Fantasy Football Week 14 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Lamar Jackson vs Baker Mayfield
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The Quarterback position has been a testy one over this Fantasy Football season. Lamar Jackson was drafted as the QB2 overall and he is now a borderline bench-able asset. Baker Mayfield had been thriving in the first half of the year, and since fallen off. However, that is not to say they are dead and it is to say that they may be viable to win a much needed matchup. Today, we debate these two Quarterbacks from the 2018 Draft Class.
The Case for Lamar Jackson
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 14 Ranking: QB10
Jackson has started 9 Games for the Ravens this season. He had begun the season playing in elite form, but has since tailed off, especially since his return from injury. This season, Jackson has 205 Yards per Game, 15 Touchdowns, and 4 Interceptions. Jackson also adds 52 Rushing Attempts, 264 Yards, and 1 Touchdown. His rushing numbers are definitely lacking. Jackson is the QB18 in Fantasy Football.
The most "wow" @NFL note of the week:
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) December 4, 2025
Lamar Jackson has not forced a single missed tackle on any of his 20 designed runs this season, per @NextGenStats.
Jackson led all QB with 104 over the first 7 yeas of his career.
In Jackson's five games since his return from injury, he has 194 Yards per Game, 5 Touchdowns, and 3 Interceptions. Jackson also had added 31 Rushing Attempts for 98 Yards and 0 Touchdowns.
It is clear that Jackson is playing a bit worse, but he did also look much more mobile in Week 13, so his upside may be turning a corner.
The Ravens will face the Steelers in Week 14. They are 28th in Passing Yards Allowed, 24th versus Quarterbacks, and 26th versus Wide Receivers. The two teams have yet to meet this season as divisional rivals. Jackson should have a favorable game with Top-5 upside.
The Case for Baker Mayfield
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 14 Ranking: QB13
Mayfield has played 12 Games for the Buccaneers this season. He has 217 Yards per Game, 19 Touchdowns, and 5 Interceptions. Mayfield is a sneaky mobile Quarterback as he has 37 Rushing Attempts for 243 Yards and 1 Touchdown. Mayfield is the QB12 in Fantasy Football.
He played last week, despite a shoulder injury, and played okay. Mayfield went 18-28 for 194 Yards and 1 Touchdown. This paces for normal output.
Despite playing with a sprained AC joint he suffered less than a week ago, Baker Mayfield is still scrambling around to make something out of nothing.
— Josh Hill (@jdavhill) November 30, 2025
Impossible to not love this dude #WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/sBxYkMkApQ
The Buccaneers face the Saints in Week 14. They are 7th in Passing Yards Allowed, 28th versus Quarterbacks, and 22nd versus Wide Receivers. The two teams met back in Week 8 where the Buccaneers won 23-3. Mayfield had 152 Yards and 0 Touchdowns in this game. They definitely subdued the Buccaneers offense in which they ran just 56 Offensive plays.
Mayfield should have a very moderate matchup this week. He does hope to add back Mike Evans, so the upside still is Top-5 hopeful.
Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Lamar Jackson vs Baker Mayfield
I always like to explore the more important statistics. At this position, that would be gamescript and touchdown likelihood.
The Ravens are 30th in Pass-Rate (51%), but this is normal. In a game against the Steelers, we expect a common script. The Ravens are favored by (5.5) points, but this suggest a relatively close game.
In the Red Zone, Jackson is either passing or running the ball 40% of the time. He has (10) Passing Touchdowns and (1) Rushing Touchdown. On average, Jackson has (5.0) Red Zone plays per game where he accounts for the action.
The Buccaneers are 17th in Pass-Rate (55%), but they have a game against the Saints where they are favored by (8.5) points. They could blowout the Saints, but I do not think it will happen. Nonetheless, if they are up, they will favor the run as teams tend to do. I would not be too worried about this.
In the Red Zone, Mayfield is passing or running the ball 59% of the time. He has (10) Passing Touchdowns and (1) Rushing Touchdown — identical to Jackson.
These two players are very close in all applicable metrics. For that reason, I like to favor the better matchup that just so happens to have the technical better matchup. That is Jackson.
Start Lamar Jackson is a more favorable matchup.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.