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Buying Jacoby Brissett in Superflex & 2QB Leagues (2020 Fantasy Football)

Buying Jacoby Brissett in Superflex & 2QB Leagues (2020 Fantasy Football)

Before the 2019 season, there was hope that Jacoby Brissett could step up for the Colts in place of Andrew Luck, who retired suddenly during the preseason. The season started promising enough with a 5-2 record through the first eight weeks. The second half of the season wasn’t as kind, and the Colts went 2-7 in their final nine games to finish 7-9 on the year. After finishing with a sub .500 record, the Colts decided to reassess their quarterback situation and have turned to dead-armed Philip Rivers to take over as their starter.

Handing Rivers a one-year, $25 million deal indicates that they have seen enough of Brissett and don’t see him as a player that can lead them to a Super Bowl. While anything is possible, Brissett should be moving on after the 2020 season when the two-year extension he signed last offseason expires. Brissett might not even make it to the 2020 season as a member of the Colts — he can be traded after June 1st when his dead cap hit would drop to $5.5 million, saving the team $7 million. The ramifications in the real football world are evident, so let’s discuss if Brissett is a player you should still buy in fantasy, or if he’s one you should move on from as the Colts have done.

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Scapegoat?

It’s easy to look at Brissett’s 2019 stats and be underwhelmed. His 2,942 passing yards ranked 27th in the league, while his 18 passing touchdowns checked in at 26th at the position, and his 60.9% completion percentage ranked the same. Ranking 24th in pass attempts with 447, it shouldn’t be surprising that Brissett finished toward the bottom of yardage and touchdown rankings.

One thing Brissett did do well was not throwing interceptions.  Among quarterbacks who attempted at least 200 passes in 2019, his six interceptions were eighth-fewest, and his interception percentage of 1.3% tied for sixth-fewest.

While taking a look at Brissett’s stats, make sure to take a look at the “weapons” at his disposal last year. T.Y. Hilton spent most of the season hobbled and missed six games. The Colts handed wide receiver, Devin Funchess $10 million last offseason, and he ended up playing 36 snaps before he fractured his clavicle in Week 1 and missed the rest of the 2019 season. They drafted Parris Campbell 59th overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he ended up playing in just seven games giving the Colts 127 yards on 18 receptions. The injury theme continued with Eric Ebron, who only played in 11 games a year after setting career highs across the board in 2018. When Jack Doyle and Zach Pascal tie for the team lead in raw targets (72) and target share (14.75%), I’m not sure how much blame we should be placing at Brissett’s feet for his anemic performance in 2019.

That’s Not Bad

Considering the lack of passing volume and his few viable receiving options, Brissett played pretty well from a fantasy football perspective. Similar to most of his receiving options, Brissett dealt with injury as well last year. He was forced to leave his Week 9 matchup with the Steelers in the second quarter after spraining his MCL. As noted by none other than me, before Brissett injured his knee in Week 9, he was on a pace to finish as the QB13 for the season.

Brissett was unable to play in Week 10, which provides us a tidy split to his season, divided evenly, seven games pre-injury, and seven games post-injury.

 Average Points Per Game Top 12 Finishes  Per Game Pace 
Weeks 1 – 8 17.73 4 (in 7 games)  QB13
Weeks 11 – 17 12.97 1 (in 7 games) *QB29

*Among quarterbacks who played at least nine games

Looking at his injury, the injuries to his best playmakers, and the general lack of anyone above replacement level to throw to, I’m encouraged by what Brissett showed last year. His 7.9 Average Intended Air Yards and 3,521 total Air Yards, both of which ranked 23rd in the league, do show a more conservative approach than I prefer. And the injuries to Hilton and Campbell hold less weight as an excuse knowing that Brissett also ranked 23rd in Air Yards in 2017 as well, per AirYards.com.

Fantasy Value

In one quarterback leagues, Brissett doesn’t warrant a roster spot, whether we’re talking about redraft or dynasty. Quarterbacks are more valuable in superflex leagues for obvious reasons, so even backups like Chase Daniel, who are objectively bad at football and provide little fantasy value, are usually rostered. Brissett is a much better player than Daniel and players of that ilk, and he could still be a starter again eventually.

Teddy Bridgewater was signed to a $60 million contract this week, and he’s nothing more than a game manager. Brissett may not be the type of quarterback that can elevate mediocre talent, but he has shown that even when provided decent offensive weapons that he can produce QB1 weeks. There is also a non-zero chance that Philip Rivers is completely washed and that Brissett doesn’t end up starting at least a few games in 2020. Last season, 57 quarterbacks started at least one game, showing how valuable it is to have depth at the position in superflex leagues. Now is a great time to send out offers to Brissett owners and see if you can pry him from their rosters for a late second-round rookie pick.

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Shane Manila is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Shane, check out his archive and follow him @ShaneIsTheWorst.

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