This article first appeared on RotoBaller.com
[sc name=”Author Matt Terelle”]
Hey there RotoBallers! With Week 5 almost in the books, it’s already time to turn an eye toward the waiver wire in Week 6. As always, this column will aim to highlight Week 6 waiver wire adds and streamers for quarterbacks, players that you should consider targeting on your league’s waiver wire.
In the past few seasons, streaming the quarterback position has become a popular team management strategy. The guaranteed volume at the quarterback position makes it the easiest position in fantasy football to project, which therefore makes it a position that isn’t too hard to stream. Everyone has had a star wide receiver who inexplicably only sees three targets in a game.
The quarterback position, on the other hand, sees volume that is easier to forecast as even the lower ranked players will see a minimum of 20-25 passing attempts, even in a low-volume passing offense. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo! and are current as of October 8.
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One-QB Leagues – Week 6 Waiver Wire Streamers
Trevor Siemian, DEN vs. New York Giants
29% owned, FAAB Budget: 3-4%
Siemian comes off his bye week ready to do battle with a New York Giants team that is falling apart week by week. After passing for six touchdowns in the first two games of the season, Siemian experienced some expected touchdown regression in Weeks 3 and 4, accounting for just one over that span. The truth is, Siemian’s value as a fantasy quarterback lies somewhere in the middle. While he’s not good enough to carry your fantasy team on a weekly basis, the young signal caller does throw to two of the best receivers in the league in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. He knows this and funnels his targets through the two of them accordingly. That alone is enough to give him a solid weekly floor.
He is worth teeing up in a favorable matchup against the Giants in Week 6. New York was ranked 25th in the league in DVOA in pass defense before they allowed Philip Rivers to pass for 258 yards and three touchdowns in Week 5. While Siemian doesn’t have a ton of upside, he has a nice, safe floor as a Week 6 streaming option.
Sam Bradford, MIN vs. Green Bay Packers
17% owned, FAAB Budget: 10%
As this is being written before Monday night’s Vikings-Bears game, we don’t officially know whether Bradford will take the field in Week 5 against the Chicago. That being said, all signs point toward him being ready to return to the field. We will operate off the assumption that he’s feeling better and able to suit up in both Weeks 5 and 6. If that is the case, Bradford sets up as a top quarterback streamer in Week 6. Dropped by many fantasy owners after missing four games with knee soreness, he should be available in your league.
He draws a fantastic matchup against a leaky Green Bay pass defense in Week 6. The Packers are fresh off of coughing up three passing scores and a rushing touchdown to Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 5. The Packers did rank 15th in the league in DVOA before Week 5 but their secondary doesn’t have anyone who can hang with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. If he’s able to pick up where he left off in Week 1, Bradford has top-five upside in Week 6.
Jacoby Brissett, IND @ Tennessee Titans
12% owned, FAAB Budget: 2-3%
The more Brissett plays, the more it becomes apparent how to deploy him in fantasy leagues. While he’s scuffled against tougher opponents, Brissett has come up big against weaker defenses this season. He shredded the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and passed for 314 yards while adding a rushing score against the San Francisco 49ers this past week.
The youngster draws one of the top matchups in the league for quarterbacks in Week 6 when he travels to Tennessee to take on the Titans. Tennessee has been one of the most generous defenses in the league to opposing passing games this season, ranking 29th in pass defense DVOA. Add in the high floor that Brissett has been providing with his rushing ability and you have a solid streaming option at quarterback.
Two-QB Leagues – Week 6 Waiver Wire Streamers
Joe Flacco, BAL vs. Chicago Bears
16% owned, FAAB Budget: 1-2%
Flacco has been slow to round into form after suffering a back injury during the preseason. The veteran signal caller can’t be trusted as a QB1 in fantasy but he can serve as a QB2 in two-quarterback formats if you’re in a pinch. The main reason to consider Flacco is his prime matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 6. Chicago’s pass defense ranks 22nd in the league in DVOA through four weeks and they are allowing the 15th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
Josh McCown, NYJ vs. New England Patriots
4% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
McCown delivered against the Browns in Week 5. While he only passed for 194 yards, he managed to throw for two scores against his old team. He finds himself looking at another favorable matchup in Week 6 when he welcomes the New England Patriots to his home field. Outside of Thursday night, when Jameis Winston struggled with his accuracy, the Patriots have looked like one of the worst defenses in the league. Through four weeks, New England’s pass defense ranks dead last in the league while also allowing the most fantasy points per game to enemy quarterbacks. We know New England’s offense will score enough to force the Jets to throw, making McCown a decent QB2 in two-quarterback formats.
Matt Cassel, TEN vs. Indianapolis Colts
1% owned, FAAB Budget: 1%
Cassel is only an option if you are extremely desperate and he wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for his excellent matchup against a leaky Indianapolis Colts pass defense. The veteran signal caller is likely to make a second straight start for the injured Marcus Mariota in Week 6. He wasn’t great in Week 5 against the Dolphins, passing for just 141 yards and a score, but Indianapolis’ pass defense ranks just 24th in DVOA, giving him a shot at redemption in Week 6. NFL Network reported Mariota will miss another 1-3 weeks with his hamstring strain but you will want to double check his status this week if planning on using Cassel. Again, Cassel is only an option in very deep two-quarterback leagues where most or all starting quarterbacks are already owned.
Cut Them Free
The following quarterbacks aren’t necessarily must-drops but they haven’t quite been living up to expectations and can be cut loose if you need roster space for one of the above players.
Jared Goff, LAR – 44% owned
Goff predictably came back to earth in Week 5 in his first truly difficult matchup of the season against the Seattle Seahawks. He won’t find much relief in Week 6 when he takes on a Jacksonville Jaguars pass defense that is one of the top units in the league. Feel free to cut Goff if you need the extra roster spot.
Jay Cutler, MIA – 22% owned
Cutler came up short in a third straight favorable matchup. He only managed to complete 12-of-26 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against a Titans pass defense that had been getting shredded by the opposition this season. For those keeping score at home, Cutler has now disappointed in consecutive weeks against the Jets, Saints, and Titans, all beatable secondaries. If you were someone who was willing to give Cutler one final chance against Tennessee, hopefully he proved to you that he is not starting quarterback material for fantasy.
Strategy for Streaming Quarterbacks
Many factors come into play when identifying streamers. These include recent performance, overall upside, talent, opponent matchup, and Vegas totals. Every week, we’ll take a look at six streaming QB options: three for one-quarterback leagues, and three for two-quarterback leagues. The focus will be on streaming for the upcoming week, but there will also be players who break out and should be owned the rest of the season. As always, the goal with streaming is to eventually find a player who can be an every week starter for your team.
Options for one-quarterback leagues could be just about anyone outside of the bigger names at the position. Obviously, no one is going to be able to stream players like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady because they are owned in all leagues. The premium placed on the position in two-quarterback leagues changes expectations for streaming the position. In two-quarterback leagues, most starting NFL quarterbacks are already owned, so the pickings are going to be slim on waivers. Therefore, the players who are recommended for two-quarterback leagues will be lower-owned and most likely not attractive options in one-quarterback formats.
