Bailey Zappe Fantasy Overview

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that "there's a chance" he plays both QBs Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe in Saturday's finale vs. the Ravens. QB Jameis Winston continues to work through a shoulder injury and is expected to be the No. 3 QB. Thompson-Robinson has been predictably awful the past two weeks, completing 54% of his passes at 4.0 yards per attempt with 0 TDs and three INTs. Any playing time for Zappe would be good news for Browns pass catchers, although he's no world-beater either. Zappe owns a career 63% completion rate and 6.8 yards per attempt.

The Patriots named Alex Van Pelt their new OC under HC Jerod Mayo. Van Pelt spent the last four seasons as Cleveland's OC, although he didn't call plays for the Browns. Van Pelt did call plays for the Bills way back in 2009. That team finished 30th in total yards and 28th in points under QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. Van Pelt worked as QBs coach for the Bucs, Packers, and Bengals in between his OC stints and is expected to bring a West Coast offense to New England. We'll see what the Patriots do at QB this offseason. They hold the third overall pick and will have a crack at USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and/or LSU's Jayden Daniels.

The Patriots are preparing to start QB Bailey Zappe against the Chargers this weekend, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe. QB Mac Jones was abysmal again last week, completing just 12 of 21 passes (57%) for 89 yards (4.2 YPA), 0 TDs, and two INTs before getting yanked for Zappe. This might be the end of Jones' time in New England. Zappe, of course, has not been any better than Jones this season. He's completed only 49% of his passes at 4.0 yards per attempt across four appearances. He was better in two starts last season, tallying a 75% completion rate and 9.0 yards per attempt. "The Patriots are hoping that a full week of practice and game preparation helps bring out a better performance from Zappe," The Athletic's Chad Graff writes. "They hope that Zappe will be better against the Chargers than he’s been in relief this season now that he’ll get more reps in practice and with a gameplan built around what he can do." We'll see how Zappe fares, but this remains a passing game to avoid in Week 13 fantasy lineups.

Patriots QB Mac Jones was yanked in favor of QB Bailey Zappe at halftime of Sunday's game vs. the Giants. Jones went 12-of-21 for 89 yards, 0 TDs, and two INTs over the first 30 minutes, producing 0 points. We'll see how Zappe fares and what the Patriots do at QB going forward. It'll remain a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups.