October 3, 2017

Matt's quarterback waiver wire pickups and fantasy football streamers for Week 5 of the 2017 NFL Season. Target these streamers for standard and two-QB leagues.

Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 4 almost in the books, it's already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 5. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 5 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 October 2.

One-QB Leagues - Week 5 Waiver Wire Streamers

Carson Palmer, ARI @ Philadelphia Eagles

63% owned, FAAB Budget: 4-5%

Palmer has been extremely busy over the first four weeks of the season, averaging just under 46 pass attempts per game while reaching 300 yards in three of his four contests. That is the kind of volume you can bank on when streaming the position in fantasy. With his receiving corps looking as healthy as it has all season, Palmer is locked in as a solid streamer heading into Week 5 when the Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

Philadelphia was considered a strong defense heading into the season but they haven't done much to back up those thoughts with a pass defense ranked 14th in DVOA through Week 3. After looking good through the first two weeks of the season, the Eagles allowed Eli Manning to pass for three scores in Week 3 and Philip Rivers to roll up 347 passing yards and two touchdowns in Week 4. Palmer may be owned in your league but if he's not he's worth a waiver claim as a backup quarterback or high-end streaming option going forward.

Eli Manning, NYG vs. Los Angeles Chargers

59% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%

Manning has looked much improved over the past two weeks, a fact which has coincided with the ankle of Odell Beckham, Jr. looking much improved as well. Everyone knows Beckham is one of the top weapons in the game but Manning has benefitted from a wide array of serviceable pass catchers on his offense, with Brandon Marshall looking better after a slow start to the year and rookie tight end Evan Engram acclimating himself well to the NFL. The veteran signal caller will welcome the Chargers to town for a home tilt in Week 5. Los Angeles has been decent in pass defense this season, ranking 12th in DVOA through the first three weeks of the season, but with Jason Verrett lost for the season, they don't have much in the secondary beyond Casey Hayward to hang with all of those Giants pass catchers.

The veteran signal caller will welcome the Chargers to town for a home tilt in Week 5. Los Angeles has been decent in pass defense this season, ranking 12th in DVOA through the first three weeks of the season, but with Jason Verrett lost for the season, they don't have much in the secondary beyond Casey Hayward to hang with all of those Giants pass catchers. Even if Hayward is able to shut down Beckham, Manning has plenty of other weapons to make the Chargers pay.

Tyrod Taylor, BUF @ Cincinnati Bengals

45% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%

Taylor has been decent as a fantasy option this season. He's managed to pass for multiple touchdowns in two of his four games while his rushing production gives him a high weekly floor at the position. Taylor has developed a solid chemistry with tight end Charles Clay, as well, which should help him in Week 5 against the Bengals.

Cincinnati is fresh off of demolishing the Browns in Week 4. Of course, based on four weeks of evidence, any defense's performance against the lowly Browns can be disregarded for fantasy. The Bengals do employ a solid pass defense but they have shown vulnerabilities to the tight end, ranking just 24th in DVOA against the position through the first three weeks of the season. As Clay, a tight end, has emerged as Taylor's favorite target this year, expect the two to do some damage together in Week 5.

Two-QB Leagues - Week 5 Waiver Wire Streamers

Brian Hoyer, SF @ Indianapolis Colts

8% owned, FAAB Budget: 1-2%

Hoyer came close to leading his team to an upset win over the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 4. He led his team to a field goal scoring drive in overtime, only to see his defense allow the Cardinals to respond by marching down the field to score a touchdown for the win. Hoyer didn't have a huge game in Week 4 but he's been dependable in fantasy against weak pass defenses, passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams in Week 3.

He draws one of the best matchups in the league in Week 5 as the 49ers travel to Indianapolis to take on a leaky Colts pass defense. In what has been an ongoing problem for this team, Indianapolis ranks just 18th in pass defense DVOA through the first three weeks this season. That number should plummet after they just coughed up 295 yards and two touchdowns to Russell Wilson in Week 4. Hoyer is a strong option as a QB2 in two-quarterback leagues in Week 5.

Jacoby Brissett, IND vs. San Francisco 49ers

14% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%

Brissett predictably struggled in Week 4 on the road against a tough Seattle defense but he should find much easier sledding in Week 5 against the 49ers. The young quarterback showed back in Week 3 against the Browns that he can be a dual-threat quarterback when he rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another. The 49ers don't employ a very good pass defense, ranking 30th in the league in DVOA before Week 4. Of course, in Week 4 they allowed Carson Palmer to pass for 347 yards and a score. Brissett is a viable option as a low-end QB2 in two-quarterback formats this weekend.

Josh McCown, NYJ @ Cleveland Browns

2% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%

The thought of playing McCown may not feel great for fantasy owners but Cleveland's shaky defense has proven time and again that they can make world beaters out of anyone. Look for McCown to be extra fired up in a #revengegame against his old squad as he leads his team in a road game against Cleveland. McCown has been at the helm of a Jets offense that hasn't been as much of a disaster as many predicted heading into the season. New York is surprisingly 2-2 and McCown has managed to pass for 826 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Look for him to post a big game in Week 5 against a Cleveland team that ranked 26th in pass defense through Week 3, then went on to allow Andy Dalton to shred them for 281 yards and four touchdowns in Week 4. Streaming quarterbacks against the Browns defense is becoming a no-brainer play in fantasy again, just as it was in 2016.

Cut Them Free

The following quarterbacks aren't necessarily must-drops but they haven't quite been living up to expectations and can be cut loose if you need roster space for one of the above players.

Trevor Siemian, DEN - 49% owned

Negative touchdown regression has hit Siemian over the past two weeks. After passing for six touchdowns in his first two games, Siemian has managed just one score over the past two weeks. With the Broncos heading into a Week 5 bye, there's no reason to keep him on your roster.

Jay Cutler, MIA - 30% owned

Cutler has come up short in two straight favorable matchups, the most egregious being his disappointing performance against an extremely weak New Orleans pass defense. If Cutler can't get it done against the Saints he doesn't need to be owned as a potential streamer going forward.

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.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis