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Fantasy Football Panic Meter: Lamar Jackson is the least of your problems

Andy Behrens
Fantasy analyst
·4 min read
73
Lamar Jackson didn't post huge numbers as the Ravens cruised in Week 9, but he's the overall QB4 in fantasy football this season. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

If several weeks of Panic Meter submissions have taught us anything, it's that many of you reserve your harshest assessments for your best fantasy decisions.

Just look at the stunning greed of this manager over here:

And then there's this person, who — while still greedy — is at least aware that the subject of their complaint is playing stellar football:

For the record, Lamar Jackson was a clear fantasy difference-maker as recently as three weeks ago against the Lions, when he passed for 357 yards and ran for 36 while delivering four combined touchdowns. He's topped 30 fantasy points in three different weeks this year, which seems difference-maker-ish.

Jackson is currently the overall fantasy QB4 in terms of total points and the QB6 in per-game scoring, so he's producing at a level that's perfectly consistent with his ADP. He may not be the top quarterback on the fantasy MVP leaderboard at the moment, but his name appears on the list. As we've previously mentioned, no QB is having a golden-ticket season to this point.

If Lamar Jackson is your biggest fantasy worry entering Week 10, then you're probably having a pretty decent year. Also, if you drafted Jackson, it means you avoided the ruinous pits of QB disappointment and failure that followed him on draft day: Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, et al. You landed on one of the right answers at a surprisingly tricky roster spot.

Of course it's fair to point out that, on occasion, the Ravens may simply pound an opponent to dust, as they did with the Seahawks on Sunday. Baltimore's defense is outstanding, ranking first in the league in terms of points allowed (13.8 PPG) and second in total yards (262.6). But this team doesn't have a pushover on its schedule through the remainder of the fantasy season, so let's not assume Jackson will spend the rest of 2023 as some sort of low-volume game manager. Not happening.

For anyone who needs further pep-talking regarding Jackson's rest of season outlook, here are a few additional details:

  • As of this writing, he's +400 to win the MVP at BetMGM, which places him among the favorites alongside Patrick Mahomes (+275) and Jalen Hurts (+300);

  • Jackson is on pace to finish the year with 478 pass attempts, which would be the highest total of his career by an absolute mile;

  • He's also on pace for 3,690 passing yards — another mark that would shatter his previous career-best — along with 830 rushing yards;

  • Jackson is leading the NFL in completion percentage with a rate that would be the fifth-best in the history of the league (71.5%).

There simply aren't many players in the game who can make throws like this...

...while also being able to break off viciously unfair runs like this:

I'm afraid we are no longer accepting complaints about Jackson in this space — and no, our position will not change if the Ravens cruise to an easy win this week and Lamar finishes with a modest fantasy total. He's playing at a level that's beyond the reach of most quarterbacks. There are plenty of significant fantasy performances ahead for him.

If you're having regrets about one of your best draft-day choices, you certainly won't have a difficult time finding a trade partner. Half of the managers in your league have legitimate complaints about their quarterback situations, while you're griping about the potential league MVP.