Baker Mayfield didn't give fantasy managers the Week 1 performance they were hoping for, but I'm going right back to him against the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards without a passing touchdown or interception against Cincinnati. He did some damage with his legs, rushing five times for 30 yards and a touchdown, but three lost fumbles dragged down what could have been a much better fantasy day. He finished outside QB1 territory despite completing more than 82% of his passes.
FantasyPros has Mayfield ranked as the QB17 in its Week 2 expert consensus rankings and projects him for 17.0 fantasy points. I'm higher on Mayfield this week and think he has a legitimate chance to finish as a backend QB1.
A big part of that
comes down to the Bucs matchup this week. Cleveland's defense had a miserable start to the season against Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns as the Jaguars rolled to a 34-10 win. The Browns allowed the highest passer rating and passing success rate in the NFL in Week 1, giving Mayfield a much friendlier matchup than his QB17 ranking would suggest.
There is also some added fantasy upside from Mayfield's legs. Nobody is starting him because he's a rushing quarterback, but 30 yards and a touchdown on five carries in Week 1 showed that he can still pick up points when a play breaks down, or Tampa Bay gets close to the goal line.
Then there is the obvious storyline of who is coming to Raymond James Stadium in Week 2. Cleveland drafted Mayfield No. 1 overall in 2018, and this will be his first game against the Browns since joining Tampa Bay.
The turnovers have to come down, and I'm not expecting Mayfield to lose three fumbles again. If he protects the football and takes advantage of a Cleveland secondary that just got picked apart by Lawrence, the opportunity is there for a much better fantasy performance.
I'm starting Mayfield in single-QB leagues this week. FantasyPros has him at QB17, but I see him as a backend QB1 against Cleveland, and like his chances of outperforming the consensus ranking.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Should you start Baker Mayfield this week in fantasy football?
