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Quarterback waiver wire pickups and streamers for Week 11 of the fantasy football season. Dan Fornek recommends QB free agents to consider adding off waivers.
Week 10 was a brutal affair for most fantasy squads, especially if you rely on production from the quarterback position. Only six quarterbacks surpassed 300 yards passing on the week, and of those only three had more than one passing touchdown. As a whole, only three quarterbacks were able to throw for at least three passing touchdowns as windy conditions once again forced teams into more conservative passing attacks and more of an emphasis on the run game.
Thankfully, there is always next week in the NFL. The Bills’ Josh Allen will be the only quarterback of consequence on bye (unless you’re clinging to your Nick Foles, Daniel Jones, or Nick Mullens shares). Several quarterbacks should also find themselves in excellent matchups, especially the five lower rostered players in the list below. With that being said, here are my quarterbacks to target on the waiver wire looking ahead to Week 11.
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
Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Yahoo: 61% rostered ESPN: 56.5% rostered
The fact that Matthew Stafford has finds himself on this list is somewhat baffling considering the consistency he offers as a weekly QB2 with QB1 upside. Yes, Stafford is fresh off a disappointing performance against the Vikings in week 9 (211 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions before being knocked out of the game with a concussion), but he is a weekly starter or streaming option regardless.
Stafford bounced back strong against the Washington Football Team in Week 10, throwing for 276 yards and three touchdowns while avoiding any interceptions. Stafford thrived even with Kenny Golladay missing the game thanks to a hip injury, but he is nearing a return. Stafford presents even more upside for teams pushing for the playoffs in the next few weeks. He will get a shot at the Panthers’ questionable secondary next week followed by a game against Houston. He has multiweek upside and should at least be on your bench if he is somehow on the wire.
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo: 3% rostered ESPN: 1.4% rostered
With Drew Brees out for an undisclosed amount of time due to an array of fractured ribs and a punctured lung, Jameis Winston is officially back in our lives. In his last full season as a starter, Winston threw for over 5,000 yards and 33 touchdowns with 30 interceptions. He also has more rushing upside than he is given credit for, running the ball 59 times for 250 yards and a score in 2019. Winston has all the talent in the world to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he does have a penchant for turning the ball over. He has 121 career passing touchdowns with 88 interceptions. Hopefully, a half-season working with Drew Brees and Sean Payton in New Orleans has helped him cut down on turnovers, but after five years in the league, most guys just are what they are.
On the Saints, Winston will have plenty of weapons to play around with. Alvin Kamara is an absolute weapon this season and Michael Thomas is back and healthy. The Saints also have Jared Cook at tight end and Emmanuel Sanders opposite of Thomas to go with some good complimentary speed receivers. Winston is worth an add in all league formats, especially with a matchup against the Falcons on the horizon. Atlanta is allowing 26 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, surpassing the Seahawks as the worst secondary in football.
Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 46% rostered ESPN: 29.2% rostered
Before rushing out to the waiver wire to make this selection, be sure to track the news over the next few days. Bridgewater was forced to leave the Tampa Bay game with an apparent knee injury, but all indicators were that the knee injury wasn’t expected to be serious. Before getting knocked out of the game, Bridgewater was his usual efficient self against the Bucs, scoring 19.04 fantasy points thanks to 136 yards and two touchdowns, and an interception while adding 16 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
If Bridgewater is deemed healthy, he has an excellent stretch of games on the horizon, starting next week. Teddy and the Panthers will host a Detroit secondary that just allowed Alex Smith to pass for over 350 yards, followed up by the Vikings and their banged-up secondary before taking a much-needed bye week.
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Yahoo: 28% rostered ESPN: 29.2% rostered
Regardless of what happens with Kirk Cousins against the Bears Defense tonight, he is an intriguing QB2 or streaming option heading into the fantasy playoffs. For one, Cousins has already functioned as a serviceable fantasy quarterback on numerous occasions this season. He has four games with over 20 fantasy points and has five games with multiple passing touchdowns. Despite the Vikings run-heavy approach, Cousins has exceeded 250 passing yards in six games this season (including his one game with 249 passing yards).
After facing off against Chicago, Cousins will play games against Dallas, Carolina, and Jacksonville in Weeks 11 through 13. These represent three of the softest secondaries in the NFL this season and should give him an excellent opportunity to play as a startable fantasy player if you’re in a pinch due to bye weeks or a tough matchup.
2QB League Options and Stashes
Alex Smith, Washington Football Team
Yahoo: 5% rostered ESPN: 3.4% rostered
If you find yourself in a bye-week crunch or facing injuries, then you need to consider Alex Smith as a starting quarterback for a week or two. Smith hasn’t been spectacular in terms of finding the end zone since he took over for the injured Kyle Allen, but his statistics suggest that could be more due to bad luck than anything. Smith has thrown for 715 yards and a touchdown in nearly two games as the starter for Washington. He spread the ball around especially well on Sunday, with seven different players recording at least four receptions. On top of that, six players recorded at least 40 receiving yards. Unfortunately for Smith, the Football Team elected to run the ball in the critical areas of the field, with Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic combining to punch the ball in three times.
Smith has matchups against the depleted Bengals and questionable Cowboys’ secondaries in the coming weeks. You probably won’t feel great slotting him into the starting quarterback slot of your roster, but at least he should be due for some positive passing touchdown regression given those opponents.
Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys
Yahoo: 5% rostered ESPN: 2.9% rostered
Thanks to a concussion, the COVID list, and a bye week, it has been a while since we have seen Andy Dalton behind center for the Cowboys. In his stead, we had one bad game from Ben DiNucci and a solid effort from Garrett Gilbert against the Steelers. If Dalton is cleared to play, then he will be walking into a great matchup with a fresh offensive line and the best compliment of receiving weapons in the NFL. Dalton gets a game against the decimated Vikings secondary in Week 12 before getting another shot at the Washington defense that knocked him out with the concussion. If you can hang on to him through the Week 13 matchup against the Ravens, then he has one last fantastic matchup against the Bengals banged-up secondary. If you have a bench spot, then stash Dalton and see if he can put it together for the Cowboys.
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