Who Should I Start? Jared Goff or Tua Tagovailoa

Friday, December 19, 8:25 PM

Across 14 games this season, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has completed 69.3% of his passes for 3,672 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The 31-year-old has thrown for at least 255 yards in seven straight games and has topped 300 passing yards in each of his last two contests. With the Lions' defense struggling, Goff has been forced into more pass-heavy game scripts in the second half of the season. After attempting more than 29 passes in just one of Detroit's first seven games, he's thrown fewer than 33 passes in the team's last seven games. Goff and the Lions have a favorable matchup on paper in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Entering Sunday, Pittsburgh ranks 29th in the NFL in passing yards allowed (3,649). The Steelers' pass rush also looks a little less fearsome this week, as star edge rusher T.J. Watt (lung) will miss a second straight game while recovering from surgery to repair a collapsed lung. Given his recent pass volume trends and the opponent, Goff profiles as a low-end fantasy QB1 in Week 16.

Friday, December 19, 5:07 PM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched as the team's starting quarterback on Wednesday this week and has "in all likelihood played his final down in Miami," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Rookie QB Quinn Ewers is in line to start the rest of the season for the Dolphins as they prepare to move off of Tagovailoa in the future. The 2020 fifth overall pick has struggled this season, leading the league with 15 interceptions and posting the worst QBR of his career (36.7). Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract during the 2024 off-season and carries a total of nearly $100 million of dead cap that the Dolphins would have take on over the next two seasons if they decide to move on. The 27-year-old quarterback can safely be dropped in all redraft leagues.