There has been a lot of fantasy football debate about which second-year quarterback will be more successful in the NFL going forward — Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen. We want to break down each quarterback based upon their 2018 campaigns and tell you who we think will have the better 2019 season for your fantasy football team.
What a 2018 journey these two rookie quarterbacks have had. Jackson started seven games and had a stellar 6-1 record to begin his NFL career. Allen started 11 games and finished with a mediocre 5-6 record. What really matters is how these two young quarterbacks performed in real game time situations.
Lamar Jackson’s Rookie Season
Let’s start with the man who has been buzzing around NFL circles lately as a hot topic. Jackson, you either love him or hate him. The NFL purists are very critical of his lack of passing yards and his lack of a prototypical quarterback playing style. We can all see that the Ravens are fully prepared to run a college style offense with the departure of former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco.
Jackson hasn’t necessarily lit up the stat sheets with his cannon arm. We have a very small sample size to go off, at this point in his career. Seven starts doesn’t show how good or bad Jackson can be if given full reigns of the playbook. We are expecting head coach John Harbaugh to release the kraken in 2019 and showcase what he chose over Flacco.
Jackson, in his seven starts, threw for 1,201 yards and six touchdowns, along with three interceptions. What really separates Jackson is his ability to use his legs when the right throw isn’t there. He carried the ball 147 times for 695 rushing yards and five more scores. Imagine what he could do with 16 games at his disposal.
Josh Allen’s Rookie Season
Allen went through some similar situations in 2018. Allen can also use his legs when he isn’t comfortable throwing the ball. We think it’s safe to say that Allen has proven on tape that he is the better pure passer. His 2,074 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, along with 12 interceptions, gave us a better look at what he can do through the air.
Allen also rushed for 631 yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries, which comes from a bigger sample size than what we received from Jackson’s seven games, which only fuels the fire for the Jackson truthers. A simple eye test will tell you that Allen seems to be the more complete player, as of right now. We could also note that Allen was on a worse offense in 2018 than Jackson was in Baltimore.
Who’s the Better 2019 Fantasy Option?
Allen simply did more with the opportunities given. Jackson’s 147 carries compared to Allen’s 89 really stands out. That’s 58 less carries for Allen and he still managed three more touchdowns. Yes, he played more games, but Jackson simply wasn’t as effective as a passer or runner when his number was called. 2019 figures to be the real test for these two signal callers.
Right now, we give the edge to Bills Mafia and Josh Allen. He simply outperformed Jackson in 2018. This isn’t to say Jackson doesn’t possess the abilities to be better than Allen when their careers are over. The facts simply state that Allen is the better quarterback heading into the 2019 season.
When playing fantasy football this season, draft Allen later over Jackson, who is being taken too high, at his current ADP of 139 overall compared to Allen’s 151.
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