Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Drake Maye

Sunday, November 23, 9:38 AM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco will get one more opportunity to start after Joe Burrow (toe) was ruled out for Sunday's Week 12 contest against the New England Patriots. While Burrow was trending in the right direction for this week, the Bengals have ultimately decided to keep him on injured reserve for at least a few more days. As a result, Flacco will remain installed as Cincinnati's starting quarterback for Week 12. He's coming off an uninspiring 199-yard clunker against the Steelers, and although he has five touchdowns over his last two games, he also has four turnovers during that span. To make matters worse, he'll be without Ja'Marr Chase (suspension), shifting Tee Higgins to the top receiver role. New England's defense has been strong this season, but it's best at stopping the run. The Patriots have allowed the ninth-most passing yards, seventh-most passing touchdowns, and 12th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2025. This matchup and situation are best defined as "good, not great." That sentiment is reflected in RotoBaller's ranking of Burrow as the overall QB17 this week.

Sunday, December 28, 4:50 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 19 of his 21 pass attempts for 256 passing yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 17 win over the New York Jets. He also rushed for 22 yards and took just one sack. The former No. 3 pick arguably had the best game of his young career. This was his first outing with at least four passing touchdowns, and he also became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 90% of his passes while throwing for at least 250 yards and five touchdowns. Fascinatingly, Maye put together this performance despite being pulled from the game in the middle of the third quarter. In case there was any doubt, Maye reminded fantasy managers that he is a high-end QB1 and should be started in all leagues. That remains true heading into Week 18 against the Miami Dolphins.