Fantasy Football Week 15 Quarterback Who Should I Start? Joe Burrow, Drake Maye, and More
Comparing Joe Burrow to four quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the FantasySP start/sit tool.
Joe Burrow suffered an injury in Week 2 and missed 10 weeks before returning in Week 13 for the Cincinnati Bengals. While their season is essentially over (Cincinnati is three back of the Steelers and two behind Baltimore with four to play), Bengals' fans would surely like to see some positives in what is a lost season.
Burrow is the most likely player to bring excitement for 2026 if he can look like his old self. The defense isn't going to take a big leap over the final month, but if the offense creates some fireworks before the season ends, then the Bengals will again be among the favorites in the AFC North next year, particularly if they make some defensive moves also.
In the fantasy football world, Burrow's return brings back a guy who was drafted within the top six QBs in most fantasy leagues, so owners are understandably expecting big things. With so much missed time, though, it's reasonable to be skeptical of where he is at right now, and he is showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool as a result.
Let's look at Burrow and four quarterbacks who he has been matched up with often on the start/sit tool. We will 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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Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
Burrow's first game back was against the Ravens two weeks ago on Thanksgiving night, a game the Bengals won 32-14 in Baltimore. Burrow had 261 yards (on a below-average 5.7 per attempt) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He found volume, but it took 46 attempts to get there.
Last week was better in a lot of ways, as Burrow completed nearly 70% of his passes for 284 yards on 7.9 per attempt with four touchdowns and two interceptions against a tough Buffalo pass defense. We've probably seen enough to treat Burrow the way you usually would, though it's OK to keep a little skepticism.
The Ravens have allowed the 10th-fewest yards per pass attempt, though they are slightly worse than average in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. Baltimore has been inconsistent defensively, putting together good performances but also giving up big stats at times, including allowing at least 248 passing yards in eight of 13 games.
There's a good outlook here for Burrow. I wouldn't play him over a guy with a big ceiling (we'll see a few of those below), but Burrow is likely to at least have a decent day, holding a nice floor.
Jaxson Dart, New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders
I wrote about Dart as a fantasy player yesterday, so I'll keep this short: Dart has been a fantastic in fantasy football when on the field and only held down by a recent concussion that cost him two games. Washington offers one of the best matchups available for a quarterback, allowing the most yards per pass attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Dart has QB1 upside.
Advice: Start Jaxson Dart over Joe Burrow. Burrow doesn't run a lot, something that carries much of Dart's value, so there's a major advantage in both rushing and matchup in this one for the New York rookie.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
Maye is fantasy QB4 and a real MVP contender while his team is tied for the best record in the league (11-2). Maye is averaging 262.5 passing yards per game on 8.8 per attempt (a phenomenal number) with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also adds plenty of value with his legs, averaging another 25 yards on the ground with two more scores.
The Bills have given up the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. I mentioned above that Burrow found a lot of success against Buffalo last week, but outside of that game, only three teams have reached 250 yards, and the Bills allowed just 12 passing TDs in 12 games.
Advice: Start Drake Maye over Joe Burrow. This is a really tough one, as Burrow has a better matchup, but Maye has performed so well. When these teams played in Week 5, Maye had 273 yards on 9.1 per attempt; I have faith in him to again at least have a decent game.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings
Prescott has spent most of the season among the top fantasy quarterbacks, putting up great volume. He is averaging nearly 280 passing yards per game on 7.5 per attempt. Prescott's 3,637 passing yards lead the league, and his 26 TDs are tied for the second most.
The Vikings are a little better than average in yards per pass attempt allowed, and they have given up the third-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Last week, they held the duo of Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota to 11 of 24 passing for 108 yards (4.5 per attempt), with each quarterback throwing an interception. Minnesota won 31-0.
That game got out of hand, but the Vikings have been vulnerable to the pass at times, including a three-game stretch in which Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Jared Goff combined for 837 passing yards and eight touchdowns. Minnesota has been better overall, though, and they are probably somewhere close to the middle (maybe slightly above average as a pass defense).
Advice: Start Dak Prescott over Joe Burrow. This is another tough one because Prescott has just put up such big numbers while throwing it as much as any other quarterback. These two players are pretty close, so I'll favor the guy who has been putting up numbers all year.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions
Stafford is the other MVP favorite along with Maye, averaging 258 passing yards per game on 7.8 per attempt with a league-leading 35 touchdowns and just four interceptions. It is going to take one of the two quarterbacks (or someone else) having four strong games to finish the season if they want to win MVP.
The Lions have allowed the seventh-most yards per pass attempt and the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. They have especially faltered lately, as Jameis Winston, Jordan Love, and Prescott combined for nearly 1,000 passing yards and seven touchdowns against Detroit over the past three weeks. The Lions have moved into top-10-target territory for fantasy passers.
Advice: Start Matthew Stafford over Joe Burrow. Stafford has the better matchup, and he has been putting up huge numbers all season. With the push to the playoffs heating up, I expect him to have a big game against a flailing defense in what might become something of a shootout.
