X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Drew Lock: Is He Ready For Fantasy Football Playoff Consideration?

Can you confidently use Drew Lock in your 2019 Fantasy Football playoffs? The matchups may look good to you, and he is coming off a very impressive outing at Houston.

There is much excitement in Denver after Drew Lock put on an air display at Houston last week. In just his second NFL start, the rookie threw for 309 yards and three TD passes, all in the first half, as the Broncos stunned the AFC South leaders, 38-24. The final score doesn’t indicate what type of a blowout it was. Denver, behind Lock, was up 28 points at halftime.

Now there is talk that John Elway has finally found the sought-after successor to Peyton Manning. Denver has won both of Lock’s starts after he finally came off injured reserve. He had started the season on the IR because of a thumb injury.

Lock had become something of a forgotten man while he was out, as he was not too impressive during the preseason. Fantasy football players never really had him on their radar at all until this past week.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Lock Him in?

Now, suddenly fantasy owners are considering starting Lock for Weeks 15 and 16, as he has upcoming matchups against the Chiefs and Lions. The upside of Lock is enticing and using him seems to be a tempting option over guys you may not feel comfortable using, such as Josh Allen or Jameis Winston. Those who added Lock may be anticipating that he may try to engage in a shootout with Patrick Mahomes before tearing up a very shaky Lions pass defense.

But while Lock has looked impressive at times over the past two weeks, using a rookie QB who has flaws that may be soon exposed by opponents is a very risky move. It’s the type of decision that could backfire and cost you a berth in your Fantasy Super Bowl or the shot to win it.

Concerns about Lock’s timing, decision-making and reads are already being fully detailed online, such as this scathing film breakdown on USA Today. The column indicates that Lock did not pay for some of his mistakes over the past two weeks, while also taking too long to process reads and showing questionable decision-making skills.

If a media type is able to showcase Lock’s faults online, then opposing defensive coordinators are certainly going to find and expose those weaknesses and more when they face Lock in the next two games. The opposition now has two full games of film to study on Lock, and his perceived shortcomings are there for all to see. Well, more importantly, for Steve Spagnuolo to have seen over the past few days in the week leading up to his team’s first matchup with Lock.

 

Drew Drops to Denver

Lock was expected to possibly be a Top 10 pick in this season’s draft and was lauded as one of the better QBs in this year’s class by some analysts. I really liked what I saw of him on film, especially his downfield passing skills. But he fell to the second round, as concerns about his decision-making and ability to read defenses effectively came into question by his detractors, and obviously some NFL front office types.

There were no real questions about Lock’s natural gifts. It was evident on film that he could throw one of the prettiest and strongest deep balls you may see from anyone in this year’s QB group of rookies. But his critics believed, and still do, that he ultimately will not be able to get by on arm strength alone. Could Lock be the next Jay Cutler in Denver?

Lock was mostly mediocre in the preseason, as he threw one TD pass and one interception in three exhibition games. He did nothing to stir the fanbase or any generate any buzz, and was completely ignored by seasonal fantasy football players. According to Fantasy Data, he had an Average Draft Position of 35th in dynasty rookie drafts.

But then just two weeks ago, Lock reminded us of why Elway took the chance on him, as he dropped a beautiful, perfectly placed 26-yard strike to Courtland Sutton for his first NFL score. A week later he shocked the Texans and now we sit at a point where fantasy owners are wondering if he is ready to enter their lineups at the most important time of the year.

 

Tough Assignment at Kansas City

Whether you are in a one or two QB league, and Lock obviously gets stronger consideration in the latter format, the ultimate call should be to bench him unless you are desperate for a decent streaming option. It’s just too risky to hand your postseason fantasy fortunes over to a guy who has only made two starts in the pros and has a lot of apparent concerns that are being displayed on film.

Lock does not have enough of a track record of success yet to utilize him in such an important spot. The matchup is also tougher than you might think. Over the past month, the Chiefs have allowed the second-fewest Fantasy Points Per Game to QBs. This is a big test for Lock this week, especially when you consider where he will be making his third start. He will be playing his first-ever road game at Arrowhead Stadium, a venue that has rattled and unnerved many QBs, others with a lot more pro experience than Lock.

Drew Lock still has a lot to prove this week. Can he overcome what is sure to be a more streamlined defensive gameplan designed to expose him further, in one of the toughest road environments in the league? Lock has to respond to and overcome such challenges before you can truly consider him for Fantasy usage. If he does, then maybe you can start thinking about using him against a much lesser defense in Week 16.

If you do own Lock in a dynasty league, this game against the Chiefs will be important for you to observe. If he can go into Arrowhead and perform well, it could be a real positive step in his overall development.

But at this time of year, it’s much safer to stick with proven performers when championship stakes are on the line. Have fun with Lock in some of your DFS lineups. He’s not ready for seasonal prime time consideration just yet.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF