Jameis Winston (QB, TB) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Elliott Baas profiles quarterback Jameis Winston as a waiver wire pickup for Week 12 of the 2018 NFL season.

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ANALYSIS: Oh Dirk Koetter, how about a little decisiveness? A little conviction. No more waffling, no more flip-flopping, no more mid-game quarterback changes. You’re the head coach of an NFL football team for Pete’s sake. Your own team isn’t going anywhere, but at least stop losing games for thousands of fantasy owners. Yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick was having a Fitz-Tragic kind of day, but your quarterbacks, your team, and most importantly fantasy owners shouldn’t be wondering who’ll start and finish the game at quarterback every week. Between the quarterback changes and utter disaster on defense, this team reeks of incongruity and disharmony. Yet, here we are again, clamoring to add the new Tampa Bay starter, because regardless of who starts for the Bucs, their quarterback should be productive in fantasy.

When comparing Jameis Winston to Fitzpatrick straight up from a talent perspective, Winston is the unequivocal winner. Ryan Fitzpatrick has played much better than anyone could have reasonably expected this season, but his owners had been waiting nervously for the other shoe to drop since he won the job back. Regardless, whoever ends up starting at quarterback for Tampa Bay will have value; this team is perfectly designed for an average or slightly above average quarterback to thrive. The defense is horrible and won’t be improving any time soon, they can’t run the ball, and they are flush with weapons in the passing game. Tampa Bay has an elite receiver in Mike Evans, three more good receivers that bring a variety of skills to the table, and two solid receiving tight ends with O.J. Howard. Even if Howard is out next week Cameron Brate is more than serviceable as a backup. Tampa Bay is the perfect storm for garbage time production, and there is a reason they lead the NFL in passing yards. Unless you're in a two-quarterback league or crazy desperate for a quarterback, don’t blow a lot of FAAB on Jameis Winston. His job security is far too tenuous. He is, however, a good streaming option most weeks and in a great spot next week against San Francisco, a team that has allowed the eighth-most points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Use Jameis Winston as your quarterback, but hopefully have a backup plan, even if that means owning both Winston and Fitzpatrick to ensure ownership of a playable starting quarterback.