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It has been a rough start to the quarterback position to start the NFL season in terms of injuries. Last week, the Cowboys lost Dak Prescott for several weeks with a thumb injury. This week, exciting rookie Trey Lance was carted off the field after he suffered a broken ankle that will ultimately end his 2022 season.
Five quarterbacks (Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Flacco) hit the 300-yard mark in Week 2. Tagovailoa was the passing standout this week, throwing for six touchdowns against a depleted Ravens secondary. Two other quarterbacks (Flacco and Jared Goff) had four passing touchdowns and four (Wentz, Herbert, Jackson, and Matthew Stafford) had three passing scores.
In this article, I will be looking at the fantasy football waiver wire for quarterback pickups and streamers, focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
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Single-QB League Waiver Wire Options
Jimmy Garoppolo (SF)
Yahoo: 4% rostered
The Trey Lance season-ending ankle injury immediately vaults Jimmy Garoppolo to the top of this list. Garoppolo is a priority add (especially for people who rostered Lance) and can provide steady quarterback play, even if he lacks the dual threat upside we target in fantasy drafts.
Garoppolo looked sharp after Lance got injured in the first quarter, completing 13 of 21 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions. The 49ers didn’t need much more than that against an overmatched Seahawks defense.
Look for Garoppolo to provide the same consistent play he did last year with plenty of weapons that can get big chunks of yardage after the catch.
Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)
Yahoo: 61% rostered
After two underwhelming seasons, it seems that Tua Tagovailoa is ready to show the skills that made him a top-five pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Tua flashed an improved deep ball in a massive come-from-behind victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2, throwing for 469 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. Tua doesn’t have the strongest arm in the league, but all he needs to do is air it out and let Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle run under the ball.
Tua now has 749 yards and seven touchdowns with two interceptions in his first two games of the season. The Dolphins have two tough matchups on the horizon against the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, but he’s worth rostering at this point given the massive upside provided by Hill and Waddle.
Carson Wentz (WSH)
Yahoo: 51% rostered
The ebbs and flows of the Carson Wentz experience once again reared its head in Week 2. Wentz completed 30 of 46 passes for 337 yards and a rough interception in a nine-point loss to the Lions. Wentz now averaging 43.5 passing attempts in his first two games with the Commanders and has seven touchdowns in two weeks. Wentz has also scored at least 27.0 fantasy points in each of the first two games.
There are always ups-and-downs to Wentz’s game, but the Commanders have built some good receiving weapons around him and seem content to live and die by his arm. Washington has a tough game against the Eagles secondary in Week 3 but will have easier matchups against the Cowboys, Titans, and Bears on the horizon.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Options and Stashes
Jared Goff (DET)
Yahoo: 22% rostered
Nobody will ever love the idea of slotting Jared Goff into one of their starting quarterback spots, but he’s as good of a floor play as you can find if you need stability from the position. Goff completed 20 of 34 passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the Lions' win against Washington in Week 2.
Goff now has two games in 2022 with at least 15.0 fantasy points and has six touchdowns compared to one interception. The veteran quarterback has an established connection with second-year player Amon-Ra St. Brown but also has other weapons that can make a play like DJ Chark, D’Andre Swift, and T.J. Hockenson in the passing game.
Goff has two solid matchups against the Vikings and Seahawks in the next two weeks and would be an excellent candidate to fill the quarterback void for fantasy gamers that lost Dak Prescott or Trey Lance in the first two weeks.
Cooper Rush (DAL)
Yahoo: 1% rostered
Cooper Rush wasn’t stellar, but he put together a solid game against a very good Bengals defense. Rush completed 19 of 31 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown in his first week as a starter, consistently completing passes to Noah Brown (five receptions, 91 yards, one touchdown) and CeeDee Lamb (seven receptions for 75 yards). Rush is a far cry from Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys seemed content letting him throw the ball in his first start.
Rush will be at the helm for at least three more weeks, which means matchups against the Giants, Commanders, and Rams secondary. The Rams will probably be too much for the young signal caller, but he will be in a good position against bad secondaries in the next two weeks.
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