Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers - Week 12

November 19, 2019

Quarterback waiver wire pickups and streamers for Week 12 of the fantasy football season. Elliott Baas recommends QB free agents to consider adding off waivers.

We saw some monster weeks at the quarterbacks position, with four quarterbacks topping 37 points, and ten scoring over 25 points. These weren't all big names putting up these points either, as low-owned quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and even Jeff Driskel had some big numbers in Week 11. That means we've got plenty of interesting options on waivers this week.

There are also some big names on bye this week, with the Chiefs, Vikings, Chargers, and Cardinals all off in Week 12. Each of the starting quarterbacks for those teams is owned in at least 79% of Yahoo leagues, meaning lots of owners will be scrambling for a starter this week.

In this article, we're looking at quarterbacks owned in fewer than 65% of fantasy leagues, while throwing in a few deep-league options who are owned in fewer than 20% of leagues. Ownership is based on Yahoo leagues and is current as of 11/17/2019.

Week 12 Quarterback Waiver Wire Options

Baker Mayfield (CLE): 54% Owned vs. MIA

Mayfield is coming off his second-best fantasy performance of the year to take on the woeful Miami Dolphins. Miami has allowed the seventh-most points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and were  just shredded by Josh Allen for a 117.7 passer rating, 256 yards, and three touchdowns. Josh Brown dealing most of the damage on the receiving end. Mayfield is finally beginning to show some chemistry with Odell Beckham Jr., as Beckham has double digit targets in each of his last two games. The Dolphins have a weak secondary to begin with, but injuries to starters Ken Webster and Bobby McCain have thinned this unit out considerably. Mayfield has been playing much better as of late too, having gone three straight games without an interception after tossing at least one pick in the Browns’ first seven games of the year. He not only has a juicy matchup this week, but with Cincinnati in Week 14 and Arizona in Week 15, Mayfield has a few good spots coming up, making him a decent long term add as well. He’s the top streaming quarterback this week.

Jacoby Brissett (IND): 38% Owned @ HOU

Brissett was lackluster in his return this week against Jacksonville, throwing for just 148 yards with one touchdown and one interception. However, Brissett draws an excellent matchup in Week 12 against the Houston Texans. Houston’s defense was terrorized by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens this week, allowing 41 points and for four passing touchdowns. Brissett is no Lamar Jackson, but he put up four passing touchdowns against Houston himself back in Week 7. Quarterbacks have dominated Houston’s secondary all season, as the Texans have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. The Texans currently have six defensive backs listed on their injury report, including shutdown corner Bradley Roby. While his status for Week 12 is up in the air, it would be a quick turnaround for Roby this week as the Texans play on Thursday night. Brissett is out there in over 60% of Yahoo leagues and makes for a great one-week streamer this week.

Nick Foles (JAX): 32% Owned @ TEN

Foles had decent fantasy numbers in his first week back from IR, throwing for 296 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though it took him 47 pass attempts and some garbage time stat-padding to get there. He’ll have a chance to refine things even more this week as the Jaguars taken on the Titans. After a strong start to the year, the Titans’ pass defense is on the ropes. They’ve allowed at least 399 air yards and multiple touchdown passes over their last four games. They’ve been especially vulnerable to the deep ball over that stretch, with an aDOT greater than 10 in three of those four games. The biggest difference for the Titans over the last four weeks? Competition. They went from beating up on the likes of Buffalo and Denver to getting diced by quarterbacks like Philip Rivers and Patrick Mahomes. Foles is closer to the lower-end of the quarterback spectrum, but he still has the arm and inclination to throw it deep. Long term, Foles has an excellent schedule going forward. Following this week, he faces the Buccaneers, Chargers, Raiders, and Falcons to finish the fantasy season. Those matchups make Foles a sneaky pickup for the remainder of the year.

Sam Darnold (NYJ): 22% Owned vs. OAK

Once again, Darnold took advantage of a soft secondary, tossing four touchdowns in a dominant performance. He has scored over 21 points in each of his last two games, and draws another great matchup this week against Oakland. The Raiders have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and the third-most passing touchdown this season. The injuries are piling up in this secondary, with four defensive backs on injured reserve and safety Lamarcus Joyner on the shelf with a hamstring injury. We’ve been talking up Darnold’s schedule in this article for weeks now, and it’s still enticing even beyond next week. He faces Cincinnati in Week 13 and Miami in Week 14. He’s still out there in nearly 80% of leagues despite this schedule and great recent performances. That should change as waivers run this week, because Darnold deserves to see his ownership level skyrocket.

Two-QB League Pickups and Stashes

Jeff Driskel (DET): 3% Owned @ WAS

Driskel was surprisingly productive this past week, putting up 27.46 points in Detroit’s loss to Dallas. He beefed up his points total with an effective ground game, rushing for 56 yards and a touchdown along with his two passing touchdowns. He’s been surprisingly gutsy with the ball, boasting an 8.2 aDOT through his first two starts and an above average completion rate on passes greater than 35 yards down the field. Driskel has been freely lobbing up deep passes to his receivers and scrambling his way to first downs. He draws an easier matchup this week, taking on a Washington team that just allowed four passing touchdowns to Sam Darnold. Driskel presents a solid amount of upside for a quarterback owned in fewer than 5% of leagues. He’s a great short-term option in two-QB leagues and deep leagues, especially against the Redskins. 

Dwayne Haskins Jr. (WAS): 4% Owned vs. DET

Haskins has been handed the reigns in Washington, and put up a solid fantasy performance in Week 11 against the Jets. He tossed two touchdown passes and topped 18 points in the loss. It wasn’t a groundbreaking performance by any means, Haskins has a strong outlook heading into Week 12 against Detroit. The Lions Defense has been atrocious this season, allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. They’ve allowed multiple touchdown passes for six straight week, and just gave up 444 yards through the air to Dak Prescott. Detroit has allowed at least 23 points in all but two games this season, and since their bye have given up an average of 27 points per game. The Redskins underpowered offense might struggle to reach that number, but Haskins should at least have lots of junk time opportunities in this one. If you’re in a deep league and can’t get your hands on Driskel, then Haskins is a decent alternative.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice