Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 2

We finally got a Sunday of glorious NFL football and now comes the fun of tinkering with rosters to try and build a league winning team. After one week, it is a good time to look at your roster and start shoring up areas of potential weakness for the long haul.

Thankfully, there were no major quarterback injuries for week 1, so it doesn’t seem like anybody will have to use a valuable waiver wire position or free agent dollars in an emergency. However, players who roster Sam Darnold, Tyrod Taylor, or Ryan Fitzpatrick may be looking for a little more upside on their teams after flat Week 1 performances.

In this article, I will be focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 20% rostered).

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
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• Tight end fantasy football rankings
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• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
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• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

QB Waiver Wire Options To Consider

Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Yahoo: 52% rostered, ESPN: 21.4% rostered

One week after a difficult matchup in the Denver Broncos, Tannehill gets a chance to face a defense that is going to let him throw the ball all over the field. Despite getting a hard-fought win over the Colts, the Jaguars allowed Philip Rivers to throw for 363 yards and a touchdown. While Jacksonville did get two interceptions, at least one of them was Rivers trying to fit a throw into a window to try and win the game. Tannehill is hyper-efficient and offers sneaky rushing upside, giving him a solid floor if you find yourself in a tough quarterback situation. Tannehill threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville defense last season and should thrive playing against a young, unproven secondary.

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Yahoo: 34% rostered, ESPN: 21.4% rostered

On the other side of the Colts/Vikings week, 2 matchup is Kirk Cousins. Cousins played admirably against a stout Packers Defense in week 1, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in a high-scoring loss. The Colts were able to hold Gardner Minshew to just 173 passing yards but offered little resistance in the secondary by allowing 19 out of 20 completions and three touchdowns in the passing game. If a shootout develops in Minnesota in week two, Cousins will be forced to air it out once again. His conservative playstyle and play-action passes make him an excellent stash with top-10 weekly fantasy upside in all fantasy leagues.

Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

Yahoo: 27% rostered, ESPN: 18.8% rostered

Speaking of Philip Rivers, while the week one team result wasn’t pretty, he did deliver a solid stat line that is playable in a lot of leagues. Rivers threw for just one touchdown, but he utilized a multitude of options in the Colts passing game. 10 players had multiple catches against the Jaguars, with five players having 45 or more receiving yards. Rivers gets a matchup against a suspect Vikings secondary in week two, fresh off 364 yards and four touchdowns for Aaron Rodgers. With his variety of weapons and the Vikings stout run defense, Rivers has the potential to throw it for high numbers again week two.

Two-QB League Options and Stashes

Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yahoo: 25% rostered ESPN: 14.9% rostered

Gardner Minshew continued to make his case toward being a viable NFL quarterback in his week 1 matchup against the Colts. Minshew scored over 20 fantasy points and had more touchdowns passing (three) than incompletions (one). Minshew won’t throw up video game numbers like other quarterbacks, but he provides a solid, consistent floor thanks to his accuracy and ability to avoid turnovers. In deeper leagues or leagues that start two quarterbacks, Minshew is an excellent option that can be used to get a consistent point floor to free up higher upside plays at wide receiver, running back or tight end.

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears

Yahoo: 3% rostered ESPN: 3.3% rostered

Mitchell Trubisky was on track to have a forgettable week one matchup that signifies his career to this point. Through three quarters on Sunday, Trubisky was just 12 of 26 for 153 yards against a depleted Lions secondary. However, Trubisky erupted in the final quarter, completing 8 of 10 passes for 89 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bears to a huge come from behind victory and keeping him in control of the offense for at least another week. Trubisky also added 64 yards on 13 carries, utilizing his legs to keep drives moving in the second half. Nobody will feel good rostering Trubisky, but he is a starting NFL quarterback and has the rushing upside to score big points every week. The Bears also have a soft early-season schedule, which could make him an effective spot starter if you play your cards right.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice