RADIO
Matt's quarterback waiver wire pickups and fantasy football streamers for Week 7 of the 2017 NFL Season. Target these streamers for standard and two-QB leagues.
Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 6 almost in the books, it's already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 7. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 7 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 October 16.
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One-QB Leagues - Week 7 Waiver Wire Streamers
Jared Goff, LAR vs. Arizona Cardinals (In London)
38% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%
Goff will look to bounce back in Week 7 after two straight brutal matchups against the Jaguars and Seahawks. He draws a Cardinals defense that should be just what he needs to do exactly that. Goff, and the Rams offense, have been much improved this season. Goff has passed for either 300 yards or multiple scores in three of his six games played so far in 2017.
The Arizona pass defense has struggled against opposing passers this season, allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position and ranking 24th in DVOA through Week 5. They are fresh off of allowing Ryan Fitzpatrick shred them for 290 yards and three touchdowns in relief of an injured Jameis Winston in Week 6. That feat is especially impressive for anyone who watched Fitzpatrick play at all last season. Goff sets up as a solid streaming choice in Week 7.
Tyrod Taylor, BUF vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
36% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%
This week will be a true test to see just how bad Tampa Bay's pass defense really is. Taylor will now be without his top two weapons in the passing game as Charles Clay and Jordan Matthews are both sidelined by injury. No worries, though, as Taylor still brings exceptional rushing ability to the table, which helps to give him a high weekly floor. Taylor has rushed 32 times for 121 yards in his five games played this season.
The Buccaneers' pass defense has been a mess this season, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Not only is Tampa Bay allowing buckets of points to opposing signal callers but they haven't exactly faced a tough slate of quarterbacks, outside of Tom Brady in Week 5. In Week 2, Tampa Bay allowed the now-benched Mike Glennon to pass for 300 yards and a touchdown. In Week 2, they coughed up 369 yards and three scores to Case Keenum. This past week, Carson Palmer shredded them for 283 yards and three passing touchdowns. Taylor is a solid streaming option despite his lack of quality targets in the passing game.
Brett Hundley, GB vs. New Orleans Saints
1% owned, FAAB Budget: 5-8%
With Aaron Rodgers likely lost for the year, Hundley instantly becomes an interesting name in fantasy leagues. The third-year passer took over for Rodgers in Week 6 against a tough Minnesota defense and didn't perform well, passing for just one touchdown and three interceptions. He should have had another score but Ty Montgomery dropped a pass in the end zone. One main reason to be excited about Hundley is his rushing ability. He only rushed once in Week 6, but the former UCLA Bruin has 4.63 wheels, which is extremely fast for a quarterback. Look for the Packers to take advantage of this in Week 7 after having a full week to prepare for him to be running the first-team offense instead of Rodgers.
The Saints' pass defense has been an improved unit this season but they still aren't a unit to be feared. New Orleans is allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and allowed three passing touchdowns to each quarterback they've faced not named Jay Cutler or Cam Newton. While Hundley reaching three passing scores is a stretch, he has plenty of weapons at his disposal and the matchup is right. He's a solid back-end streamer in all formats.
Two-QB Leagues - Week 7 Waiver Wire Streamers
Jay Cutler, MIA vs. New York Jets
15% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Just when we were ready to pronounce Cutler's career over (again), he looked competent in passing for two touchdowns in an upset win over the Atlanta Falcons. It hasn't been an easy run for the veteran passer but he continues to draw favorable matchups which keeps him on the streaming radar in two-quarterback formats.
Cutler will welcome the Jets to Miami in Week 7 in what sets up as a favorable spot for him. The Jets are allowing the 12th-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and have a pass defense that ranks just 18th in DVOA. Streaming Cutler at this point in his career is a risk but he's worth rolling out there if you are in a pinch in deeper two-quarterback leagues.
Blake Bortles, JAX @ Indianapolis Colts
14% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
The 2017 version of Blake Bortles is not much fun in fantasy. Gone are the days of Bortles racking up fourth quarter fantasy stats in garbage time. Outside of a four-touchdown explosion in Week 2, the run-heavy Jacksonville offense has done exactly what the coaching staff wanted to do, which is keep the ball out of Bortles' hands. That might not be as easy in Week 7 as the Jags travel to Indianapolis as Leonard Fournette could be questionable after tweaking his ankle in a non-contact injury during Week 6. As has been the case for several years, the Colts have been extremely generous to opposing quarterbacks, allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to the position. Despite a questionable workload, Bortles' fantastic Week 7 matchup puts him on the radar as a low-end streamer in two-quarterback leagues.
Josh McCown, NYJ @ Miami Dolphins
8% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
McCown delivered against the Patriots in Week 6. He passed for 354 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions and should have had a third touchdown if not for an extremely questionable call which went against him and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. While playing McCown doesn't normally excite, he has passed for multiple touchdowns in two straight weeks and three times overall this season.
The Dolphins defense gives McCown a good chance to stay hot as they have played great against the run and struggled extensively against the pass this season. Miami's pass defense ranked just 29th in DVOA through Week 5 while their run defense was ranked second.
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.
Trevor Siemian, DEN - 42% owned
Siemian finished Week 6 with over 300 passing yards but he didn't play particularly well. He also banged up his surgically repaired right shoulder and may have lost Emmanuel Sanders for an extended time. He draws a tough matchup against the Chargers in Week 7 and doesn't need to be taking up space on your rosters at this point.
Jacoby Brissett, IND - 21% owned
Brissett has had his moments as a useful streamer this season but he draws a brutal Week 7 matchup against a Jaguars secondary that is one of the best in the league. That issue, coupled with the eventual return of Andrew Luck, makes Brissett expendable in most formats.
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.
