Fantasy Football Week 14 Late-Game Quarterback Who Should I Start? Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, Jacoby Brissett, and More

Patrick Mahomes doesn't need any introduction to football fans, but after looking more like a low-end weekly fantasy starter the past few seasons, he is up to a QB2 ranking after 13 weeks and has been among the leaders all season.

He has maybe the toughest matchup available to a quarterback this week, so fantasy owners are questioning whether he should be in lineups simply because of how good he has played. Mahomes is showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.

Let's look at Mahomes and four quarterbacks playing in the late/night games who he has been compared to often on the start/sit tool. We'll do a head-to-head quick-hit exercise to determine the best starter in each situation. Most stats are from NFL.com.

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Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans

I don't need to say a lot else about what he has done so far: Mahomes is on pace for his best passing numbers since 2022 and his best rushing stats of his career, and he keeps putting up fantasy stats, even as his team has looked more middling than at any time during his tenure as the starter.

The Texans are allowing the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have a strong case as the best defense in football; I don't want to trust any fantasy players against Houston. QBs are averaging fewer than 200 passing yards per game against the Texans with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 12 games.

Some fantasy owners will start Mahomes because of his name and his big stats so far, and I get it. It's crushing to lose because you left one of your top guys on the bench, so fantasy players will be hesitant to sit the best quarterback of his generation. Understand that there is a super-low floor here, though, and a chance at a quiet day.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams

Kyler Murray has been ruled out for the rest of the season, leaving Brissett in charge for the final five weeks. The veteran backup has thoroughly outplayed the starter, leaving plenty of questions as to whether the Cardinals will just cut Murray despite his contract next season being mostly guaranteed.

Brissett is averaging 312.6 passing yards per game on 7.2 per attempt with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions in seven starts. He would never keep up that pace for an entire season, and it's more about volume, as his per-attempt number is just average, but Brissett is a legit fantasy quarterback, ranking as QB4 from Weeks 6 through 13 (the time that Brissett has been starting).

The Rams offer a tougher matchup, as they have given up the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt and the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. LA's offense has been great, but they are positioned as a contender because the defense is playing just as good.

Advice: Start Patrick Mahomes over Jacoby Brissett. Mahomes has the worse matchup, but they are both really tough, so I'll go with the guy who is much more accomplished and has a better supporting cast.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears

Love has been a better real-life quarterback than fantasy quarterback much of the season, causing a little disconnect over his true value (that tends to happen a lot in fantasy football). He is averaging around 233 yards per game with 19 touchdowns to just three interceptions, a phenomenal rate, but it all adds up to a QB14 ranking, a middling number.

The matchup here is spectacular, as the Bears have given up the sixth-most yards per pass attempt and the eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have looked better the past few weeks, but that came against J.J. McCarthy, Mason Rudolph, and Jalen Hurts (who has struggled throwing the ball this year). Chicago is still vulnerable.

Advice: Start Jordan Love over Patrick Mahomes. The matchups fall so far in Love's favor that it's impossible to ignore, and I see him having the better day.

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders

I have been getting more questions about Nix this week than any other player. He was drafted as a weekly fantasy starter, and while he has had some big fantasy performances, Nix has left plenty to be desired and ranks as QB10, a player better treated as a streamer. There is a high ceiling, but when these teams played in Week 10, Nix had just 150 passing yards on 5.4 per attempt in an ugly 10-7 Denver win.

The Raiders have a better pass defense than you might think given their 2-10 record, sitting close to the middle in both yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. They don't often hold down players the way they did with Nix in the previous meeting, but Las Vegas is at least functional on defense.

Advice: Start Bo Nix over Patrick Mahomes. This is a scary one, as Nix has a super-low floor, but the ceiling is there giving his rushing ability, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him perform much better this time around against Las Vegas.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

Stafford showed flaws last week in turning the ball over three times in a 31-28 loss to the Panthers, but he still had 243 yards on 8.7 per attempt with two touchdowns; everything outside of the turnovers looked good. I trust Stafford (who is fantasy QB6) as much as any other player to put together a good game on any given week.

The Cardinals are another team sitting close to the middle against the pass, and they're even a little better than average in terms of fantasy points allowed to QBs. They have built a defense with both depth and high-end talent, and if Arizona can stay healthier next season, they might make a splash.

Advice: Start Matthew Stafford over Patrick Mahomes. Even given Arizona's prowess, Mahomes has the much tougher matchup here, and Stafford has been so good that I believe in him to put up stats against pretty much any defense.