Fantasy Football: 3 must-start QBs that could carry you to the next round of playoffs

The fantasy football playoffs have arrived for most and one of the biggest decisions owners will need to make ahead of that first-round game is who to have lead their team at quarterback.

It has been an especially difficult year at the QB position as injuries have rocked the league but even Patrick Mahomes has not been a sure thing this season. That has left owners scrambling for options but for those who qualified for the playoffs who don't have someone like Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagavailoa or Josh Allen this week, there are still some options that can lead you to victory.

These are three quarterbacks that should be in starting lineups this week.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (at Arizona)

Last week, I recommended inserting Brock Purdy into your DFS lineup. Hopefully, you followed that advice and it helped pay you some money because he had a dazzling performance against the Seattle Seahawks.

This week, he takes on another divisional opponent and it should be another terrific performance. If you have watched the San Francisco 49ers play this season, it's not hard to see how good they are so long as they are healthy.

Those who don't believe in Purdy often point to all of the guys he has around him that make him look good, but Purdy has such a great handle on the offense and he is the perfect player to run it. As long as Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are healthy, it's be the best team in the league.

Purdy should continue to shine against the Arizona Cardinals and he is really trending toward becoming a must-start every week.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (vs. Washington)

Matthew Stafford is getting hot at the right time and he is starting to look like he did when he led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory. He was good enough to upset the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the team just fell a bit short.

Coming back home to face a lowly Washington Commanders team and with the Rams in position for a playoff spot, Stafford should have a big game.

Stafford has throw 10 touchdown passes and just one interception in his last three games and now he gets a Commanders team that has allowed the most passing yards in the league this season.

He has Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to throw the ball to and that combination is among the best in the league. The Commanders, even if they are coming off of a bye week, are going to have a difficult time slowing this team down.

Start Stafford with confidence this week as he really is a top-five play at QB in Week 15.

Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns (vs. Chicago)

Who saw this coming? Joe Flacco has turned back the clock after being signed off the street a few weeks ago, becoming the fourth quarterback to start a game for the Browns this season. But he's easily been the best.

The Browns have had a top-notch defense this season but if the offense keeps humming like it has with Flacco under center, they are going to be a difficult team for anyone to beat.

In two starts, Flacco has thrown for 565 yards and five touchdowns. On Monday, it was announced that Flacco will remain the starter for the remainder of the season. That is great news for this Browns team as Flacco is leading them to wins while also getting guys like David Njiku going. He also brings the value of No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper way up.

Against the Jaguars on Sunday, Flacco threw three touchdowns of 30 yards or more. He became the first Browns quarterback to do that since Brian Sipe on December 21, 1980. It was 43 years since that took place, a truly incredible stat.

That is about all you need to hear to know what Flacco has done for this team and I would be more than willing to ride that hot streak in the fantasy playoffs.