PigPen Weekly WK12 - Who's In, Who's Out (QB)
VP discusses 57 QBs this week on PigPen Weekly.
Amidst the tranquil fields, a plump pig roots with contentment, teaching us that true richness lies in a heart well-nourished.
- Ancient CFF Proverb
Below, you will find that I have segmented this article into three parts. The first is a ranking of QBs I like this week, with rationale provided for each. The second segment is a list of QBs that are generally very good, but I do not like this week, with rationale provided for each. The final segment is where I provide some thoughts on QBs that I am conflicted about this week. There are 57 total QB entries included in this week’s article with analysis. 62 QBs entries total.
I will continue to provide these articles for paid subscribers for the remainder of the season. You can find last week’s article here:
Who’s IN the PigPen This Week
The format of this is the same deal as when I did the RB version on Sunday. One thnig to note is that when I’m quoting the strengths of opposing teams’ defences according to Fantrax, I’m basing it on the number they provide when you look at a player’s matchup. As I understand it, this score is a measure of how opposing teams’ QBs/RBs/WRs/TEs (depending on what position the player of interest plays) have performed vs. that team.
I am also using standard scoring formats (four point passing TD, six point rushing TD) as my measure.
Something I will note to the reader is that you should generally check the weather forecasts in the locations where your QBs are playing in November, because the weather can have a major impact on the scripts of games.
Kaidon Salter (vs. UMass) — Salter is coming off an absolute heater last week vs. OD, where he scored 37 points. He has now scored 35 or more points in three straight games, and I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be able to keep up his torrid pace vs. the Minutemen this week. In the RB article last week I mentioned that I was worried about Liberty RB Q. Cooley, because Salter seems to be an absolute bandit in the redzone. Well, on the flip side, that’s a huge plus here. Love Salter this week. The only possible pitfall is that Liberty hammers UMass so early that Salter leaves the game in the second half—even still, you’d expect that by then he would have been involved in at least a pair of TDs, but I’d say 3-5 TDs feels more likely.
Bo Nix (vs. AZ State) — I appreciate the consistency of Nix this season, and he feels like a very safe play this week vs. AZ State. His upside is always huge, and he gets the 93rd ranked QB defence this week.
Caleb Williams (vs. UCLA) — Williams hasn’t been quite as dominant this season as last, but he’s still been fairly dominant. UCLA is a program in flux right now, and I don’t really buy their defensive stats vs. the pass. They’ve avoided Washington and Oregon up to this point, and so I think some of their numbers are puff. Williams and USC should be able to capitalize on a UCLA team lacking direction (word is Chip Kelly is being fired after this game), and I believe Williams should be able to score 30 points, with 35+ point upside baked in here.
Dillon Gabriel (vs. BYU) — Gabriel is coming off a monster performance last weekend, and I like him again this week. BYU is just good enough to keep the Sooners engaged, while being out-talented enough on defence to present a juicy matchup for the Sooner gunslinger. Could he be pulled from the game early? It’s possible, but OU only plays lowly TCU next week, so it’s not like they’ll be looking ahead in this one.
Jayden Daniels (vs. GState) — One one hand, this matchup is too soft to present a real challenge for LSU, which is a problem because Daniels could be taken out early. On the other hand, the Tigers are currently knee-deep in a recruiting battle for the #1 player in the 2025 cycle — QB Bryce Underwood, out of Michigan, and I can imagine that the notion of having a Heisman winning QB in their back pocket being helpful to the effort is not lost on the LSU staff. As such, given that the Tigers are not really playing for anything anymore, I think they’ll use this weekend’s opportunity to pad the stats of its prized QB and WRs. At the very least, even if he is pulled after half, you’d expect he would have done some major damage by then— in the last blowout LSU was apart of (Army), Daniels scored 32 points.