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.
Ryan Tannehill - at Oakland
We wrote the following before Week 13:
Since Tannehill took over as the team's starter in Week 7, there is one quarterback with more fantasy points per game than Tannehill. That quarterback is Lamar Jackson.
That sentence is still accurate. Tannehill's streak of elite play continued in Week 14, as he threw for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns to close the week as the QB6, pending Monday night.
Jacoby Brissett - at Tampa Bay
Brissett was the second-best fantasy performer on the field in Tampa Bay, but his 251 yards and 2 touchdowns were good enough for the QB11 this week, pending Monday night.
Kyle Allen - at Atlanta
293 yards, 1 passing touchdown, and another rushing touchdown (his second consecutive game with a score on the ground) helped complete the trifecta of QB1s this week. Allen is the week's QB9, pending Monday night.
This Week's Candidates
First of all, to address the picture used here, if Eli Manning gets a real-life farewell tour, he may as well get a fantasy football one too. Manning is a clear third among this week's candidates, but those players aren't retiring any time soon. Now, back to the column.
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Ryan Tannehill - vs. Houston (Team Total: 26.25)
He's a QB1, and it's time to get used to that. On top of that, the matchup and situation are good. He's a home favorite against a team allowing 24.3 fantasy points per game over the past five weeks. That figure is the most in the NFL.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - at N.Y. Giants (Team Total: 22.5)
Fitzpatrick and his teammates disappointed last week, but it wasn't for lack of moving the ball. They simply couldn't put the ball in the end zone, as they settled for eight field goal attempts (seven of which were made). That was an outlier performance, though. Through 13 weeks, Miami converted red-zone possessions into touchdowns at a 67.7% rate, fourth-best in the NFL.
Eli Manning - vs. Miami (Team Total: 25.5)
Full disclosure, this is being written at 8:26 on Monday night. We reserve the right to change this entry based on how he performs this evening. But the situation and matchup are promising for the veteran. Since facing Brian Hoyer in a spot-start for Indianapolis in Week 10, Miami has allowed 25.0 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, second-most in the NFL.
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
- Gardner Minshew - at Oakland: The Raiders have turned into one of the best matchups for opposing passing games. The only problem is that Jacksonville appears to have given up, evidenced by four straight losses of at least 17 points.
- Kyle Allen - vs. Seattle: As referenced above, Allen is adding fantasy value as a rusher. It remains to be seen if that's sustainable, but Allen is the clear-cut starter and has shown 300-yard and multi-touchdown upside. You could do worse in a two-quarterback league.
- Jacoby Brissett - at New Orleans: The Saints allowed plenty of production last week, but that could quickly be proven to be an outlier. Brissett is a high-floor play but with a limited ceiling.
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.
- Philip Rivers - vs. Oakland: If he's dropped this week, pick him up. There's no need to keep that RB4 or WR5 during championship week.
- Ryan Tannehill - vs. New Orleans: This matchup isn't good, but Tannehill has been doing more against tougher competition.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick - vs. Cincinnati and Andy Dalton - at Miami: The only concern here is whether these teams will want to show up.
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com