Columnist Kristina Bravo looks at the performance from the new Washington quarterback, as well as looks to Week 16 and 17 to see if he is worth a start in your league.
With the spotlight on him…though mostly because it was accidentally bouncing off of Robert Griffin III and deflecting onto him, Kirk Cousins made his first NFL start this past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Even though the Washington Redskins still lost, there is a lot to be said for Cousins’ performance and his potential for starting on your fantasy team in the next two weeks.
Cousins went 29 for 45 in passing with a 64.4% completion percentage. He threw for 381 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in that loss in Atlanta. In standard scoring he produced 21 fantasy points in his first game. To give you perspective, he tied for points in standard scoring with Tom Brady this week.
A solid outing in Week 15, and the last two games of the season also shine favorably for Cousins as he closes out the season. Week 16 will have him playing against the Cowboys at home. The Cowboys are dead last in the league for passing yards allowed by their opponents and 31st in passing touchdowns. Their defense this year has been abysmal against the passing game, and Cousins has an added advantage of the unknown in his favor as well. There’s only so much a struggling defense like the Cowboys will be able to glean from one game’s worth of footage of the quarterback. An embattled coaching staff in Washington might be able to use this to their advantage and offer Cousins more of a chance to shine.
The following week the Redskins will also be facing the struggling Giants. The turnover prone team will offer more chances for offense with the Redskins, but are still a stouter defense, especially at home. They are currently ranking in the top twenty for yards and points allowed through passing, but may still offer some solid chances for Cousins to shine.
With turmoil abound with quarterbacks and coaches in Washington, there’s very little to be excited about. However if Kirk Cousins continues to play solid football, he may have a chance to show other teams what he is capable of or even win the QB spot in Washington if things truly melt down.
His turn to show what he’s made of equals out to some surprise fantasy points as well. Look for Cousins to continue to play solid, and possibly even score huge points against the Cowboys this week.
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