Getty Images Matt Barkley warming up before last week's game.
The Buffalo Bills just might have the worst situation under center in the NFL for 2018. Everything was fine when they selected Wyoming rookie Josh Allen early on in the first round of the draft, but as always, you never know what can happen. Allen ended up going down with an elbow injury that sidelined him for Nathan Peterman. Then, Peterman was benched for Derek Anderson, and Anderson’s injury along with Peterman’s struggles lead to the Bills having no choice but to start Matt Barkley at quarterback for week ten.
That was just a summary of events, but understand it was all so hectic. Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has done everything but throw in the towel at this point. As much as he would love to just trot out Nathan Peterman and take the losses at this point, he just cannot do that or else he will lose the locker room. The team may understand the situation, but they won’t compromise.
Peterman was a disaster for the Bills. It couldn’t quite get any worse, right? So, the Bills decided to take a different approach for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. Barkley gets the call, and for the first time since January of 2017, Barkley will start under center. Except, this time it will be for the Bills and not the Chicago Bears. While many fans view this is as a disaster waiting to happen for the Bills, daily fantasy players could see the value in it.
Where’s the Value in Matt Barkley?
You can imagine, nobody is going to take a chance on a third-string quarterback that hasn’t started since two season’s ago. So, if Barkley does happen to be a one-week wonder, nobody is getting those points, right? Correct. Barkley’s eight touchdowns, to 14 interceptions isn’t exactly an appealing stat line, but keep in mind, this will only be for one week.
The Bills are going to be playing the New York Jets on Sunday. Not a bad defense, but also not a very good one, either. As of week ten, the Jets are 13th when it comes to fantasy points given to quarterbacks. They are 19th in total yards given in the air and have allowed 15 touchdowns, which ties for 14th out of the 32 other teams. Quite a favorable matchup, but keep in mind that the Jets are just outside of the top-five in forcing interceptions.
Like many backup quarterbacks, Barkley is prone to throwing interceptions. The Jets have forced ten on the year, and Barkley has thrown two during the last game that he played in. Seeing as though the Bills wide receiving core is just as weak as who is under center, it’s going to be tough to assume that Barkley is worth a play.
Is there value in Barkley this week for daily fantasy? Not much for regular cash games, but I believe the risk can surely pay off by playing him for GPP games. You truly never know what can happen. I mean, who was going to guess San Francisco’s Nick Mullens would go off last week? Take the chances and see what happens.