Who Should I Start? Philip Rivers or Baker Mayfield

Monday, December 15, 2:46 PM

44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers will once again draw the start for the Indianapolis Colts when they face the 49ers in a Week 16 Monday Night contest, according to head coach Shane Steichen. Rivers' Week 15 start against the Seahawks was his first since 2020, and despite throwing for only 120 yards, the Colts were a last-minute field goal away from gutting out the win. The Colts won the coin toss on Sunday and elected to start on offense, making their gameplan clear from the jump: run the ball, run the clock, and limit Seattle's offensive opportunities. Rivers ultimately attempted 27 passes, with his 5.2-yard ADoT ranking 28th out of 30 starting quarterbacks through Sunday and his 4.4 yards per attempt below everyone but Kenny Pickett for the week. With Indianapolis still mathematically alive for an AFC playoff spot, it seems unlikely they will deviate from that plan on Monday night, severely hurting the upside of all Colts pass catchers while leaving Jonathan Taylor in line for another huge-volume, likely low-efficiency outing.

Friday, December 12, 12:14 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 19 of his 34 pass attempts for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during Thursday's Week 15 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. He also took five sacks in the defeat. Mayfield was decent for most of the game, but he threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter that allowed the Falcons to mount an improbable comeback. The 30-year-old has really struggled to hit his receivers in the back half of the season, completing just 54.7% of his passes over the Bucs' last five games. He ranks 21st among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game during that span. Managers will hope that he can bounce back in a key divisional battle against the Panthers next week, but it won't be easy. Carolina has intercepted five passes over its last two games. Mayfield remains outside the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks for the time being.