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From a quarterback perspective, Week 7 can be defined by the extremes. Two quarterbacks (Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes) threw for over 400 passing yards. Four other quarterbacks (Andy Dalton, Trevor Lawrence, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Davis Mills) eclipsed 300 passing yards.
However, 13 of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL failed to throw for over 225 yards in their games, including Geno Smith, Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, and Lamar Jackson. Only 10 quarterbacks threw for multiple touchdown passes as well. Quarterbacks continue to collectively struggle to start the 2022 season.
In this article, I will look at the fantasy football waiver wire for quarterback pickups and streamers, focusing on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
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Single-QB League Waiver Wire Options
Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo: 0% rostered
Initially, this section was written that Matt Ryan was a priority add this week because of the matchup against the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Then this happened.
Ehlinger will make his first career start in Week 8 against the Commanders and all signs point to the second-year quarterback being the starter going forward (Matt Ryan has a shoulder injury) regardless of Ryan's status.
We haven't seen anything of Ehlinger during the regular season, but he did look good during the 2022 preseason (24 of 29 for 289 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions). He also provides solid mobility and can be used as an additional rushing threat in the backfield.
Ehlinger will make his first career start against a Commanders secondary that allows 18.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, the 10th most in the NFL. Time will tell how much long-term appeal Ehlinger has in fantasy, but he should be added for at least one week thanks to the matchup.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Yahoo: 40% rostered
Daniel Jones had his best game of the season in Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, finishing with 28.7 fantasy points. The Giants quarterback finished the game with just 202 passing yards and a touchdown but added 11 carries for 107 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Jones has double-digit fantasy points in every game this season despite the team’s lack of weapons in the passing attack thanks to his rushing ability. The veteran quarterback has just two games with more than 200 passing yards but is up to three games with over 60 rushing yards.
Jones will have a matchup against the Seahawks in Week 8 before the Giants' bye in Week 9, but he comes back with matchups against Houston in Week 10, Detroit in Week 11, and Washington in Week 13. Jones will have multiple games with streaming upside coming up before the fantasy playoffs.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Options and Stashes
P.J. Walker, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 2% rostered
P.J. Walker performed admirably in his start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completing 72.7% of his passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. The Panthers are expecting both Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield to practice next week, but Walker’s performance likely assured the coaching staff that they can “take their time” to let those two completely heal.
If Walker does hold onto the starting job, he will have some excellent matchups to exploit on the horizon. The Panthers have matchups against the Falcons (twice), Cincinnati, and Baltimore in the next four weeks. Those are four exploitable secondaries at the peak of bye-week decisions.
The Panthers have started the rebuilding process with the trades of Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey in the last week. They likely know Darnold and Mayfield aren’t part of the plans and want to see if Walker can justify a spot on the roster behind whatever quarterback they prioritize in the draft next year.
Walker is worth a waiver bid and stash in case he’s able to hold onto the jobs as the bye weeks start to stack up.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders
Yahoo: 5% rostered
Taylor Heinicke was tabbed the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders (over rookie Sam Howell) while Carson Wentz recovers from a thumb injury suffered in Week 6. After a slow start, it looks like Heinicke will keep the job for at least one more week.
The backup quarterback completed 20 of 33 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with one brutal interception. As we saw last season, Heinicke is capable of playing a competent quarterback for periods, but he is limited by his arm strength and decision-making as well.
The Commanders have two solid matchups in Week 8 against the Colts and Week 9 against the Vikings on the horizon. Heinicke will be streamable in those matchups, which makes him a solid quarterback to add if he’s on the waiver wire.
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