Week 9 Quarterback Sleepers: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

October 28, 2014

Nathan Calderon analyzes Week Nine fantasy football quarterback (QB) sleepers, waiver wire pickups and adds. NFL quarterbacks are a key fantasy football component off the waiver wire.

Hello once again RotoBallers, and welcome to our quarterback prep for Week Nine of the NFL season. It's incredible how quickly the season seems to be flying by.

Week Eight was one to watch, and I was so excited after watching Monday night’s game that I had to sit down right away and get all my thoughts on paper. So here we are.

Week 9 of the fantasy football season is my favorite week to date to stream waiver wire quarterback pickups, and I'll be diving into all of the different quarterback options below. So let’s get started.

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks (QB) - Week 9

Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs (Owned in 50% of leagues on Fleaflicker)

Week Nine Opponent: New York Jets

BALLER MOVE: For the first time this season, I turn to Alex Smith as a strong streaming option against my favorite secondary to pick on in the New York Jets. A starting option in most leagues this week.

ANALYSIS: In recent weeks, Alex Smith has been quietly impressive in nearly all of his performances. While many of us get distracted with the works of Manning, Brady, and Roethlisberger, the 30-year-old QB has been excellent in his own right. With a lack of defined weapons, I haven’t been too big on Smith. Taking a look at his statline in recent weeks makes me eat my bitter, salty words. In the last five games, Smith has thrown eight touchdown passes while only tossing one INT. Those numbers should continue against the defense that hands out the most TD passes and the most fantasy points per week in the struggling New York Jets. This matchup, as well as his recent production, make Smith a more than viable option this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick – Houston Texans (Owned in 23% of leagues on Fleaflicker)

Week Nine Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

BALLER MOVE: Though his INT total on the season is higher than I would like, Ryan Fitzpatrick still has a solid matchup and strong weapons this week. Start in all two QB leagues, as well as deep one QB leagues if you’re desperate.

ANALYSIS: I know. You might all be saying, “But Nathan, Fitzy hasn’t thrown for over 300 yards once this year! And he has seven interceptions on the year! How can I trust him?”

Simply put, you can’t. I do think, however, that it would be impossible to ignore his weapons and his matchup. With one of the NFL’s stronger wide receiver duos in Andre Johnson and Deandre Hopkins at his disposal, he has guys to catch footballs. Both Hopkins and Johnson are elite receivers, and they may finally have the opportunity to look like it against an Eagles defense that has given up on average 278.17 yards, 2.17 TDs, and the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs. This is a guy I just can’t look past this week, regardless of his track record on the season.

Brian Hoyer – Cleveland Browns (Owned in 23% of leagues on Fleaflicker)

Week Nine Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

BALLER MOVE: A guy I can’t seem to emphasize enough, Hoyer is ridiculously consistent. He will put up a respectable point total again this week in a matchup with a miserable Tampa Bay defense. Start him in two QB leagues, but set him aside in one QB leagues this week.

ANALYSIS: The Browns like to run the football. That much is clear. Another thing that’s clear is the fact that Brian Hoyer will likely throw a touchdown and 200+ yards this week. He’s done it in nearly every week this season, and I definitely do not see that trend changing in this week nine matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs give up an average of 301 yards per game (ranked 32^nd), 2.5 touchdowns per game (ranked 31^st), and the third most fantasy points to opposing QB’s on the year. Hoyer’s value is limited though because of Cameron's injury, and his general lack of weapons, but with the substance of the Cleveland run game as consistent as his arm is, Hoyer has a high floor, and an even higher ceiling this week.

Other QBs To Consider Off The Waiver Wire

Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars – Bortles has a not been good, to say the least. The Jags will stick with the rookie, but he clearly still needs to develop. His matchup in Cincinnati isn’t a terrible one, but I would look elsewhere this week.

Michael Vick – New York Jets – Vick has been named the starter for week nine over a terrible Geno Smith. He will have his work cut out for him against a solid KC D, but it should be an indicator of the veterans future with this squad.

Colt McCoy – Washington Redskins – With RGIII’s return still a bit of a question mark, Colt cannot be ignored after his upset win against the rolling stone that is/was the Dallas Cowboys. We’ll see how the team proceeds going into week nine against the Vikings.

Rest Of Season Quarterback Pick

Colin Kaepernick – San Francisco 49ers

I’ve never been overly impressed with Colin Kaepernick, but his schedule for the rest of the season definitely makes him look to be a top 10 QB based on matchups for the rest of the season. With the exception of the stout San Diego defense in week 16, Kaep and the Niners face off with either mediocre or middle of the road defenses. In the coming weeks, Kaep’s got the Rams, Saints, Giants, and Redskins. All of these games might not be wins for the 49ers, but they may translate to big games for this young QB.