Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Carson Wentz

Wednesday, October 22, 8:24 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco led the offense to its best performance of the season in Week 7 against the Steelers, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns as the team scored 33 points in an upset win. Despite joining the Bengals just over two weeks ago, Flacco has been a clear upgrade at quarterback, totaling 561 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 65.2% completion rate across his two starts. The 40-year-old will go on the road in Week 8 to face a New England defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Wednesday, October 22, 9:51 PM

The Minnesota Vikings will give Carson Wentz (shoulder) another start at the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, during which managers should view him as a volatile Superflex option. At this point in his career, managers should know what they're getting with the veteran quarterback. Wentz could lead a surgical game-winning drive like Week 5, throw a horrific pick-six (Week 7), be a low-volume game manager (Week 3), or chuck it for 300-plus yards (Weeks 4 and 7). The suddenly struggling Chargers are middle of the pack against fantasy quarterbacks, presenting a decent matchup, though it should be mentioned that Wentz was openly grimacing last week due to the lingering injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He is still throwing to receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison against a defense that has had its fair share of issues, however, so there is a reasonable chance for a big fantasy game. Ultimately, managers will have to gauge their risk tolerance for a gunslinging backup on a short week.