Tyrod Taylor Fantasy Football: Should You Start or Sit the Browns QB in Week 3?

The Cleveland Browns haven’t played a home primetime game since the 2013 season. And it’ll be on new quarterback Tyrod Taylor to make sure the fanbase doesn’t go home disappointed. Beyond that, Taylor will also leave fantasy football owners with a tough decision. Many fantasy players are surely contemplating the idea of using Taylor on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets, and it may not be a bad idea.

While Taylor hasn’t posted a monster fantasy game to this point in the season, he certainly has the upside to do so, even following the Browns’ decision to trade Josh Gordon. Through two games, the 29-year-old has thrown for 443 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He’s also rushed 12 times for 103 yards and one touchdown.

On paper, the matchup with the Jets doesn’t seem like an incredible spot, but Taylor’s upside paired with a few interesting numbers may make it worth giving him the starting nod.

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Start or Sit Tyrod Taylor in Week 3?

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that Taylor didn’t light up the scoreboard as many fantasy owners had hoped in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. But I love targeting quarterbacks on their home field in primetime spots, especially when the matchup isn’t bad.

The Jets actually rank as one of the better teams against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy football, allowing 468 yards and three touchdowns while intercepting three passes in 2018. But the matchups and situations of both of the team’s first two games are worth talking about. The Jets did a nice job against Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, although he was playing with an injury throughout much of the game.

From there, the Jets faced a run-heavy Miami Dolphins team and still allowed Ryan Tannehill to complete 17-of-23 passes and toss two touchdowns. Taylor’s upside from a passing standpoint paired with his ability to run is intriguing.

The Jets have allowed 10 rushing attempts to quarterbacks this season. And although they only went for 49 yards, it’s not as though Stafford and Tannehill are the most electrifying runners. There’s obviously space for quarterbacks to move around on this defense, and I believe we see Taylor take advantage of that.

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Consensus

If you don’t have a top-tier quarterback paired with Taylor in your fantasy league, then I’d jump at the opportunity to use the Browns quarterback. There are some very good matchups for quarterbacks who you may either have on your roster with Taylor or who were available on waivers. If that’s the case, and the upside of someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jimmy Garoppolo is too much for you to pass on, then feel free to leave Taylor on the bench.

Personally, I think Taylor is one of the best options with everything being considered outside of the elite quarterbacks. He’s in play in all formats this week, but don’t force it if you truly have one of the few big names or someone like Patrick Mahomes (obviously).

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