Heading into Week 6, our man RedSocker had Jameis Winston as his #1 streaming option as he made his first start of the season against an Atlanta defense that’s been riddled with injuries and has allowed the third most points to opposing QBs in 2018. The Bucs may have lost to the Falcons on Sunday, but Winston did his part for fantasy owners, throwing for almost 400 yards and 3 TDs and leading all QBs with 30.9 points. He nearly lost his starting job altogether earlier this season, but moving forward could very well become an every-week starter.
The Bucs now lead the league in fantasy points per game from their starting QB, and while Ryan Fitzpatrick did more to accomplish that than Winston has, it still bodes well for Jameis moving forward. He was the leading QB in fantasy over the last 5 weeks of 2017, and in this pass-happy offense should continue to put up strong numbers even if the team isn’t winning games. Dirk Koetter and OC Todd Monken aren’t afraid to let Winston throw the ball deep, and that’s his specialty; in his career, Winston has attempted a deep pass (20+ yards) on 12.6% of his pass attempts, and on these attempts his passer rating is just under 90.
The schedule moving forward is a mixed bag for Winston, as next week brings the Browns, who’ve allowed the 6th-fewest fantasy points to opposing QBs. Week 8 gives him a matchup with Cincinnati, who’s allowed the 7th-most points to quarterbacks, and after that comes Carolina, who’s right in the middle of the league at #15 against QBs. But matchups aside, this offense is built for a QB like Jameis Winston, and his bevy of talented wideouts could propel Winston into QB1 territory.
