Week 7 at Washington
Coming off a bye, Jameis Winston is looking to improve on his troubled rookie season. He hasn't been terrible, averaging over 230 yards per game and scoring eight touchdowns through five starts, but interceptions (7) have been his downfall.
This week, he'll face a Redskins defense that has held opposing teams to under 280 yards passing in every game this season. Washington hasn't been shutdown, but they haven't allowed many big games, either. Winston is going to have to overcome his early struggles in order to be trusted in fantasy.
Week 5 vs. Jacksonville
Jameis Winston was terrible last week as he threw four interceptions against Carolina. On the bright side (for fantasy owners at least), he also finished with 287 yards and two touchdowns.
Winston has an interception problem, but he's still managed to get yards this season. In games where Mike Evans records a catch, he's finished with at least 260 passing yards. This week, he faces an injured Jaguars secondary that has not intercepted a pass all season long. It seems if Winston is ever going to have a strong game, it'd be this week. There's reason to be skeptical, but while Winston shouldn't be viewed as a strong option this week, he could be a sneaky play.
Week 4 vs. Carolina
Jameis Winston's rookie season isn't off to a roaring start, but he's found some success. The No. 1 overall pick has five total touchdowns through three games and finished with 261 yards last week.
His matchup against Carolina in Week 4 isn't a great one, although Luke McCown found a way to throw for over 300 yards against them in Week 3. It's possible Winston finds himself in a similar scenario where he has to throw a lot to get his team back in the game. Overall though, we're not seeing this as a great game for Winston. He's one of the poorer quarterback plays out there this week.
Week 3 at Houston
Jameis Winston had a better Week 2 than Week 1, but not by much. He finished with 207 passing yards and scored a touchdown through the air and on the ground. He also finished with zero interceptions, although he did fumble.
Through two games, Winston has barely gotten over the 200-yard mark. He could fall short of that mark in Week 3, as he faces a really tough Houston defense and secondary. He shouldn't be viewed as a good option this week.
Week 2 vs. New Orleans
Jameis Winston's NFL debut was one to forget. He completed less than half of his passes and finished with 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked four times and fumbled twice, although he didn't lose either fumble.
The Saints struggled a week ago as they allowed over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns to the Cardinals. But we're not expecting Winston to do that considering what he's done so far in the NFL. Winston is one of the poorer options at quarterback this week.
Week 1 vs. Tennessee
Jameis Winston is making his first professional start this week, so it may not be the best time to start him on your fantasy squad. Sure, the No.1 overall draft pick offers plenty of upside, but the youngster struggled a bit in the preseason. He finished with no passing touchdowns (two rushing), two interceptions and seven sacks in three games. He also completed less than 50 percent of his passes.
Winston may also be without top receiver Mike Evans in Week 1, which would be especially damaging. The Titans are a good matchup for Winston, but the rookie quarterback has a knack for interceptions and has never played a regular season game in the NFL. There are plenty of better options in Week 1 than Winston.
Fantasy Upside
There's a reason Tampa Bay selected Jameis Winston as the first overall pick in this year's draft. He has a ton of talent, and will be the team's starting quarterback from day 1. Winston is coming into a solid set up. He gets to throw to tall receivers like Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Tampa also lacks a solid run game, which means more pass attempts should be coming. Winston will also be working with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Koetter comes from Atlanta, where he helped Matt Ryan have a great amount of success. Ryan threw for more than 4,500 yards in each of his three seasons with Koetter. He also led David Garrard to his four most productive seasons as an OC in Jacksonville.
Fantasy Downside
Winston's biggest downfall is his knack for throwing interceptions and turning the ball over. It's something he dealt with at Florida State, and it will likely be something he deals with as he adjusts to the speed of the NFL in his first season. Also, while we've seen rookie quarterbacks have success in the recent past, we've seen plenty of them struggle as well. It's incredibly difficult to predict how quickly a rookie will adapt in his first year.
Bottom Line
You don't want to have a rookie quarterback as your main option. Winston could be worth a late round selection (if you like rostering two quarterbacks) as he's a promising prospect, but he's not even close to QB1 range at this point.
