Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Justin Fields

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.

Friday, November 21, 10:24 AM

Heading into their Week 12 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets announced that veteran Tyrod Taylor will be taking over for Justin Fields as the team's starting quarterback. The demotion is the next rough patch in what's been a rocky first season in New York for Fields. Across nine games, the 26-year-old has completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. While Fields remains a threat with his legs (383 rushing yards, four touchdowns), he's averaged a career-low 6.2 yards per pass attempt while taking a sack on 11.7% of his drop-backs. Unless Taylor were to get injured, Fields is not expected to be re-inserted as the Jets' starter this season. It remains to be seen whether Fields will stay in New York for the 2026 season or if he will get another shot to be a starter elsewhere, but he's unlikely to carry fantasy value in redraft leagues for the remainder of 2025.