The Indianapolis Colts have made the decision to bench their former 4th overall pick and hand the keys over to former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco.
Life in the NFL comes at you about as fast as a Will Anderson sack, just ask Anthony Richardson. Anderson and Richardson are inextricably tied as the ladder was drafted one pick before the former in the 2023 draft. More recently Anderson was the Texans top defensive player in a 23-20 win over the Colts, while Richardson’s continued struggles at QB ultimately caused the coaches to bench him.
Whether Richardson’s struggles classify as a textbook example of the Sophomore Slump or an indicator of his ability to quarterback at the NFL level has been heavily debated the past 8 weeks. By the numbers, Richardson is QB 30 or worse in nearly all QB throwing stats: Yards/game, touchdowns, completion percent, throwing yards (#29 actually)…the list goes on. He is top 12 in interceptions though, as well as all QB rushing metrics. Meanwhile Flacco’s lowest completion percentage this season (57.9 week 6 vs Tennessee) is higher than Richardson’s highest in a full game this year (50% week 2 vs Green Bay).
Aside from the metrics, the final straw may have come in an odd moment in the 3rd quarter week 8 in which Richardson took himself out of the game for a play. When asked if it was injury related he cited being tired and needing a breather. Perhaps Shane Steichen is getting tired of the underperformance?
Fantasy wise through the first 8 weeks Flacco has favored Josh Downs and Michael Pittman. Downs has 30 targets/24 catches/217 yards in 3 weeks with Flacco vs 17/8/134 in 3 with Richardson. Michael Pittman had 22 targets/14 catches /185 yards in 3 weeks with Flacco vs 31/15/167 in 5 games with Richardson. Alec Pierce enjoyed his time with Richardson more, while Jonathan Taylor and Adoni Mitchell were neutral.
Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01
According to Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen, ...
The Indianapolis Colts will start Joe Flacco under center ...
The Indianapolis Colts have named veteran quarterback Joe ...
Joe Flacco resting week 18, Jeff Driskel getting the start instead.
The Cleveland Browns have secured a playoff spot for week 18, prompting Coach Kevin Stefanski to rest veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who has exceeded expectations as the starting quarterback. Flacco’s impressive performance raises questions about other teams’ handling of their quarterback situations. In his five starts, Flacco averaged 323 yards per game, threw 13 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, and contributed to the Browns’ 4-1 record. His impact extended to supporting key fantasy football players, such as Amari Cooper, David Njoku, and Elijah Moore.
Shifting our focus to Jeff Driskel, who replaces Flacco in a non-essential week 18 game, it appears the Browns are treating the situation like a casual “UNO” game. Despite Driskel’s recent signing, he gets the start over PJ Walker, who has seen significant reps in four games this season. While it’s noteworthy that the Browns have started four different quarterbacks, including Driskel, who could set a record with a win, his 1-9 career record makes that outcome doubtful.
With Driskel at the helm and various starters either sitting out or playing reduced snaps, the game against the Bengals has the potential to be challenging. The Bengals, although eliminated from the playoffs, are committed to finishing the season strong with their starters, including the determined Ja’Marr Chase, who will play through a shoulder injury. The mismatch suggests a challenging game for Driskel and the Browns.
Joe Flacco has been named as the starting quarterback for week 14 against the Jaguars.
After a solid showing last week, Joe Flacco has earned the starting nod as Browns quarterback for week 14 in a home matchup against the Jaguars. While this game will be impacted by wind gusts and a chance of rain, the Jaguars Defense looked like swiss cheese against Jake Browning last week, making Flacco worthy of being in superflex lineups for fantasy managers in need this week. Flacco being named starter is also good news for Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and every other Browns pass catcher.
The Browns have named Joe Flacco their starting QB for week 13.
One week after signing veteran Super Bowl winning QB Joe Flacco, the Cleveland Browns will rely on him to start. Flacco signed to the Brown practice Squad last week after Deshaun Watson went out for the year with a shoulder injury. The Browns started rookie Quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson who suffered a concussion and was unable to clear the protocol before the week 13 match against the Rams. Instead of going with PJ Walker who has 3 starts this year, the Browns decided Joe Flacco is their guy.
Flacco will see his first game action this year, and first start since week 18 last year with the New York Jets. Flacco started 4 games last year with the Jets, he went 1-3 with his 1 win ironically coming against the Browns in week 2. That win was by far the best game Flacco played, he threw 44 times completing 26 passes for 307 yards and an impressive 4 TDs in a 31-30 win. Flacco threw the game winning TD to Garrett Wilson in that game with 22 seconds left.
The Browns are hoping Flacco can recapture some of that magic for them this time around. When Flacco got his starts last year, Browns WR Elijah Moore was on still on the Jets. Moore earned 22 targets in the 4 games Flacco started, showing a decent connection with Flacco in a really poor year. The Jets threw the ball at an absurd rate with Flacco as he totaled 188 attempts in 4 starts. Don’t expect Flacco to average 47 pass attempts a game, but the Browns have not been shy with the pass attempts with their backup Quarterbacks in the game. DTR has a total of 118 pass attempts in his 3 starts, so Flacco will be in line for a big pass attempt game against the Jaguars. This bodes well for Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and David Njoku who have soaked up the targets in the Browns passing attack all year. Flacco being a veteran will be more efficient than DTR or PJ Walker, making Amari Cooper a better start than he has been the last 2 weeks. With the TE landscape the way it is, Njoku remains a top 5 TE option this week.
