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 - vs. Houston
Tennessee's hot streak may have ended, but Tannehill's fantasy football hot streak did not. He passed for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns, which are pedestrian passing numbers, but his fantasy appeal lately has included rushing production. And Week 15 was no exception, as Tannehill added 7.0 fantasy points on the ground. His total of 27.9 resulted in the overall QB3 (pending Monday night) finish.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - at N.Y. Giants
Fitzpatrick's line was eerily similar to Tannehill's. He also passed for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fitzpatrick, though, did not score a rushing touchdown like Tannehill. He ended the week with 25.25 fantasy points and the QB5 ranking (pending Monday night), which is a success for Rent-a-Quarterback purposes in Week 15.
Eli Manning - vs. Miami
The "farewell game" for Manning was a better real-life story than a fantasy story. Saquon Barkley's re-emergence resulted in fewer fantasy points for Manning, but 283 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 19.15 fantasy points shouldn't be the thing that lost fantasy managers their playoff games. Manning's ranking of QB17 (pending Monday night) is slightly misleading, given the fact that only 6.1 points separated Manning (QB17) from Fitzpatrick (QB5).
This Week's Candidates
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Jacoby Brissett - vs. Carolina (Team Total: 26.75)
Brissett is the high-floor play for fantasy championship managers with stacked RB and WR groups. Managers that focused on the premium positions all year and played the matchups at quarterback likely have a team loaded at the premium fantasy football positions. Those managers need safety at the quarterback position, and Brissett offers the narrow range of outcomes they desire.
Carolina is easier to beat on the ground, but they have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in three of their last four games and 300 or more passing yards in four of their last six. The hesitation with Brissett is that Carolina's offense (likely to be led by rookie Will Grier) won't provide the game environment necessary for Brissett to excel. But that impacts his ceiling -- not his floor.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - vs. Cincinnati (Team Total: 23.75)
A few weeks ago, we classified selections as high floor and high ceiling plays. That worked out well, so consider this a mini version of that. While Brissett is the "safe" play, Fitzpatrick is the volatile play. He has a better chance than Brissett to reach 23 or more fantasy points, but he also has a better chance at single digits.
The Bengals are a high-floor/high-ceiling matchup as well. From Weeks 1-10, Cincinnati allowed 22.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, fourth-most in the league. But since then, they've allowed 13.8, fourth-fewest. The quarterbacks they have played since Week 11 include:
- Week 11: Derek Carr
- Week 12: Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges
- Week 13: Sam Darnold
- Week 14: Baker Mayfield
- Week 15: Tom Brady
Darnold has had his moments, and Brady is a legend. But that's not a murderer's row of opponents. None had more than 14.3 fantasy points via the air. Fitzpatrick should out-produce that number.
Andy Dalton - at Miami (Team Total: 22.75)
If this column were about selecting quarterbacks based on how they looked and/or how they performed in recent weeks, Dalton wouldn't be mentioned. But poor performances against New England are excusable in the fantasy football world. And games against Miami are always ones we should bookmark.
The Dolphins have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in five straight games and to every quarterback this season except Brian Hoyer and Sam Darnold (in the first Jets-Dolphins meeting).
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
- Drew Lock - vs. Detroit: If it were any other week, Lock would have been placed in the section above. The process dictates it (Detroit is terrible against opposing passers), and the #NarrativeStreet angle works too. Lock started well in his first two games, but he struggled mightily last week at Kansas City. It's in Denver's best interest to cater the game plan to Lock and get him in a good place heading into 2020.
- Mitchell Trubisky - vs. Kansas City: Trubisky has 300+ yards and/or multiple touchdowns in three straight games and four or more rushing attempts in four straight games.
- Dwayne Haskins - vs. N.Y. Giants: Haskins is coming off the best game of his young career, and he gets an opponent that has shown even less resistance than Philadelphia throughout the season.
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.
- Jacoby Brissett - at Jacksonville: In a battle that could be two teams playing for nothing, which team will try harder?
- Drew Lock - vs. Oakland: A team that has been eliminated for a while building towards the future is likely to approach Week 17 in a professional manner. Also, the Oakland defense isn't good.
- Will Grier - vs. New Orleans: What if he's good this week?
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com