RADIO
Dan Fornek's fantasy football quarterback waiver wire pickups before Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent QBs to add, stream and stash off waivers.
Week 16 was a breath of fresh air for fantasy managers after Week 15’s offensive dumpster fire. Nine teams scored at least 30 points on offense this week, headlined by an offensive explosion from the Cowboys (56 points scored), Bengals (41 points), Texans (41 points), Chiefs (36 points), and Eagles (34 points). Five games also had at least a 49 point total, giving the fantasy managers that survived Week 15 a much-needed point infusion.
It was also a solid bounce-back week from the quarterback position. Six quarterbacks finished Week 16 with at least 300 passing yards, including a ridiculous 525 passing yards by Joe Burrow. We also got great yardage games from Justin Herbert, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins, Josh Allen, and Josh Johnson. Additionally, five quarterbacks had at least three passing touchdowns (including a four-touchdown game from Joe Burrow). In total, 11 quarterbacks finished Week 16 with multiple passing touchdowns. Hopefully, the offenses stay clicking heading into the fantasy championship for most leagues in Week 17.
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
Ryan Tannehill (QB, TEN)
Yahoo: 63% rostered
The return of A.J. Brown to the starting lineup helped Ryan Tannehill have one of his best weeks of the season. Tannehill completed 22 of 29 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. Tannehill also added three carries for 22 yards during the surprising win over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. It has been a disappointing 2021 for Tannehill, but this game showed a glimpse of what could have been if the Titans' offense was able to stay healthy this season.
The Titans will have another must-win game if they want to secure an AFC South Championship in Week 17. Tennessee will have a matchup against a Miami defense that has been improved lately but is still allowing 17 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Tannehill will once again have A.J. Brown and Julio Jones at his disposal, which allows him to have a big day.
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF)
Yahoo: 38% rostered
The 49ers offense didn’t find the end zone much on offense against the Titans last week, but Jimmy G. still had a solid game statistically. Garoppolo completed 74% of his passes for 322 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss to Tennessee in Week 16. Despite the modest production, Garoppolo still hit 13 fantasy points for the eighth time in nine games. It was Garoppolo’s third game since Week 7 with over 300-yards passing. With San Francisco still competing for a playoff spot, it is highly unlikely Trey Lance gets much time at quarterback, giving Jimmy G. solid security under center.
The 49ers have a solid matchup in the fantasy playoff championship against the Houston Texans in Week 17. The Texans got a surprising win against the Chargers in Week 16, but still allowed 336 yards passing and a touchdown against Justin Herbert. Garoppolo should have his full complement of weapons against a mediocre Houston defense.
Mac Jones (QB, NE)
Yahoo: 33% rostered
Mac Jones had an extremely disappointing game against the Bills defense in Week 16. Jones completed just 14 of 32 passes for 145 yards and two interceptions in a crucial divisional loss. Despite the bad game, Jones has double-digit fantasy points in five of his last eight games for the New England Patriots. It was a rough game for the rookie, but thankfully for fantasy managers next week, Jones should have an excellent opportunity to bounce back.
The Patriots will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. Jacksonville is fresh off a game allowing Zach Wilson to throw for 102 yards and a touchdown while adding four carries for 91 yards and an additional score. It was just the second game this season where Wilson scored more than 20 fantasy points. Jones doesn’t have the rushing ability of Wilson but could easily pick apart a bad Jaguars defense on his way to a big day in fantasy.
2QB Options and Stashes
Jared Goff (QB, DET)
Yahoo: 7% rostered
Jared Goff was on a fantastic stretch of games before being ruled out of Week 16’s matchup against the Falcons due to a positive COVID test. From Weeks 12 to 15, Goff scored at least 12 fantasy points in every game. In four games, Goff completed 69% of his passes for 898 yards and nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. The veteran signal-caller also led the Lions to their only two wins of the season during that stretch. The Lions aren’t good, but Goff is producing numbers thanks to a breakout by rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. There is also a chance that running back D’Andre Swift returns from his shoulder injury in a great matchup next week.
Goff will have a safe matchup next week against the Seattle Seahawks (assuming he is activated off the COVID list). Seattle’s secondary was gifted a matchup against Nick Foles in blizzard conditions in Week 16 and allowed him to throw for 250 yards and a touchdown in a 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears. Seattle’s secondary has now given up 2,264 passing yards and 21 touchdowns this season while generating just eight interceptions. Goff isn’t a sexy play, but he’s more than capable of providing a solid floor out of a QB2 or Superflex position.
Davis Mills (QB, HOU)
Yahoo: 3% rostered
Like Goff, Davis Mills isn’t a sexy play, but he’s putting up solid fantasy stats. Mills has three consecutive games with at least 16 fantasy points scored. Since taking over the starting position again in Week 14, Mills has 794 passing yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. Mills threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions in a win over the Chargers in Week 16 despite being without his top receiving weapon (Brandin Cooks). Mills is starting to string together strong games in his rookie season and is looking like he will factor into Houston’s plans if they want to stockpile talent in a weak quarterback class.
Mills will have a solid matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. San Francisco is allowing 17.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks thanks to an underwhelming secondary. Through 15 games, the 49ers have given up 21 passing touchdowns while generating just six interceptions. Houston’s defense will likely struggle against the 49ers' offense, which should turn into shootout conditions for a rookie playing some of his best football. Mills enters Week 16 as a low-end QB2 with a high-end upside.
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