DFS Three And Out 2022 week 9

It's Week 9 and there are some mid-tier quarterbacks that are in really good spots. Like three of them. And another who's not. I believe that qualifies. It's the DFS Tournament Three and Out. Let's dive in!

I'm In

Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks ($5,800 on DraftKings; $7,500 on FanDuel)

October was good to Smith. It was also good to those invested in the veteran QB. ... In fact, Smith was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month after completing 102 of 147 passes (69.4 percent) for 1,207 yards, nine touchdowns, just one interception and an impressive 111.7 passer rating. Still fleet of foot, Smith also ran for 143 yards and a touchdown in the month. Meanwhile, as ESPN.com's Tristan Cockroft acknowledged, Smith might have disappointed in his previous meeting with the Cardinals (12 points in Week 6), but the Arizona defense allowed six passing touchdowns and 50 combined fantasy points to Andy Dalton (Week 7) and Kirk Cousins (Week 8) over the past two games.

Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears ($5,300 DraftKings; $7,400 FanDuel)

As ESPN's Al Zeidenfeld framed it, "Don't look now, but Fields has been coming on rather strong of late. ..." In fact, Fields has accounted for 472 yards and five touchdowns since a Thursday night loss to Washington in Week 6. His passer rating in those weeks (103.4) has increased considerably from where it was his first six games of the season (72.7). So has his completion percentage (68 percent from 55 percent) and rushing output (71 yards per game from 47). In fact, it's that rushing equity that lands him here. As FantasyPros' Derek Brown notes, Fields is second in rushing yards, red-zone carries per game, and in rushing touchdowns. He's rushed for at least 60 yards in three of his last four games. Miami has a tough defense on paper, but they are surrendering the fourth-highest success rate per dropback while ranking 25th in passing yards per game. Better still, NBC Sports' Matthew Berry notes that Fields leads all quarterbacks in deep ball rate on the season. That sets up well against Miami, who has allowed the fourth-most yards on deep passes this season. They've also allowed at least 27 points on the NFL scoreboard in all four of their road games thus far. If there's reason concern here, Miami's addition of Bradley Chubb could be it. Fields is the NFL's most-sacked (31) quarterback and was hit five times by the Cowboys, including four sacks. That said, the pressure can often lead to some amazing opportunities to create with his legs.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,200 on DraftKings; $6,800 on FanDuel)

I know. It hasn't been great. It certainly wasn't that last week when Lawrence finished with 133 passing yards, a touchdown and two picks in a loss to Denver. But Fansided.com's Frankie Licausi contends that was "a minor scuff" on a sophomore campaign that hasn't been terribly bad. Lawrence has actually been a decent fantasy streaming option, with four top-12 finishes so far. This, however, is what Cockroft characterizes as "a dream matchup" that can do plenty to cure what ails a quarterback. The Raiders allow the eighth-most passing yards per game and have seen all seven opposing quarterbacks score at least 17 fantasy points against them, including Davis Mills (22 in Week 7) and Dalton (19 in Week 8) the past two weeks. Additionally, the Raiders have allowed the most fantasy points per rushing attempt to quarterbacks. This benefits Lawrence, who has three rushing touchdowns over the past three weeks. Lawrence is the value of the week at quarterback.

I'm Out

Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($6,000 on DraftKings; $6,900 on FanDuel)

As an old guy, I'm all about rooting for and supporting other old guys. And we all know that -- at some point -- the dam is going to break and there's going to be a scoring explosion for Brady and Bucs. But that's not my expectation this week. As much as I'd like to believe the GOAT will suddenly become the GOAT, poor offensive line play has kept Brady from getting into a rhythm with his high-end receiving corps. As Cockroft suggests, Brady is especially susceptible to matchups against tough defenses like the Rams, who give up the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Brady, meanwhile, had 13 fantasy points in Week 2 against the Saints and 20 last week against the Ravens. While the Rams allowed Josh Allen to score 36 fantasy points in Week 1, 11 of those points came on rushing plays and the Rams intercepted Allen twice.