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.
Josh Allen - vs. Miami
Allen was in - as the kids say - a "smash spot" this week but only provided a high floor instead of the mid-QB1 performance we thought we'd get. We were worried about whether the inferior opponent would require him to play the open style that leads to his rushing production. And with only 32 rushing yards and no touchdowns on the ground, those worries came to fruition. He finished as the QB15, pending Monday night.
Daniel Jones - vs. Arizona
This game went sideways for many involved. If Arizona's David Johnson shenanigans and Chase Edmonds stealing all of the touchdowns from the passing game wasn't enough, Jones and company completed the task of making this could-have-been shootout a thoroughly disappointing affair. Jones was the QB20 on the week.
The player we should have listed here was Jacoby Brissett (he was in the "Deep Leagues Only" section, but that's not good enough).
This Week's Candidates
Here are the players available in at least 40% of typical leagues who could provide QB1 production this week.
Note: if Josh Allen (vs. Philadelphia) or Kirk Cousins (vs. Washington) are available, they should be prioritized over the players below. Cousins is a floor play but may not have the highest ceiling due to Minnesota's ability and preference to run the ball and a projected game script that should allow them to do so.
Matthew Stafford - vs. N.Y. Giants (Team Total: 28.25)
This is close to cheating, as Stafford is rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues. So we're back to offering three options this week in case you can't get Stafford. And don't feel bad if you can't because he's a coin toss with the next player on this list.
There are three main reasons to like Stafford this week. First, he's playing at home against a Giants team that allows 8.9 yards per pass attempt, tied for the second-highest figure in the league. Second, Detroit passes deep on 26.6% of its pass attempts, the second-highest rate in the league. Lastly, Kerryon Johnson was dinged up in the team's Week 7 game, suggesting that a more pass-heavy approach could be in play this week.
Teddy Bridgewater - vs. Arizona (Team Total: 28.75)
Arizona may have held Daniel Jones in check, but that effort was aided by rainy weather and the Giants' general ineffectiveness as an offense. The Cardinals are still yielding 23.8 fantasy points per game, fourth-most in the NFL, and 2.4 passing touchdowns per game, tied for second-most in the NFL.
Bridgewater should get one last start before the team's bye week and Drew Brees' return. And with Arizona allowing 14% more normalized fantasy points per game than the average team, he should be able to make his last hurrah count against Arizona.
Mason Rudolph - vs. Miami (Team Total: 28.5)
This one is tough to stomach, but it is a home favorite of two touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. There's also a bit of #NarrativeStreet at play with the team wanting Rudolph to put forth a high-level statistical effort. When Mike Tomlin was asked about which Pittsburgh quarterback was the starter, he was almost incredulous in his response.
“Seriously, guys. That guy is our quarterback when he clears the protocol,” Tomlin said, meaning Rudolph. “It’s as simple as that. Appreciate the efforts of ‘Duck’ and so forth, but as soon as he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go.”
Hodges wasn't statistically great in his start, but this is the same team that installed a gimmick Wildcat offense to get past woeful Cincinnati in Rudolph's second start. There's plenty of motivation for the organization for Rudolph to show that he's "the guy."
Deep Leagues Only
These selections are best saved for deeper leagues and/or 2QB/Superflex leagues.
Jacoby Brissett is hard to recommend this week due to his matchup, but with 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions (and a rushing touchdown as well), he's a better player than most of the Rent-a-Quarterbacks we suggest. Typically, these are players who know aren't very good but are still viable due to their matchup.
Brissett doesn't have the greatest matchup this week. But he's on a good enough offense and being compared against marginal enough Rent-a-QB competition that he's still desirable. Either way, he should be rostered in more leagues and used as a "platoon" quarterback rather than a true "use-and-release" player.
- Derek Carr (at Houston)
- Ryan Tannehill (vs. Tampa Bay)
- Daniel Jones (at Detroit)
It might be tempting to pick up Matt Moore due to the team that he quarterbacks, but that should remain a "wait-and-see" proposition except in two-quarterback leagues. Moore's schedule (vs. Green Bay, vs. Minnesota, at Tennessee, at L.A. Chargers) is difficult over the next four weeks. There will be better options on the waiver wire.
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.
- Sam Darnold - at Miami
- Jimmy Garoppolo - at Arizona
- Gardner Minshew - vs. Houston
Questions, comments, suggestions, and other feedback on this piece are always welcome via e-mail hester@footballguys.com
