RADIO
For many, the fantasy playoffs will start next week. Week 14 also signaled the end of bye weeks in the NFL. From here on out, it is about finding the right players with massive upside to win the fantasy championship.
Big swings can be taken at the quarterback position since most leagues have just one (or two) spots reserved for quarterbacks. Hitting on the right quarterback in the right matchup can swing your fantasy matchup quickly -- just ask fantasy managers who started Jameis Winston against the Broncos in Week 13.
In this article, I will be focusing on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered).
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Yahoo: 62% rostered
A Week 14 bye week forced many managers to make a tough decision, shifting Bo Nix to the waiver wire to roster a quarterback who was playing. That dropped Nix below the 65% threshold needed for this roster.
Fantasy managers who find themselves in a league with Nix on the waiver wire while in playoff contention need to be prepared to make the rookie quarterback a priority add-on waivers this week.
Nix ranked as the QB5 in fantasy points per game (20.5) from Week 5 to Week 13. He had nine games with at least 14.0 fantasy points and four games with over 20.0 fantasy points.
Bo Nix. Holy freaking cow. pic.twitter.com/tJyVYy7bGS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 3, 2024
During that stretch, the rookie completed 65.5% of his passes for 2,182 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added 44 carries for 194 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Nix also has two positive matchups during the fantasy playoffs (Indianapolis in Week 15 and Cincinnati in Week 17), which pushes him to the top of the waiver wire list.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Yahoo: 55% rostered
Anthony Richardson has been a fantasy asset since returning to the starting lineup in Week 11. Richardson was averaging 21.4 fantasy points per game in his three starts before the Colts’ Week 14 bye.
Richardson was still very inefficient as a passer (although his wide receivers certainly haven’t helped him in that department), but has been able to elevate his ceiling thanks to an uptick in his rushing.
Anthony Richardson put together the LONGEST Game Winning Drive since 2001
➖19 Plays (5 Minutes, 22 Seconds)
➖Game Winning 2 Pt. Conversion
➖Converted THREE 4th DownsSeason on the line.
On the road.
On the final play.
Anthony Richardson delivered. pic.twitter.com/QhKJjJxmwd
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) December 2, 2024
Over the last three games, Richardson is averaging 9.6 rushing attempts and 47 rushing yards per game. He’s also scored three rushing touchdowns. The Colts seem to have had no problem dialing up designed runs for the second-year quarterback since his return.
The Colts have a tough Week 15 matchup against the Broncos before facing off against the Titans and Giants in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively. It is tough to trust Richardson in the immediate future, but he has a championship-level upside to close out the fantasy playoffs.
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
Yahoo: 34% rostered
Winning the fantasy championship means taking risks and consistently shooting for ceiling outcomes out of your fantasy lineups. No player better embodies that balance than Jameis Winston.
Jameis Winston has turned Jerry Jeudy into the greatest WR of all time.
pic.twitter.com/32J3Ktfd67— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) December 8, 2024
Winston has been a reliable fantasy option thanks to a defense that has consistently been exploited by opposing offenses. The veteran quarterback has four straight games with at least 14.0 fantasy points. Since Week 10, Winston has thrown for 1,322 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions. He’s averaging 43 pass attempts during that span.
The veteran quarterback is an absolute volume play at the quarterback position. Winston isn’t afraid to push the ball down the field despite the increased likelihood of throwing an interception. If the big plays hit, he’s going to have a massive fantasy week regardless of the opponent. Even if they don’t, he’s getting enough attempts to amass great production.
He needs to be rostered in all formats with matchups against a struggling Chiefs defense in Week 15 and the Bengals in Week 16.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Yahoo: 20% rostered
Will Levis’s hot streak came to an end in an embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. The second-year quarterback completed just 19-of-32 passes for 168 yards and re-aggravated his shoulder injury on a hit. He was able to finish the game after missing a minimal amount of time.
Before Week 14, Levis had put together four straight games with at least 16.0 fantasy points. He had at least two passing touchdowns in three of four games while throwing just two interceptions. Unfortunately, Week 14 reminded many of just how volatile Levis can be under center.
Still, he has a deserving place on this list thanks to Tennessee’s opponents throughout the fantasy playoffs. The Titans have games against Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville remaining this year.
We would have expected Levis to have a much better week against a terrible defense (Jacksonville) in Week 14, but that just didn’t happen. He should still be rostered in desperate situations given his remaining schedule.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Yahoo: 13% rostered
Drake Maye has been able to consistently overcome a terrible supporting cast to be a fantasy-viable quarterback. Since Week 6, Maye has scored at least 11.0 fantasy points eight times. He also has three games with at least 19.0 fantasy points.
Drake Maye is so unbelievably special. pic.twitter.com/g0gZI7GRQK
— Sean (@seankolo99) December 3, 2024
The rookie quarterback has five straight games with at least one passing touchdown and an interception. Maye has eight consecutive games with at least three rushing attempts and has gone over 20 rushing yards seven times.
New England has a respectable matchup against the Cardinals in its first game after the bye week. He doesn’t have much long-term appeal with a matchup against Buffalo in Week 16 and the Chargers in Week 17.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo: 6% rostered
Bryce Young got the Panthers to the cusp of an upset victory against a playoff opponent for the third week in a row. Ultimately, the Panthers have fallen short in all three games, but the second-year quarterback continues to prove that his midseason reset on the bench has yielded positive results.
Bryce Young is good now and not enough people are talking about it pic.twitter.com/VTziDxyRmD
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) December 8, 2024
Young has had at least 12.0 fantasy points in five of his six starts since returning to the starting lineup. Since Carolina’s Week 11 bye, the young quarterback has thrown for 752 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. He’s also added 13 carries for 66 yards and a score.
Expect Young to remain fantasy-relevant into the playoffs thanks to matchups against Dallas, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay on the horizon. Both Dallas and Tampa Bay are bottom-5 fantasy defenses against quarterbacks this season, giving Young access to a higher floor and ceiling than we are used to.
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Yahoo: 34% rostered
Aaron Rodgers’ best performance as a Jet (27-of-39 passing for 339 yards and a touchdown) didn’t yield big results for fantasy managers, but it did continue a positive trend for the veteran quarterback in a lost season.
Aaron Rodgers🤝Davante Adams
The connection that will never die👨🏿🤝👨🏼 pic.twitter.com/ywZO0aOBKG
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) December 8, 2024
Rodgers now has three straight games with at least 14.0 fantasy points. He is in the midst of a six-game stretch that has seen him amass 1,303 yards with 10 passing touchdowns and one interception.
The veteran quarterback should be able to continue his strong stretch of play with a matchup against the Jaguars in Week 15. Rodgers will surely be throwing the ball to try and convince teams he still has enough in the tank to justify another season as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Desmond Ridder, Las Vegas Raiders
Yahoo: 0% rostered
Desmond Ridder is expected to be the starting quarterback in Las Vegas for the remainder of the season after Aidan O'Connell was carted off the field with a foot injury.
Ridder was unexceptional in his brief game action against the Buccaneers in Week 14, completing 12-of-18 passes for 101 yards while adding two rushes for three yards.
In three years with Atlanta, Ridder proved to be an efficient underneath passer (63.9% completion percentage) who lacked the arm strength to hit big plays. With Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, he does have weapons that can play to his strengths.
Las Vegas will likely add a quarterback in the coming days to serve as its backup, but we should get starts from Ridder to close out the season. He will get the benefit of excellent matchups against the Falcons, Jaguars, and Saints in the fantasy playoffs.
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