Late-round quarterback drafter? Had an injury to your starter? In need of a bye-week replacement? This is the place to find your weekly quarterback choices. In this article, which is new to Footballguys this season, I'll highlight a couple of quarterback options likely available in most leagues (we'll use players rostered in fewer than 60% of Yahoo leagues) who could provide some punch at the quarterback position.
Unless most teams in your league carry a backup quarterback, there should be plenty of starting NFL quarterbacks on your waiver wire each week. Instead of starting a low-end QB1 facing an elite secondary, look to the waiver wire and play the matchups. Ideally, a player who appears in this space gets hot for multiple weeks and becomes an every-week starter. But if not, throw him back to the wire and come back here next week. Quarterback is one of the most predictable positions in fantasy football. Simply by using matchups, fantasy GMs can start a mid-to-high QB1 every week by using the waiver wire.
Disclaimer: this column will typically be written on Monday evenings. Should any relevant events occur on Monday Night Football that do not make it into the article, it will be edited after publish. Any post-publication edits will be noted.
Week 8 Results
Let's take a look at how last week's recommendations fared.
Mitchell Trubisky - vs. N.Y. Jets
Last week, we said the following about Trubisky's Week 8 prospects:
But it feels like a "one week too late" spot for a player who had eclipsed that mark just once in his 15 prior games...And he has the running ability to bolster his fantasy output, which could mitigate a bad passing day or raise the ceiling of a good one. Trubisky has at least 32 rushing yards in four of six games this season, is averaging 60.3 over his last three games and has two rushing touchdowns on the year.
The assessment was spot-on, as Trubisky only passed for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 51 yards he added on the ground, though, raised him up to the week's QB9 (24.1 fantasy points). Top-12 is always our goal, and Trubisky did enough to make it happen.
Case Keenum - at Kansas City
After using Keenum a few times early in the season, it seemed as though he had lost our trust. But matchups are part of our process, so Keenum was back in the column last week. His 262 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 21.0 fantasy points were not good enough to make the top-12 (QB14), but he didn't kill you if you used him.
Last Week's "Deep Leagues Only" Picks
- Derek Carr - vs. Indianapolis: Carr was without some weapons, but the process was good for him. He was a home favorite. He ended the day with 30.2 fantasy points.
- Joe Flacco - at Carolina: Where Carr was not being in the main section was a miss, Flacco being a "Deep Leagues Only" pick was a hit. He had a mediocre day.
- Baker Mayfield - at Pittsburgh: The Steelers were at home with an improving defense. Cleveland was dysfunctional going in and was such a disaster after the game that they fired two coaches.
Week 9 Candidates
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - at Carolina
After a relief appearance in which he took over for Jameis Winston and nearly brought Tampa Bay back from a sizeable deficit, Fitzpatrick was named the starter again on Monday.
Carolina isn't the best matchup, allowing the 15th-most fantasy points per game to opposing passers, but Fitzpatrick has great weapons and an offense that has only been successful through the air this season. Carolina hasn't exactly faced a murderer's row of opposing quarterbacks either. With so few exciting options below our percent-rostered criteria, Fitzpatrick being back in the fold is a welcome change.
Alex Smith - vs. Atlanta
This is purely a matchup play, as Smith has been one of the least exciting fantasy quarterbacks in the NFL this season. Coming off of back-to-back games with exactly 178 passing yards and a single touchdown in each, Smith is uninspiring. But Atlanta is yielding the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (28.9 per game).
If Smith does finish as a QB1, it's likely that Chris Thompson will have played a key role. Thompson played in Week 8 but only saw five touches. Atlanta is miserable against pass-catching running backs, so Thompson could be the recipient of a receiving touchdown.
Derek Carr - at San Francisco (Thursday night)
Carr finished Week 8 as the week's QB2. While expecting 30+ fantasy points again is probably be asking too much, Carr did show that he can succeed despite losing some offensive weapons. San Francisco allows the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing passers. They are one of 10 teams yielding more than two passing touchdowns per game.
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
- C.J. Beathard - vs. Oakland: It's a Thursday night matchup, so if you want to roll the dice with Beathard against a leaky Oakland defense, you'll have to make up your mind early.
- Joe Flacco - vs. Pittsburgh: In the division, in a rematch, against an improving defense, this seems like a spot to be skeptical on Flacco even though the line and total suggest he's an attractive play.
- Baker Mayfield - at Kansas City: It might be best to take a wait-and-see approach on Cleveland and how their interim staff will handle personnel before taking the plunge. But the matchup is positive.
Looking Ahead
If others in your league are also playing the "Rent-a-Quarterback" game, it might be wise to get a jump on next week's potential choices.
- Alex Smith - at Tampa Bay: If he fails this week, it might be time to cut the cord entirely. But if not, the matchups suggest momentum could be carried over.
- Baker Mayfield - vs. Atlanta: The Falcons have been terrible all around. If you believe Cleveland's new-look coaching staff will help Mayfield, it might be a good time to get in early and hold him for next week.
- Andy Dalton - vs. New Orleans: Dalton is currently rostered in too many leagues to appear in the "candidates" section. But if he's dropped by enough fantasy GMs during his bye this week, he'll probably be the cover boy for this post next week.
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com
