Late-round quarterback drafter? Had an injury to your starter? In need of a bye-week replacement? In this article, you'll find 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 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 and becomes an every-week starter. 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, the article will be edited. Any post-publication edits will be noted.
Last Week's Results
Let's take a look at how last week's recommendations fared. Last week, we separated the choices into two categories: high ceiling and high floor. What we said about the high ceiling guys proved to be unfortunately prescient.
The ceiling guys might get you 25 or more, but they could also end up in the single digits for various reasons.
High Ceiling: Nick Foles - vs. Tampa Bay
Both "high ceiling" quarterbacks had their reasons for ending up terrible this week. Foles' reason was three early turnovers and subsequent benching. He has since lost his job.
High Ceiling: Sam Darnold - at Cincinnati
Darnold's entire team struggled in an obvious let-down spot after trouncing Oakland last week in what was an obvious let-down spot for the Raiders. Darnold is back in play this week, though, as the Jets host the miserable Dolphins.
High Floor: Kyle Allen - vs. Washington
Allen's passing stats were the high floor we looked for, throwing for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. The fact that he added a rushing touchdown elevated him to "ceiling" status with 29.1 fantasy points and this weeks' QB5 ranking, pending Monday night.
High Floor: Ryan Tannehill - at Indianapolis
Tannehill came back down to earth a bit, but he still gave us 17.6 fantasy points and the QB18 outing, pending Monday night. As we said last week with the floor plays, they "aren't likely to get you 25+ points, but they should provide a comfortable 12-15."
This Week's Candidates
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Ryan Tannehill - at Oakland (Team Total: 25)
If Tannehill was still only rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues after four straight outings of 21 or more fantasy points and then a 37-point outing in Week 12, he won't be acquired in many more leagues after the aforementioned 17.6 points he put up at Indianapolis.
But the Colts are a more difficult matchup for quarterbacks (15.9 fantasy points per game over the last five weeks) than the Raiders (19.4 per game over that same span). Tannehill is back in the low-end QB1 range of outcomes with a ceiling closer to his Week 12 result than his Week 13 result.
Jacoby Brissett - at Tampa Bay (Team Total: 22.25)
Tampa Bay's defense has been stifling on a couple of occasions this season, but they've shown us more bad than good. Brissett quietly threw for over 300 yards last week (quietly because he only had one touchdown in the process), and he always adds some rushing upside. If Tannehill is the high ceiling play this week, Brissett is the high-floor play.
Kyle Allen - at Atlanta (Team Total: 22.25)
This isn't the first time we've recommended Allen. It's not even the first time we've recommended him against Atlanta. In the first matchup, he surpassed 300 yards but disappointed due to 4 interceptions and a goose egg in the touchdowns column.
But Atlanta's defense is far from impenetrable, and Allen is coming off another strong showing. He's not as highly recommended as the previous two but should still offer more comfort than the players below.
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick - at N.Y. Jets: If your league offers bonuses for 300 passing yards, bump Fitzpatrick up into the section above. In fact, if you feel you need a higher ceiling play than Brissett or Allen, Fitzpatrick fits the bill.
- Devlin Hodges - at Arizona: The matchup is as ideal as it gets, but conservative playcalling and a road environment keep "Duck" in this section.
- Andy Dalton - at Cleveland: Dalton was close to three touchdowns last week, but drops hurt him. This game environment doesn't look overly exploitable.
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.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick - at N.Y. Giants, vs. Cincinnati: Fitzpatrick's fantasy playoffs schedule is as good as it gets.
- Ryan Tannehill - vs. Houston, vs. New Orleans: Tannehill will face teams still playing for playoff positioning, but both are at home and both are exploitable.
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com
