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There were some strong performances in Week 13 at the quarterback position. Unfortunately, there were also some injuries (Jimmy Garoppolo, Lamar Jackson, and potentially Tua Tagovailoa). That, combined with six teams on bye next week, could make for some desperate quarterback situations in fantasy.
Five different quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts, Mike White, Geno Smith, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert) broke the 300-passing yard threshold in Week 13. Two quarterbacks (Hurts and Smith) added three passing touchdowns while seven other quarterbacks had multiple passing scores.
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
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Yahoo: 50% rostered
Of the quarterbacks that meet the “% rostered” qualification in this article, Jared Goff has the best matchup. Goff has also played well recently as the Lions' offense gets back to full health.
Goff completed 31 of 41 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Detroit’s dominating win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. Goff has gone for over 17.0 fantasy points in his last two games and gets a good matchup against a bad Vikings secondary in Week 14.
The Vikings and Lions matchup has shootout potential in Week 14, which could lead to Jared Goff being forced to air the ball out. You can do much worse as a QB2 or streaming option with the fantasy playoffs on the line.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Yahoo: 17% rostered
Tannehill didn’t produce huge passing numbers against the Eagles (141 yards, one touchdown), but he still found his way to double-digit fantasy points once again. Tannehill now has at least 12.0 fantasy points in each of the four games since his return from injury.
The Titans will have a good matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, but also have great matchups throughout the fantasy playoffs (Chargers, Houston, Dallas). Tannehill still possesses some rushing upside and has done an excellent job taking care of the ball this season (four interceptions).
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Yahoo: 13% rostered
The Patriots' offensive playcalling is a mess, but Mac Jones has put together some solid performances despite it. Jones has gone four games without an interception and has hit double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games.
The second-year quarterback had a modest showing against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13’s game (195 yards and one touchdown) but finds himself in a much more favorable matchup against the Cardinals in Week 14.
The Patriots have been throwing the ball more since Mac Jones returned to the starting role (at least 30 attempts in four of the last five games). Jones isn’t capable of having a lineup-breaking performance, but he will provide a solid scoring floor.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Options and Stashes
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo: 13% rostered
Kenny Pickett is starting to find his legs at the NFL level, putting together four straight games with at least 12.0 fantasy points. Pickett’s lack of general production as a quarterback doesn’t make him a great option, but he’s taken care of the ball better since the start of his career (zero interceptions in the last four games).
The Steelers have surpassed 200-passing yards just twice in the last six games, so Pickett lacks a considerable ceiling as a fantasy player. But he is surrounded by good receiving weapons and has just enough rushing ability to be fantasy viable.
A matchup against an iffy Ravens secondary looms large in Week 14, giving Pickett fantasy upside to justify being a QB2 or FLEX play in this week’s massive bye-week slate.
Mike White, New York Jets
Yahoo: 18% rostered
Mike White is unlocking the Jets' offense, throwing for at least 300 yards in each of the last two games. He failed to reach the end zone against the Minnesota Vikings throwing the ball but punched one in on the ground late in the game to finish with 17.46 fantasy points.
White hasn’t done anything to warrant giving up the starting job for the Jets, which means he should continue to helm the offense. White has a tough matchup against the Buffalo Bills next week but has matchups against the Lions and Jaguars on the horizon.
White does tend to turn the ball over when he’s pressured, so starting him against Buffalo next week is far from a sure thing. But he does have some long-term appeal as long as he’s able to keep the Jets in the AFC playoff picture.
Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens
Yahoo: 1% rostered
Tyler Huntley was forced into action after Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury against the Denver Broncos. He flashed many of the same skills he showed last year, taking quick passes and using his legs to move the ball. He also led an impressive 91-yard drive to win the game late for Baltimore.
In all, Huntley completed 27 of 32 passes for 187 yards and an interception while adding 10 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers line up pretty well with Huntley’s six games played in 2021 (180.2 yards passing yards, 47.3 rushing yards per game).
There haven’t been any concrete statements about the nature of Lamar Jackson’s injury, but Huntley has the dual-threat upside to provide a big game if Jackson were forced to miss Week 14’s matchup against the Steelers.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Yahoo: 0% rostered
Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury early against the Miami Dolphins. Despite rumors, there is no indication that Trey Lance is even close to making a miraculous return from his early season injury. That means that unless the 49ers prioritize a waiver quarterback, Brock Purdy will be leading the 49ers' offense for the rest of the season.
Purdy, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, played well in his first NFL game action, completing 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Purdy now finds himself leading arguably the best supporting cast for a young quarterback in the NFL.
The rookie quarterback isn’t the most skilled player, but he truly doesn’t need to be to utilize players like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk. Purdy will have two tougher matchups against the Ravens and Seahawks before facing off against the Commanders and Raiders in Weeks 16 and 17.
There is potential for Purdy to provide some fantasy viable weeks during the most important two weeks of the season.
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