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Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 3 almost in the books, it's already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 4. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 4 waiver wire adds and streamers for quarterbacks, players that you should consider targeting on your league's waiver wire.
In the past few seasons, streaming the quarterback position has become a popular team management strategy. The guaranteed volume at the quarterback position makes it the easiest position in fantasy football to project, which therefore makes it a position that isn't too hard to stream. Everyone has had a star wide receiver who inexplicably only sees three targets in a game. The quarterback position, on the other hand, sees volume that is easier to forecast as even the lower ranked players will see a minimum of 20-25 passing attempts, even in a low-volume passing offense. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo! and are current as of September 24.
Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 4 waiver wire analysis columns, with in-depth analysis for all fantasy-relevant positions.
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Strategy for Streaming Quarterbacks
Many factors come into play when identifying streamers. These include recent performance, overall upside, talent, opponent matchup, and Vegas totals. Every week, we’ll take a look at six streaming QB options: three for one-quarterback leagues, and three for two-quarterback leagues. The focus will be on streaming for the upcoming week, but there will also be players who break out and should be owned the rest of the season. As always, the goal with streaming is to eventually find a player who can be an every week starter for your team.
Options for one-quarterback leagues could be just about anyone outside of the bigger names at the position. Obviously, no one is going to be able to stream players like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady because they are owned in all leagues. The premium placed on the position in two-quarterback leagues changes expectations for streaming the position. In two-quarterback leagues, most starting NFL quarterbacks are already owned, so the pickings are going to be slim on waivers. Therefore, the players who are recommended for two-quarterback leagues will be lower-owned and most likely not attractive options in one-quarterback formats.
One-QB Leagues - Week 4 Waiver Wire Streamers
Carson Palmer, ARI (52% owned) vs. San Francisco 49ers
Palmer has been a solid QB2 for fantasy purposes this season. While he's only thrown two touchdown passes through two weeks, we know the volume is going to be there for him in a Bruce Arians pass-first offensive attack. Palmer plays his Week 3 game on Monday night, so we don't yet have three games worth of statistics for him, but he has managed an even 600 passing yards through his first two games.
The main reason to get excited about Palmer is his Week 4 home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Through two weeks, San Francisco's pass defense is ranked just 23rd in the league in DVOA. Expect that number to drop after they let Jared Goff shred them for 292 passing yards and three scores this past Thursday night. Palmer has a good shot at passing for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in Week 4.
Trevor Siemian, DEN (52% owned) vs. Oakland Raiders
Siemian disappointed in Week 3, passing for 259 scoreless yards and two interceptions. That being said, the Broncos had no trouble moving the ball against a better-than-expected Buffalo Bills pass defense in Week 3. Siemian continues to be a solid option for quarterback streamers, based mostly on his propensity to funnel targets to pass-catching studs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Through three weeks, Siemian has 709 passing yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Siemian should have no trouble in Week 4 against an Oakland Raiders pass defense that has not been very effective this season. They played well against Marcus Mariota in Week 1 but allowed Josh McCown to lead a depleted Jets offense to two passing scores in Week 2. Now they are fresh off of getting roasted by Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins on Sunday night in Week 3. Look for Siemian to bounce back from a slow Week 3 performance and deliver the goods in Week 4.
Andy Dalton, CIN (45% owned) @ Cleveland Browns
Dalton hit a lot of waiver wires, and for good reason, following his Week 2 disaster against the Houston Texans. Of course, Dalton and the Bengals offense bounced back in a big way against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. Dalton was crisp against the Pack, completing 21-of-27 passes for 212 yards and two scores. While the Bengals went on to lose to Green Bay in overtime, it appears there is some hope for this offense after all. New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor committed to potential-filled rookie running back Joe Mixon in the backfield, giving him 18 carries. Having Mixon toting the ball instead of Jeremy Hill plodding around should continue to help keep opposing defenses honest.
While Lazor getting Mixon more involved in Week 3 was nice, let's be real here, the main reason to tee up Dalton is that he has an extremely favorable matchup against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. The Browns are one of the few opponents Dalton had success against in 2016, as he passed for four touchdowns and no interceptions in their two meetings. The Browns defense limps back home after allowing Jacoby Brissett to look like 2015 Cam Newton against them in Week 3. Brissett passed for 259 yards and one touchdown while rushing for two more scores on the ground. Dalton is one of the top quarterback streamers in Week 4.
Two-QB Leagues - Week 4 Waiver Wire Streamers
Jay Cutler, MIA (39% owned) vs. New Orleans Saints (In London)
Cutler didn't shred the Jets pass defense in Week 3, but he put up a respectable 220 passing yards and one score while throwing an interception. The Dolphins really struggled to move the ball on the ground against the Jets and had difficulties converting third downs, which kept getting the offense stuck in neutral.
Cutler has a tasty Week 4 "home" matchup in London against a leaky New Orleans Saints pass defense. The Saints defense did play well against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, but it is becoming clear that Cam Newton isn't all the way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Before Week 3, the Saints had been getting absolutely eviscerated through the air, allowing Tom Brady to pass for four touchdowns in Week 2 and Sam Bradford to toss three scores in Week 1. Throw out both Cutler's and the Saints defense's Week 3 performances and fire up Cutler with confidence in Week 4.
Deshaun Watson, HOU (14% owned) vs. Tennessee Titans
Watson opened some eyes in Week 3, roasting the New England defense for 301 passing yards and two scores while adding 41 rushing yards. The rookie quarterback has been solid under center this season and his running prowess gives him a solid weekly floor. Watson draws a plus matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4. Tennessee's pass defense, through the first two games of the season, ranks just 21st in the league in DVOA. That number should fall further after the Titans allowed Russell Wilson to pass for 373 yards and four touchdowns in Week 4. Watson is a rock solid option in two-quarterback leagues this week.
Blake Bortles, JAX (12% owned) @ New York Jets
So far, Bortles is the clubhouse leader for most surprising fantasy performance of the young season. In London this past Sunday, Bortles passed for four touchdowns against a Baltimore Ravens defense that had been extremely disruptive to opposing quarterbacks in the two weeks prior to meeting up with the Jags across the pond. Now, I don't expect Bortles to pass for four touchdowns in a game again this season and neither should you, but this was an encouraging performance from one of the NFL's most beleaguered signal callers.
Bortles does have a good shot at keeping it up in Week 4 as the Jaguars will head north to take on the Jets on the road. New York's pass defense has been brutal to start the year, ranking 29th in DVOA through the first two weeks of the season. Bortles is well worth firing up as a QB2 in two-quarterback leagues in Week 4.
