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Dan's top quarterback Week 12 fantasy pickups (2024). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 12 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB and superflex leagues.
There were some excellent quarterback performances for fantasy football in Week 11. Jared Goff (412 passing yards and four touchdowns) and Anthony Richardson (272 passing yards and a passing touchdown, 32 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns) each finished with more than 28 fantasy points. In total, eight different quarterbacks surpassed the 20.0-point mark.
Six teams will be on bye in Week 12, including several (Atlanta, Buffalo, and Cincinnati) that feature major fantasy quarterback players. Hitting the waiver wire will be crucial, especially for the fringe teams still fighting for a spot in the fantasy playoffs.
In this article, I will focus on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a few deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
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Single-QB Waiver Wire Options and Streamers
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Yahoo: 48% rostered
Fantasy managers need to shed their priors and accept the fact that Bo Nix is a legitimate fantasy quarterback who possesses a consistent floor as well as a huge ceiling. Nix entered Week 11 as the QB9 in fantasy, averaging 17.2 fantasy points per game. He found a way to build on that against the Falcons in Week 11.
Bo Nix is feeeeeling it the last few weeks!
What an absolute seed.
Nix: 12/13 150 yards 1 TD
pic.twitter.com/7ylULmOK4U— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 17, 2024
Nix once again surpassed 16.0 fantasy points this season. It was his fourth straight game without 16.0 fantasy points and the seventh time he hit the mark in 2024. The rookie quarterback remains an efficient passer who has made the most of underwhelming weapons in Denver.
Nix is a certified QB1 in 2024, but he is rostered in less than 50% of fantasy leagues. He needs to be rostered in all formats and can safely be started weekly. The Broncos have great quarterback matchups in both weeks leading up to their bye (at Las Vegas and Cleveland).
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo: 47% rostered
Anthony Richardson regained control of the starting quarterback position in Indianapolis in Week 11 and responded with one of his best fantasy performances of the season.
Anthony Richardson was excellent in the 2nd half today. You could really see him getting into a rhythm.
12-18, 169 yards, 1 passing TD, 9 passing 1st downs, 1 rushing TD in the 2nd half against the Jets. https://t.co/Yc3phXhjhv pic.twitter.com/E7tjtwgd2G
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 17, 2024
Richardson completed 20-of-30 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown while adding 10 carries for 32 yards and two rushing touchdowns. His 29.0 fantasy points were his second-best mark of the season, barely falling short of his Week 1 effort against Houston (30.0).
Every reason that Richardson was drafted as a top-six quarterback in fantasy was on display against a hapless Jets defense. Richardson made big throws down the field and finished drives with punishing rushing attempts in the red zone.
However, one good game also doesn’t remove the red flags for Richardson as a fantasy quarterback. His pass accuracy is still suspect and any given run can result in an injury. Still, the ceiling is just too alluring to completely fade him as long as he is under center.
Richardson must be rostered in all fantasy formats now that he has taken the quarterback position from Joe Flacco.
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 50% rostered
Russell Wilson had the worst game of the season against an exploitable Ravens secondary but still should be on the fantasy radar in single-quarterback leagues.
Wilson mustered just 6.3 fantasy points against the Ravens in Week 11. He completed 23-of-36 passes for 205 yards and a bad red zone interception. While the Ravens' secondary has been awful this season, those rankings can go out the window every time these two teams match up.
Most importantly, Wilson secured his fourth win in four starts this season. That provides even more job security, making it a near certainty that he will remain the starter as long as he’s healthy. Week 11 was the first time in four starts that Wilson failed to hit 13.0 fantasy points with Pittsburgh.
There will be better days ahead of this offense and some excellent matchups for Wilson. Over the next four weeks, Pittsburgh gets matchups against the Browns (twice), the Bengals, and the Eagles. Expect Wilson’s subpar performance to be an aberration and not the expectation moving forward.
Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Yahoo: 54% rostered
A bad offensive environment and an abysmal offensive line (along with plenty of questionable decisions and poor throws) have led to a brutal fantasy season for Caleb Williams.
The Bears fired their offensive coordinator ahead of Week 11’s game against the Packers. The results were encouraging from a fantasy (and real-life) perspective.
The biggest play of Caleb Williams’ and Rome Odunze’s career so far.
pic.twitter.com/0qiFJHBUNT— BOOG (@BoogCB) November 17, 2024
Williams completed 23-of-31 passes for 231 yards. He also added nine carries for 70 yards in a brutal home loss to the Packers. Williams had his fourth straight game without a touchdown, but still had his best fantasy production since Week 6 (16.2 fantasy points).
More importantly, Williams showed off the mobility that can make him a fantasy starter for the remainder of the season. Williams now has six games with at least five carries, including two games with nine this season. He also has four games with at least 40 rushing yards.
The remaining games for Chicago aren’t the most fantasy-friendly (Minnesota, at Detroit, San Francisco, at Minnesota, Detroit, Seattle) heading into the playoff stretch, but an improved offensive environment combined with Williams’ scrambling ability puts him back on the fantasy radar going forward.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Options and Stashes
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Yahoo: 14% rostered
Drake Maye continues to provide a solid fantasy floor weekly. The rookie had another respectable game against the Rams' defense in Week 11, completing 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also added three carries for 27 yards.
.@DrakeMaye2 with a STRIKE to @BournePoly11‼️
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/63Q38R5LgM
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 17, 2024
Maye has now scored at least 15.0 fantasy points in four of his six starts. He’s yet to have a game with fewer than 11 points this season. The rookie has at least three carries in every game this season and has hit at least 20 rushing yards on five different occasions.
The rookie lacks an elite fantasy ceiling thanks to an awful supporting cast but is showing that he can provide a respectable floor every week. Week 12’s matchup against the Dolphins isn’t the best for quarterbacks, but Maye can be counted on to give a steady floor against their subpar pass rush.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Yahoo: 9% rostered
Will Levis has been a solid fantasy quarterback since returning from injury despite facing off against two strong defenses. Levis followed up a 21.1 fantasy point performance against the Chargers in Week 10 with a 17.6-point effort against the Vikings in Week 11.
98-YARD TD! 😱😱 Will Levis takes a shot out of the end zone and it pays off for the @Titans!
📺: #MINvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0o5Uj7RZ9q— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
Over the last two weeks, Levis has completed 35-of-54 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He has also handled 12 carries for 59 yards over the last two weeks.
Levis likely isn’t the answer for Tennessee going forward, but he has a chance to provide solid fantasy production for the remainder of 2024. The Titans have positive matchups for fantasy quarterbacks in the next six weeks (at Houston, at Washington, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, at Indianapolis, and at Jacksonville).
There will undoubtedly be some underwhelming games for Levis given his poor offensive line and tendency to throw into tight windows, but he could also emerge as a legitimate difference-maker for teams needing upside at the quarterback position heading into the fantasy playoffs.
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