RADIO
Dan Fornek's fantasy football quarterback waiver wire pickups before Week 12 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent QBs to add, stream and stash off waivers.
Week 11 wasn’t an offensive explosion by any stretch of the imagination, but it was one of the better fantasy weeks we have gotten recently. Unfortunately, fantasy managers were once again let down by offenses that we rely on for explosive fantasy performances. Buffalo, Dallas, Kansas City, and Seattle all failed to surpass 20 points on the day. Additionally, Kyler Murray remained injured and Lamar Jackson missed the week with an illness, causing fantasy managers headaches as they tried to avoid the fantasy landmines this week. Thankfully, seven teams were able to score at least four touchdowns, although a majority of fantasy production came from the run game this week.
Once again, several quarterbacks failed to provide excellent production for fantasy teams. Only four quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, and Ryan Tannehill) were able to surpass 300-passing yards. Additionally, four quarterbacks (Rodgers, Cousins, Trevor Siemian, and Taylor Heinicke) had at least three passing touchdowns. However, numerous quarterbacks had underwhelming performances for fantasy managers. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Russell Wilson combined to throw for just three passing touchdowns in Week 11. Only two teams are on bye in Week 12, but unfortunately, they are from two of the best offenses in the NFL (Kansas City and Arizona). Fantasy managers with Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray will need to be diligent on the waiver wire to ensure they get the best seed possible heading into the fantasy playoffs.
In this article, I will be focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 20% rostered).
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Top QB Streamers and Adds
Carson Wentz (QB, IND)
Yahoo: 54% rostered
After an excellent stretch throwing the ball, Carson Wentz has come back to Earth the last two weeks. The quarterback has thrown for 286 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions in his last two games against the Jaguars and Bills. Indianapolis has been leaning heavily on Jonathan Taylor and continuing to ascend in the AFC behind the run game, which has created a situation where Wentz just doesn’t need to put the ball in the air. The Colts don’t have their bye until Week 14 and their next two games feature teams with below-average secondaries.
Week 12 should be a perfect storm for Wentz and the Colts’ passing attack with a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay features a high-volume passing attack, a strong run defense, and some bad play in the secondary. Indianapolis will likely need to throw the ball to keep pace with Tampa’s explosive offense. Wentz has another great matchup in Week 13 against Houston, giving him a multi-week upside.
Cam Newton (QB, CAR)
Yahoo: 51% rostered
The Panthers didn’t get the win in Cam Newton’s first start, but he looked fantastic and proved that he has stellar fantasy upside leading up and through the fantasy playoffs. Newton completed 21 of his 27 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. Newton also carried the ball 10 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. The veteran signal-caller finished as the QB3 in Week 11, scoring 26.16 fantasy points. Newton looked solid in the passing game and continued to show his excellent running ability, making him a player that has to be rostered in all formats. The Panthers haven’t had their bye week yet, but have a solid stretch of fantasy matchups on the horizon.
Newton will have a great game against a Miami defense that struggles to generate a pass rush which leads to big plays in the passing game. After Carolina’s Week 13 bye, Newton has a great matchup against the Falcons anemic secondary. Newton will be hard to start in Week 15 (Buffalo), but closes the season with great matchups in Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay. If he’s still available in your league, get him ASAP.
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF)
Yahoo: 28% rostered
When the 49ers drafted Trey Lance third overall in the NFL draft, it seemed to signal the end of Jimmy Garoppolo’s tenure as the starting quarterback. However, Garoppolo has played very well this season and has been able to maintain his hold on the starting sot in San Francisco. Garoppolo isn’t an explosive playmaker, but he consistently provides solid fantasy production, giving him a high floor as a passer. Jimmy G has six games with at least 15 fantasy points this season. Garoppolo has three straight games with two touchdown passes.
The 49ers are entering a fantastic stretch of games for fantasy quarterbacks on the horizon. Garoppolo will face off against a Vikings secondary that just got torched by Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, followed by games against Seattle, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Tennessee, and Houston. All six of those teams allow between 17 and 21 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. With the 49ers in the thick of the NFC playoff race, Jimmy Garoppolo will likely hang onto his job and have a fantastic stretch of bad secondaries to feast on.
2 QB Options and Stashes
Taylor Heinicke (QB, WFT)
Yahoo: 15% rostered
Taylor Heinicke has played extremely well since Washington’s bye week. The Washington quarterback has combined for 462 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions in his last two games against Tampa Bay and Carolina. Heinicke now has four starts with at least 15 fantasy points, including four games with over 20 fantasy points scored. Washington now has four games with multiple passing touchdowns. They are also entering a stretch of weak secondaries that Heinicke can exploit.
Washington will face off against a Seattle defense that just allowed Colt McCoy to have a career day without DeAndre Hopkins (328 yards and two touchdowns). Heinicke will also have games against and Philadelphia twice down the stretch leading into and through the fantasy playoffs. Thanks to bad defense, Heinicke will likely be forced into passing game scripts, making him a sure-fire QB2 that has top-10 upside if things break the right way.
Tyrod Taylor (QB, HOU)
Yahoo: 5% rostered
The Houston Texans secured a surprising victory against the AFC’s top-seeded team behind the dual-threat ability of Tyrod Taylor. The veteran had a modest day throwing the ball in bad conditions (58% completion for 107 yards), but had an excellent day on the ground, rushing in for two scores. Tyrod bounced back from a bad first game after his injury against Miami to deliver a solid fantasy performance. Houston won’t be competing for a playoff spot any time soon, but they have a bad run game and constantly play from behind, giving Taylor chances to rack up garbage time stats on the ground or through the air.
Houston will have another winnable game in Week 12 against the Jets before playing against Indianapolis and Seattle heading into the fantasy playoffs. Tyrod isn’t the best passer in the NFL, but his rushing ability gives him a legitimate chance to finish as a top-15 quarterback most weeks, giving him a solid floor as a QB2.
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