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.
Derek Carr - vs. Cincinnati
Carr didn't have the high-ceiling game we were hoping for, but the rushing touchdown he added to his 292 passing yards and 1 passing touchdown resulted in 23.7 fantasy points and a QB10 (pending Monday night) finish.
Kyle Allen - vs. Atlanta
Allen had a career-high in passing yardage with his second consecutive game of 300 or more passing yards, but he had zero touchdowns and four interceptions. It was a highly disappointing finish that left him outside the top-20 at quarterback in Week 11.
This Week's Candidates
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Baker Mayfield - vs. Miami (Team Total: 27.25)
Mayfield (54%) barely fits into Rent-a-Quarterback territory, but if he was dropped in your league, don't let him get through waivers this week. Cleveland has a home game against Miami, and Mayfield is trending in the right direction. He's the QB9 over the past three weeks with an average over 21 fantasy points per game in that span.
Note: if Carr (69%) is available, he should be prioritized over the following players.
Sam Darnold - vs. Oakland (Team Total: 21.25)
Darnold is the overall QB 7 over the past three weeks and has the following schedule over the next three weeks:
- vs. Oakland (24.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the last five weeks, sixth-most in the NFL)
- at Cincinnati (24.2, fifth-most)
- vs. Miami (18.6, 12th-most)
Those Miami numbers include games against Mason Rudolph and Brian Hoyer. Miami allowed an average of 27.5 fantasy points in two games to Josh Allen. Yes, they shut down Darnold once in this five-week sample as well, but much like real-life quarterbacks, Rent-a-Quarterback players must have short memories.
Jeff Driskel - at Washington (Team Total: 22.75)
Not having Driskel on the main list week was one of the bigger regrets of the season. He was in contention but was left as a deep play. We won't miss out this week, as Driskel's 11+ rushing fantasy points last week showed us that he can be a fantasy asset even without being a great passer. Washington just yielded over 28 fantasy points to Darnold in a Week 11 home game.
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
- Jacoby Brissett - at Houston
- Nick Foles - at Tennessee
This is one of the stronger "Deep Leagues Only" sections we've had all year. Both of these players were in contention for the list above, but road games in the division against their respective opponents for the second time this season were the tiebreaker that moved Brissett and Foles down here.
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.
- Nick Foles - vs. Tampa Bay: If you think you can skate by this week with a decent floor play (or if you have a playoff spot locked up), prioritize Foles over the others mentioned above him this week just so you'll have him for this outstanding matchup to start the fantasy playoffs
- Sam Darnold - at Cincinnati: Similar to Foles, Darnold's Week 13 matchup makes him a more attractive pick-up in Week 12.
- Derek Carr - at Kansas City: As mentioned above, he's not Rent-a-QUarterback eligible now, but he could be dropped enough during his Week 12 bye week that he's back on our radar next week.
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com