It may have taken us eight weeks, but fantasy managers got some explosive production out of the quarterback position. Six quarterbacks (Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson, Kyler Murray, Tom Brady, Jared Goff, and P.J. Walker) finished with over 300-passing yards. Four quarterbacks had three or more passing touchdowns (led by Jalen Hurts' four).
Week 9 will be a tough one for fantasy managers to navigate. We go from two teams on bye in Week 8 to six teams out of action in Week 9. Fantasy managers will be missing players from the Browns, Cowboys, Broncos, Giants, Steelers, and 49ers, which means the waiver wire will be an all-out blitz.
In this article, I will look at the fantasy football waiver wire for quarterback pickups and streamers, focusing on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
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Single-QB League Waiver Wire Options
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Yahoo: 41% rostered
The Bears' offense has opened up. And while the team is still terrible (and the offense severely lacks weapons), Justin Fields is putting together his best string of games in his career from a fantasy perspective.
Fields has three consecutive weeks with at least 20.0 fantasy points, including an impressive performance against a very strong Cowboys defense in Week 8. The second-year quarterback threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns (zero interceptions) and carried the ball eight times for 60 yards and a score.
Fields has at least 47 rushing yards in each of his last five games and has now put together back-to-back top-12 finishes in fantasy. Chicago has three games coming up that will either force him to throw the ball (Miami) or provide him with inadequate secondaries to attack (Detroit and Atlanta).
He is the top waiver priority this week for anyone trying to navigate bye weeks.
Andy Dalton, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo: 14% rostered
Andy Dalton continues to be the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and has started to look comfortable in the offense. Dalton has had at least 10.0 fantasy points in four of the last five games, including a 23-point performance in Week 7 and a 17-point performance in Week 8.
More importantly, the Saints have been letting Dalton air it out for the last three weeks. The veteran quarterback has at least 30 passing attempts in every game since Week 5. He’s got excellent matchups on the horizon against the Ravens, Steelers, Rams, and 49ers.
Dalton doesn’t have the explosive upside of other quarterbacks, but he can provide a safe floor as a bye-week streamer as long as he remains the signal-caller for the Saints.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Yahoo: 54% rostered
Jared Goff has not been playing his best football over the last three weeks, but he did enough to be a positive force in fantasy football in Week 8. Goff had his first game above 15.0 fantasy points since Week 4 against the Dolphins but still lost the game.
More importantly, the veteran quarterback had his second game with over 300-yards passing this season and his first game with zero interceptions since Week 2. The Lions continue to trust Goff to throw the ball (at least 34 pass attempts in six of seven games) despite the team’s subpar record.
Times are tough with six teams on bye this week, so Goff may very well be the best available option on waivers. The Lions have games against the Packers, Bears, and Giants over the next three weeks, giving him streaming upside. Even if your quarterback’s bye is on the horizon, Goff might be worth securing and stashing on the bench until you need him.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Options and Stashes
P.J. Walker, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 6% rostered
Baker Mayfield was off the injury report ahead of Week 8’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, but P.J. Walker still drew the start. Walker threw for 317 yards and a touchdown (with one interception) while adding one carry for 20 yards. The undrafted player also threw an amazing 62-yard game-tying touchdown pass that forced overtime (after a missed PAT).
Walker now has consecutive games with at least 15.0 fantasy points, making him a streaming option as fantasy managers navigate bye weeks and injuries. The Panthers have three upcoming matchups (Bengals, Falcons, Ravens) with teams having questionable secondaries, making him a solid streaming option for the short term.
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