If I would have told you during the preseason that Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins would be on the cusp of the top 10 among quarterbacks in fantasy points, you would have laughed right in my face. Yet here we are on the eve of Week 16 and Cousins sits comfortably at No. 14. Thanks to a quick release and improved decision making, Cousins has earned himself a new contract in the eyes of NFL analysts and has even merited a free agent addition in fantasy football.
"Cousins scored 35 fantasy point on Sunday," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Field Yates wrote. "You like that? Yeah, you do. A Week 16 matchup with Philadelphia. You like that? Yeah, you like that, too. Cousins isn't a player whom I'm adding to replace a Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Russell Wilson or a signal-caller of that ilk, but if you have a less dominant option at quarterback, Cousins is a top-15 choice for Week 16. He's also a good security blanket in case your regular starter sits in Week 17 because his team has settled its spot and seed in the postseason (perhaps the Panthers would do so with Cam Newton if they clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC this weekend, for example."
For the season, Cousins is leading the NFL in completion percentage at 69.7. He's also thrown for 3,625 yards with 22 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Of course, things didn't start off that way. Cousins had four multi-pick games in his first six outings. Since then, however, he has posted an impressive 16:3 TD-to-INT ratio.
On the surface, Philly offers a very favorable fantasy matchup. The Eagles rank 24th in passing yards allowed per game (259) and 29th in passing touchdowns (30). However, Cousins' passer rating drops from 117.0 at home to 74.6 on the road. He'll have to overcome his home sickness if he wants to make it worth it for fantasy owners.
