The first week of the season was good to me. Both Alex Smith and Andy Dalton had top ten days, and my deeper league pickup Tyrod Taylor exceeded my expectations as well.
I'll look to continue that success in Week Two. On the bright side, we do have meaningful data in real games to work with. But on the other hand, it's still just one week and we can't take away too much from that.
For this article I will look at two QBs owned in 50% or less of Fleaflicker leagues, and another QB owned in 25% or less to account for the QB scarcity in 2QB leagues. There are definitely some good QBs readily available if you need a stream in the second week and beyond.
Standard League QB Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2
Colin Kaepernick (QB, SF) @ Steelers
OWNED IN: 57% of Fleaflicker leagues
Kaepernick is above 50% as of this writing, but once the waiver period passes, I'm guessing that a lot of people will be dropping Kaep to pick up Marcus Mariota or maybe even a guy like Alex Smith or Andy Dalton. The Steelers pass coverage was horrible this past week. I know they were facing Gronk and Tom Brady, but I think they would have made almost any QB look very good. That means good things for Kaepernick who at times has shown an ability to put up big passing numbers in addition to his mobility.
Kaep was fairly disappointing last season, but his mobility does give him a fairly high floor. He had just three weeks scoring in the single digits, and only one if you exclude his matchups against Seattle. In his 2015 season opener, he didn't throw a single touchdown but still managed to hit double digits thanks to 41 rushing yards against a tough Minnesota defense. Going up against the Steelers, I think he'll have far more success in the air. If he gets dropped in your league, he makes a great play this week.
Nick Foles (QB, STL) @ Redskins
OWNED IN: 34% of Fleaflicker Leagues
I can't lie, I didn't expect anything out of Nick Foles against the Seahawks. Even with some overtime, his 297 yards and no interceptions were extremely impressive. He did lose two fumbles, but saved his fantasy day with a rushing touchdown. After passing that first test, he now gets a much easier matchup in the Redskins. The Redskins didn't look awful on defense against the Dolphins, but they lack the star players that Seattle has. That much is certain.
Foles should have Tre Mason back, which would help because the Rams had just 48 rushing yards this past week. Ultimately, if Foles can throw for 297 yards with no interceptions against the Seahawks, start him with confidence against the Redskins.
Deeper League QB Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1
Tyrod Taylor (QB, BUF) vs Patriots
OWNED IN: 18% of Fleaflicker Leagues
I'll write about Taylor again in this section because I don't think he'll be owned in under 25% of leagues for much longer. I don't think the Colts are a top defense by any stretch, but they are better than the Patriots. Vontae Davis completely shut out Sammy Watkins, the Bills top receiver, and Taylor still had a solid day passing while adding in four points on the ground. He managed to hit Percy Harvin on a deep pass for a touchdown, while also getting 40+ yards out of Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy.
Looking ahead to this week, imagine what Taylor might be able to accomplish with his best receiver actually open. I also think Taylor's success depends on how much LeSean McCoy can do. Ideally the Bills would like to run the offense through McCoy, but he was extremely inefficient in week 1 with just 2.7 YPC. With more success in Week 2, McCoy might open up the passing game for Taylor. He might also limit the number of attempts Taylor gets, even beyond the 19 he got this week. There is still a lot that we just don't know with Taylor, but he is an intriguing play and showed enough in Week One to be worth mentioning once more.
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