's done at least once in every game. His struggles may continue this week in a tough matchup against the 49ers. San Francisco is coming off the bye and is allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Mayfield isn't a terrible choice, but he's not much more than an average start in Week 5.
Week 4 at Baltimore Ravens
As expected, Baker Mayfield struggled against a tough Rams team last week. He finished with 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It's been a tough season for Mayfield so far. The best way we can explain it is to say Mayfield has 34.1 fantasy points on the season and Daniel Jones has 33.42. Mayfield gets what should be a tough matchup against the Ravens this week, although he had a lot of success against Baltimore a year ago. He threw for over 340 yards in both games while scoring four touchdowns. But based on what we've seen so far in 2019, Mayfield isn't a good option in Week 4.
Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Baker Mayfield played better in Week 2 than he did in Week 1, but he still wasn't great. His production was heavily reliant on Odell Beckham's 89-yard touchdown. That play alone accounted for Mayfield's only score and 27% of his passing yards. Obviously Beckham can make those type of plays, but it's not something you can expect every single week.
He faces a very tough task this week against the Rams, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. The Rams haven't allowed a passing touchdown all season, and have forced three turnovers on quarterbacks. Mayfield has QB1 potential, but his matchup should worry owners.
Week 2 at New York Jets
After an offseason full of hype, Baker Mayfield fell flat on his face in Week 1. He finished with 285 yards, just one touchdown and three interceptions. The Browns' offensive line is a concern as it allowed Mayfield to be sacked five times in the game, while disrupting his throws on other plays.
Mayfield's Week 1 outing is a little concerning, but we expect him to bounce back. This week he faces a Jets defense that allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs in 2018. Josh Allen played well against the defense in Week 1 as well. We have Mayfield right outside the top 10 QB plays this week, making him a QB1 option.
Week 1 vs. Tennessee Titans
Baker Mayfield enters 2019 with a lot of promise. The second-year quarterback performed well as a rookie, throwing for a rookie-record 27 touchdown passes. And during the offseason, his team got a major haul in acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. Cleveland already had a lot of talent in Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and David Njoku, and the addition of OBJ only makes Mayfield better.
Mayfield could have a tough Week 1. He faces a Titans defense that allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks a season ago. While the Titans' defense isn't a great matchup for Mayfield, it's also not something that should worry you too much. Mayfield should still be viewed as a strong QB1.
Fantasy Upside
Baker Mayfield was thrown into a tough situation last season, but made the most of it and finished with a strong rookie campaign. Despite not playing in the first two games of the season, Mayfield set the rookie touchdown passing record (27). Most of his success came after the Browns made a switch to Freddie Kitchens. Mayfield threw 19 of his 27 touchdowns after the change. He averaged 16.5 fantasy points per game under Hue Jackson, and 23.25 fantasy points under Kitchens. The Browns hired Kitchens full-time this season while also adding Odell Beckham Jr. to the mix. Mayfield was already expected to take an extra step in his second season, and providing him an extra weapon in OBJ should make things a lot easier.
Fantasy Downside
While Mayfield set the record for passing touchdowns in a single season by a rookie, he also had some rookie struggles, turning the ball over 17 times in 13 games. He was tied for the third-most interceptions thrown last season (14), so that’s certainly an area he’ll need to improve in.
2019 Bottom Line
Mayfield’s success as a rookie combined with the addition of Beckham makes him an exciting prospect, but it’s also raised his value to a point where there’s a little risk involved. Patrick Mahomes is a good comparison because heading into 2018 there was a lot of hype surrounding him as well, but what made him an attractive draft pick is he was able to be selected in the late rounds. Mayfield is going early for production we assume he’s going to have. He should be a solid midrange QB1 choice, but he’s not going to have sleeper value.
