Last night, Jameis Winston showed why he deserves to be an NFL starter in 2025, and he also showed why he's been a backup / spot-starter since 2020 -- one season after he led the league in passing yards and interceptions.
A former #1 overall draft pick, Winston is the prototypical enigmatic quarterback, with shades of Ryan Fitzpatrick. If you need a "safe" 14+ points, he's not your guy. If you need to go for broke, he'll make things interesting. Winston has attempted 40+ passes six four of his last seven starts, dating back to 2022. As long as keeps slinging it, he'll be a good bet for 18+, and several core receivers should deliver.
One of those receivers, Jerry Jeudy, has been re-born since Winston took over, though Amari Cooper's departure has helped, along with Cedric Tillman's recent absence. And of course, MNF was personal for Jeudy, who was facing his former team for the first time. Keep in mind that Denver entered last night giving up the fourth-fewest WR fantasy points per game. If Tillman remains out, of course Jeudy and David Njoku will remain must-start receivers, while Elijah Moore would be a great streamer.
And also recognize that Winston attempted 58 passes. Inflated stats are inflated for a reason.
On the ground, it's painful to watch Nick Chubb post-injury. After compiling more than 5.0 yards per carry in six straight seasons, he's barely hitting half that average. Jerome Ford has run much better. Chubb's fantasy-playoff value seems shaky at best, and that's being generous.
For Denver, the bad news is that Bo Nix flopped despite the high point total. The good news is that Courtland Sutton's on fire and Marvin Mims is heating up. Seventh-round rookie Devaughn Vele appears to be hit-or-miss. Troy Franklin probably has nowhere to go but up. This is a solid, mostly youthful nucleus. Nix has looked more poised than any other rookie QB, and his top-10 overall fantasy production isn't a fluke.
My biggest question is why he hasn't been as successful on the ground. He opened the year with 295 rushing yards in nine starts. He has only nine rushing yards in his last four games.
And for the second straight game, Jaleel McLaughlin led this backfield. Javonte Williams has rushed for less than two yards in three of his last four games. The TD-dependent Audric Estime has faded since his tiny breakout a month ago. While it's still a hot-hand situation, McLaughlin took a huge step yesterday as we approach the fantasy playoffs.
---