Week 7 Quarterback Sleepers: After the Waiver Wire

Hello once again RotoBallers, and welcome to Week 7 of NFL action. I apologize to you guys for not getting this out earlier in the week, but due to technical difficulties, I've been unable to get you my weekly QB updates until now. Alas, here we are.

Even though waivers ran for most leagues last night, it’s never to late to see who’s sitting out there on your waiver wire and identify some sleepers to beef up your fantasy teams. My goal within this article is to recommend both short term quarterback options (i.e. matchup plays, injury fill-ins), and also longer term QB considerations (i.e. emerging rookies). With that said lets get to it!

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks (QB) – Week 7

Derek Carr (QB, OAK) - Owned in 15% of Fleaflicker leagues

Week 7 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals

ANALYSIS: Carr impressed me in Week 6, tossing four touchdown passes and 282 yards with only one pick. This standout performance came against a middle-of-the-road Chargers secondary, whereas next week he will face one of the league's worst passing defenses in the Cards. I know, that may be surprising, but the Arizona defense has struggled against the pass, allowing on average 318.6 yards per game (ranked 32nd), two touchdowns per game (ranked 24th), and 24.67 fantasy points to opposing QB’s (ranked 30th). This is clearly a strong matchup for Carr, and I would definitely recommend giving him a start this week. I think the four touchdowns were an outlier, as he had only thrown four for the whole season up until this week. But as long as Carr can limit his INT count, the Raiders have a shot at picking up their first win this week.

BALLER MOVE: Carr played very well in Week 6 against a great Chargers team. He's startable in all 2 QB leagues, as well as 12-14 team leagues (if you're desperate).

Austin Davis (QB, STL) - Owned in 15% of Fleaflicker leagues

Week 7 Opponent: Seattle Seahawks

ANALYSIS: Yes, my friends, I am recommending that you all start Davis in deeper leagues for Week 7, even against the Seattle Seahawks defense. I know, LOB and whatnot. The Seattle defense isn't what it was last year. On average, the Seahawks are allowing 261.8 yards (ranked 19th), two TDs (ranked 24th), and is giving up 21.47 points to opposing QBs (ranked 20th). After what Dallas did to the Seahawks at home last week, you have to wonder if they're having deeper issues defensively than we can see on the surface. Maybe it’s the Madden curse, who knows. The Seahawks offense, on the other hand, should get it back together and start moving the ball and scoring. Davis will need to throw the ball a lot this week, and that only increases his value.

BALLER MOVE: Though he looked unimpressive against SF last week, I have faith that Davis is startable in all 2 QB leagues and even in 12-16 team leagues this week.

Other Quarterback Notes

Robert Griffin III - Washington Redskins

It's not yet known with RGIII will be returning from his injury, but it could be sooner than some expect. Coach Jay Gruden has already stated that Griffin will get the starting quarterback job back once he's ready over Kirk Cousins. RGIII wasn't having a great season before getting injured, but he always has upside to put up big points and does have the weapons with Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed. You could do worse than to stash him in deeper leagues off the waiver wire.

Joe Flacco - Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens displayed their plethora of weapons in the passing game last week, while Flacco tossed FIVE touchdowns. Though I wouldn’t expect anything close to that, Flacco has a strong matchup against a mediocre Falcons defense. Is Flacco an elite fantasy football quarterback? Maybe he will answer that in coming weeks.

Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota Vikings

With a poor outing last week, Bridgewater has definitely got his owners wondering if he's worth the roster spot. Teddy needs one more week of play like he's been producing to find himself droppable. I think that he could pick it up against the Bills this week, who rank 25th in defending opposing quarterbacks. Let’s see if the rookie can turn it around.

Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers

A guy I was avoiding initially, Cam is one to watch as he has looked more like his old self in recent weeks, including 17 rushes for 100+ yards and a touchdown last week in Cincy. If he can continue to produce like that, the question marks will all disappear.

Another Quarterback For the Near Future

Brian Hoyer (QB, CLE) - Owned in 23% of Fleaflicker leagues

Brian Hoyer has looked better and better to me over the course of the season. He has fended off Manziel Fever, and has solidified himself as the go-to guy for the Browns. He has been impressively consistent in all of his games this season, only throwing one pick in his five games on the year. Many frown upon his lack of touchdown production, as well as the heaviness of the Cleveland run game. Both of these are legitimate concerns going forward, as he only has one multiple-touchdown game, and only had 17 passing attempts last week. As much as these considerations might reduce his value, Hoyer has thrown for 200+ yards in every game this year, and his passer rating has only fallen below 90 once. The Browns have favorable matchups in coming weeks, including the Jags, Raiders and Buccaneers. I find Hoyer to be a strong two-QB starter, and if you're looking for consistency in your lineup, look to Hoyer in all leagues.

You can always shoot me a message or tweet me @fantasycalderon if you wanna chat about some of my picks or ask any other fantasy football questions.