RADIO
Matt's quarterback waiver wire pickups and fantasy football streamers for Week 13 of the 2017 NFL Season. Target these streamers for standard and two-QB leagues.
Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 12 almost in the books, it's already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 13. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 13 waiver wire adds and streamers for quarterbacks, players that you should consider targeting on your league's waiver wire.
In the past few seasons, streaming the quarterback position has become a popular team management strategy. The guaranteed volume at the quarterback position makes it the easiest position in fantasy football to project, which therefore makes it a position that isn't too hard to stream. Everyone has had a star wide receiver who inexplicably only sees three targets in a game.
The quarterback position, on the other hand, sees volume that is easier to forecast as even the lower ranked players will see a minimum of 20-25 passing attempts, even in a low-volume passing offense. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo! and are current as of November 27.
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One-QB Leagues - Week 13 Waiver Wire Streamers
Tyrod Taylor, BUF vs. New England Patriots
49% owned, FAAB Budget: 7-9%
See Buffalo, that wasn't all that hard, was it? A week after getting embarrassed by the Los Angeles Chargers with rookie Nathan Peterman under center, the Bills went back to Taylor, who led them to an improbable 16-10 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor didn't have a huge game, passing for 183 yards and a touchdown, but he did enough to get the win.
Taylor draws a prime matchup against the New England Patriots at home in Week 13. The Patriots have struggled to contain opposing quarterbacks this season, allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to the position before Week 12. With New England's elite offense, look for the Bills to have to pass more frequently than usual to keep up on the scoreboard. As always, Taylor's rushing ability gives him a solid weekly floor and helps cement him as a solid QB1 streaming option.
Case Keenum, MIN @ Atlanta Falcons
46% owned, FAAB Budget: 5-7%
It's time to fully buy in on Keenum as a viable weekly fantasy starter, at least for as long as he remains the real-life starter. The veteran quarterback continues to impress for the Vikings, despite never being the team's first choice at quarterback at any point this season. Most recently, he went on the road on Thanksgiving and passed for 282 yards and two scores while adding another score on the ground.
This week, Keenum will travel to Atlanta to take on a middling Falcons pass defense that went into Week 12 allowing the 17th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and ranked 17th in DVOA according to Football Outsiders. With all the weapons on the Minnesota offense, Keenum remains a solid streaming option this week, especially in a game that could develop into a shootout.
Josh McCown, NYJ vs. Kansas City Chiefs
31% owned, FAAB Budget: 4-5%
McCown turned in a surprise performance against a tough Panthers pass defense in Week 12, passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns. While it has never felt all that comfortable to start McCown in fantasy, he's been a QB1 more often than not this season. Look for the grizzled veteran to keep up the hot play in Week 13 against a Kansas City Chiefs team that is all of a sudden watching the season spiral down the drain. Heading into Week 12's game, the Chiefs pass defense was ranked 20th in the league in DVOA and was allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game to the position. McCown remains a solid streaming option in all league formats.
Two-QB Leagues - Week 13 Waiver Wire Streamers
Eli Manning, NYG vs. Oakland Raiders
45% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Manning is too highly-owned to be a true two-quarterback streaming option but he also isn't a guy I can trust in one-quarterback leagues heading into the final week of the fantasy regular season with playoff spots on the line. The only reason he even pops up on the radar is the pristine matchup against a soft Oakland Raiders pass defense. Before the Week 12 slate of games, Oakland was allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and ranked dead-last in the league in pass defense DVOA. If Sterling Shepard is able to return to action following a two-game absence due to migraines, give Manning a slight bump up. If not, he's no more than a middle of the road QB2 option.
Blake Bortles, JAX vs. Indianapolis Colts
35% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
As is usually the case, Bortles did not play well in real-life in Week 12 against the Cardinals but he got the job done from a fantasy perspective. While he failed to throw a touchdown, the signal caller did most of his damage on the ground, rushing six times for 62 yards and two scores. On the real football field, his fourth-quarter interception opened the door for Arizona to squeak out a 27-24 win over Jacksonville.
Bortles draws another solid matchup in Week 13 as he will take on a weak Colts pass defense at home. Before Week 12, the Colts pass defense ranked 27th in DVOA. These two teams met in Week 7 with Bortles passing for 330 yards and a touchdown. He sets up as a solid QB2 this weekend.
Brett Hundley, GB vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Hundley turned in one of the bigger surprise performances of Week 12, posting a career game against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers pass defense on Sunday night. The young quarterback completed 17-of-26 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He has another chance to post a big game in Week 13 as he will take on a Tampa Bay pass defense that has been getting shredded by opposing passing attacks. While Hundley is coming off a big game, his previous track record suggests he shouldn't be trusted as anything more than a QB2 in Week 13.
Cut Them Free
The following quarterbacks aren't necessarily must-drops but they haven't quite been living up to expectations and can be cut loose if you need roster space for one of the above players.
Jacoby Brissett, IND - 21% owned
Brissett struggled in what was a plum matchup against a leaky Tennessee pass defense, passing for just 196 scoreless yards and taking eight sacks. Things are about to get a lot worse as he will take on a fierce Jacksonville defense in Week 13 that is allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Brissett can be cut loose if you need an extra roster spot.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB - 9% owned
Fitzpatrick has been solid while filling in for the Buccaneers, passing for 283 scoreless yards against the Falcons in Week 12. That being said, there have been reports that Jameis Winston is making excellent progress and could be ready to return as soon as this week against the Green Bay Packers. You don't have to cut Fitzpatrick if you're desperate for a QB but he isn't a must-hold as he will return to the bench whenever Winston is ready.
Strategy for Streaming Quarterbacks
Many factors come into play when identifying streamers. These include recent performance, overall upside, talent, opponent matchup, and Vegas totals. Every week, we’ll take a look at six streaming QB options: three for one-quarterback leagues, and three for two-quarterback leagues. The focus will be on streaming for the upcoming week, but there will also be players who break out and should be owned the rest of the season. As always, the goal with streaming is to eventually find a player who can be an every week starter for your team.
Options for one-quarterback leagues could be just about anyone outside of the bigger names at the position. Obviously, no one is going to be able to stream players like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady because they are owned in all leagues. The premium placed on the position in two-quarterback leagues changes expectations for streaming the position. In two-quarterback leagues, most starting NFL quarterbacks are already owned, so the pickings are going to be slim on waivers. Therefore, the players who are recommended for two-quarterback leagues will be lower-owned and most likely not attractive options in one-quarterback formats.
