Week 16 at Dallas Cowboys
Jameis Winston had a season-low 157 yards (in a game he started and finished) with no scores and an interception. This isn't too surprising considering the matchup, but it's now two games in a row where Winston has produced well below his averages. Don't be surprised if he struggles again this week in a tough matchup against the Cowboys. Dallas is allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, which puts Winston just outside of QB1 territory.
Week 15 at Baltimore Ravens
Jameis Winston struggled last week in what seemed to be a good matchup. He finished with a season-low 213 yards (in a game he started and finished) while scoring twice and throwing an interception. He did add 47 yards on the ground as he's now led the Bucs in rushing two weeks in a row. He's actually the team's second-leading rusher.
Expect another poor outing from Winston this week as he takes on the Ravens. Baltimore has one of the toughest defenses in the league, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs. Winston is outside of QB1 territory and closer to QB2 range.
Week 14 vs. New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston finished with 249 passing yards, two touchdowns and incredibly no turnovers. The usually turnover-prone Winston has now gone two games in a row without giving the ball to the other team, which might actually be a career best. He also led the team in rushing with 48 yards on the ground as he continues to have a strong season when he finishes games.
He gets a favorable matchup this week against the Saints, who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to QBs. The Bucs torched New Orleans in the first game of the season (417 yards, 4 touchdowns), but that was with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Still, we like Winston as a strong QB1 this week.
Week 13 vs. Carolina Panthers
In every game Jameis Winston has started and finished (which is amazingly only three), he's had over 300 passing yards. The Bucs have so many weapons on offense, and a week running game, so it makes sense why their quarterbacks continue to have success in fantasy.
Winston didn't play against the Panthers earlier this season, but when Ryan Fitzpatrick did, he scored four times against them. Carolina has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs in 2018, so gathering everything we know, Winston should be a strong QB1 this week.
Week 12 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Guess who's back. Back again. Jameis is back. Tell a friend.
After being benched for being so bad earlier in the year, the Bucs decided Ryan Fitzpatrick was worse and have turned back to Jameis Winston. He played mop-up duty last week and put up good numbers, completing 12-of-16 passes of 199 yards and two scores. The Bucs' QBs have been great for fantasy this season, but bad in real life, which is truly a remarkable feat.
With that said, Winston can be viewed as a QB1 this week in a favorable matchup vs. the 49ers. Unless he turns the ball over a lot, he should finish the game as the team's QB.
Week 8 at Cincinnati Bengals
Jameis Winston had another 300-yard effort in his second start, but had three turnovers in the process. He also didn't record a passing touchdown (although he did run for one while getting 55 yards on the ground). Winston has played well since taking over as the starter, and should continue to put up big numbers.
He gets a great matchup this week against the Bengals who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs. This game could turn in to a high-scoring contest due to both teams having bad defenses. Cincy has allowed five 300+ yard games in 2018, and Winston has 300+ yards in his two starts, so signs are pointing to a big day. He's a low-end QB1 play.
Week 7 vs. Cleveland Browns
As expected, Jameis Winston had a big day last week against the Falcons' poor defense. He finished with 395 yards and four touchdowns (with two interceptions). He even added a nice 29 yards on the ground. It was a promising showing for his first start of the season.
He gets a surprisingly tough matchup this week against the Browns who have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. But don't let that scare you too much. Cleveland has allowed 300+ yards twice (and a 298-yard game) this season, so there's room for success. We like Winston as a QB1 this week against the Browns.
Week 6 at Atlanta Falcons
Jameis Winston is officially back as the Bucs' starting QB. We haven't seen him in a full game yet, but before the bye week he played limited action and looked fine. He had one score and two turnovers, but coming in off the bench is hard to get much information from.
What we do know, is Winston has a great matchup coming off of an extra week of preparation. The Falcons have allowed 3 touchdown passes to QBs in four straight games while allowing an average of 329 passing yards in those games. Winston has enough weapons to keep that streak going, and he's in the QB1 discussion this week.
Fantasy Upside
Jameis Winston started last year on a hot streak, as he had three straight games of 300+ passing yards before getting injured the next game, but then bounced back with another 300-yard game. If we discount games where he left early, Winston had 19 touchdowns in 11 games (plus 1 rushing score), giving him pretty solid production while he played.
He still has a great supporting cast around him in Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate. If he can continue to put up similar numbers to last season, he should end up being a top QB option.
Fantasy Downside
The obvious thing holding Winston back is his three-game suspension to start the season. The Bucs’ bye comes in Week 5, which means Winston will miss most of the start of your fantasy season, and that’s a difficult start to overcome if you invest too much in the Bucs’ QB. There’s also his huge problem of holding on to the ball, as he had 18 turnovers in 13 games last season (and some of those games he left early).
2018 Bottom Line
Winston was fantastic when healthy last season, and he comes into 2018 with better surroundings. An improved offensive line and rushing attack are added to an already impressive receiving corps. Once Winston is eligible to play, he should be a great start. But his ADP takes a huge hit because of the suspension, meaning you should wait to take him until near the end of your draft.
Week 17 vs. New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston played mostly well last week, completing 21-of-27 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown. But he lost 3 fumbles in the process, which takes away the touchdown depending on your scoring settings. Turnovers have always been Winston's problem as he has 15 in 12 starts this season (and two of those games he left early due to injury).
For the most part, Winston has had a pretty strong season, but he'll get a tough test this week against the Saints. New Orleans is good at forcing turnovers (17 interceptions, tied for the fourth-most) and could cause trouble for Winston. He should be viewed as a low-end QB1 due to his potential upside.
