This article first appeared on RotoBaller.com
[sc name=”Author Matt Terelle”]
Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 11 almost in the books, it’s already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 12. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 12 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 20.
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One-QB Leagues – Week 12 Waiver Wire Streamers
Andy Dalton, CIN vs. Cleveland Browns
51% owned, FAAB Budget: 5-7%
Dalton turned in one of the more surprising Week 11 performances as he tossed three touchdown passes against an elite Denver Broncos secondary. The yardage wasn’t great as he finished with just 154 passing yards but he certainly rewarded any fantasy owner brave enough to stick with him against Denver.
In Week 12, Dalton will head back home in a divisional battle as the Bengals welcome the Cleveland Browns to town. While much has been made about Dalton’s poor splits against common opponents, a leaky Cleveland pass defense hasn’t gotten the memo that Dalton is supposed to struggle when he faces familiar foes. Over his last five meetings against the Browns, Dalton has thrown 13 TDs and no interceptions. He’s a fine streamer and should finish the week as a mid to low-end QB1.
Blake Bortles, JAX @ Arizona Cardinals
46% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%
In Week 11, uncooperative wintery weather off the shores of Lake Erie limited Bortles in what appeared to be a cake matchup against the Browns. Bortles was certainly a popular streamer against Cleveland but sustained wind gusts of 20-25 MPH limited the passing attacks of both teams. Fantasy owners were lucky to come away from this matchup with the one touchdown that Bortles did manage.
Despite the slow outing, Bortles sets up as a solid streamer again in Week 12. This time his team will travel to the desert in Arizona, where cold and windy weather won’t be an issue for the Jacksonville signal caller. In addition to what should be a much better climate for passing, the Cardinals’ defense has been one of the more generous units in the NFL when it comes to allowing fantasy points to enemy quarterbacks. It has gotten so bad in Arizona that in Week 11 they even allowed Houston backup quarterback Tom Savage to finish with 230 yards and two touchdowns.
Tyrod Taylor, BUF @ Kansas City Chiefs
40% owned, FAAB Budget: 5-7%
Taylor was unbenched after halftime during his team’s Week 11 loss to the Chargers after rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman threw five interceptions in just one half of football. As the great Ron Burgundy once stated, “Heck, I’m not even mad, that’s amazing!” Well, Taylor was most likely more mad than amazed that he lost his job to Peterman, who proved he wasn’t ready for NFL action. While nothing is official just yet, look for Taylor to be back under center when the Bills take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12.
Taylor will be returning to action against the perfect opponent as the Chiefs have been getting crushed by opposing quarterbacks this season. Besides Week 11, where windy, wintery conditions in New York limited both Kansas City’s and the Giants’ offenses, enemy quarterbacks have been terrorizing the Chiefs’ secondary, which was ranked 22nd in DVOA before Week 11’s games.
Two-QB Leagues – Week 12 Waiver Wire Streamers
Jacoby Brissett, IND vs. Tennessee Titans
17% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Brissett suffered a concussion during Week 10 but, coming off his bye week, he will most likely be cleared well in time to suit up for a Week 12 battle with the division rival Titans. Tennessee’s pass defense has been a unit worth picking on in fantasy this season as they ranked just 24th in pass defense DVOA before Week 11. Look for that number to get even worse after they allowed a previously struggling Ben Roethlisberger to shred them for four passing touchdowns this past Thursday night. Brissett isn’t an every-week fantasy starter but he’s shown that he can be trusted against favorable opponents. He’s a solid QB2 option for Week 12.
Joe Flacco, BAL vs. Houston Texans
14% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Flacco didn’t have the big game that he could have had against the Packers in Week 11, mostly due to Green Bay quarterback Brett Hundley handing the game over to the Ravens defense. That allowed Flacco to settle into game-manager mode en route to a 23-0 shutout.
Look for Flacco to bounce back and post solid QB2 numbers in Week 12 against a Texans pass defense that has been getting crushed by opposing quarterbacks this season. Houston will certainly be licking their wounds after they allowed third-string Cardinals quarterback Blaine Gabbert to roast them for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Look for Flacco to post excellent fantasy numbers in Week 12.
Case Keenum, MIN @ Detroit Lions
40% owned, FAAB Budget: 2%
Keenum continues to hold off Teddy Bridgewater with solid performances. In Week 11, he did just enough against a tough Los Angeles Rams defense, passing for 280 yards and a touchdown to lead his squad to a 24-7 victory. While it’s no secret the Vikings want to turn the reigns over to Bridgewater this season, that is unlikely to happen in a short week with the Vikes getting set to take on Detroit on Thanksgiving. The matchup isn’t ideal, which keeps Keenum in the QB2 tier, but he should be able to do enough to warrant another fantasy start in two-quarterback formats.
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.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB – 9% owned
Fitzpatrick has been solid while filling in for the Buccaneers, passing for 275 yards and two touchdowns in Week 11. That being said, there’s a chance Jameis Winston returns to action in Week 12. Even if he doesn’t, a matchup against a decent Atlanta Falcons secondary isn’t anything to get too excited over.
Brett Hundley, GB – 9% owned
Hundley hasn’t been very good since taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers. He turned in one of his worst games of the season in Week 11 when he threw three interceptions to the Baltimore defense. Just in case you were holding out hope that Green Bay’s weapons on offense would keep Hundley afloat, Week 11 should have given you enough evidence to cut him loose.
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.
