QB Streamers: Week 3
It’s week 3 of the fantasy season and with that comes the need to dig through the waiver wire to find hidden gems that can put up big numbers. Whether you need to pick up a player to fill in for an injured starter or a bad matchup, streaming the right player off waivers can be the difference between a win and a loss. In selecting a waiver wire player to start for your team, it is important to consider their matchup, notable injuries or suspensions, as well as historical trends. Based on these criteria, here some quarterbacks you might want to consider benching this week:
Russell Wilson (vs Cowboys)
Philip Rivers (vs Rams)
Andrew Luck (vs Eagles)
With that, here are 3 QB options that should perform well this week that are owned in less than 20% of leagues (NFL.com):
Blake Bortles
Owned Percentage: 16.5%
Matchup: vs Tennessee Titans
Analysis: For years Blake Bortles has been undervalued as a fantasy quarterback. Since 2015 he’s finished every year as a top 15 QB, and he’s starting off just the same this year. He currently ranks 7th in fantasy points among QBs this season, but over the last 7 NFL regular season games, he’s scored the 2nd most, averaging just over 20 ppg. Even better is the fact that the Jags are playing at home. The Jaguars currently have a 6 game home win streak dating back to last season, in large part due to Bortles playing better in his home stadium. Look for Bortles to light it up again like he did to the Patriots last week.
Ryan Tannehill
Owned Percentage: 8.4%
Matchup: vs Oakland Raiders
Analysis: Ryan Tannehill has been a better quarterback than his fantasy numbers show these first two weeks. His 30.7 points through two weeks are currently 19th in the NFL, but his first two games have come against defenses (Titans week 1, Jets week 2) that have shut down strong opposing offenses in their other matchups (Jets gave up 17 pts to the Lions week 1, Titans gave up 17 pts to Texans week 2). Next up is an 0-2 Raiders team who lack talent on the defensive side of the ball to be consistently good every week. Tannehill should only be getting better and better as the season progresses after missing all of last year to injury, and this week could be Tannehill’s first week of fantasy relevance.
Mitchell Trubisky
Owned Percentage: 4.5%
Matchup: @ Arizona Cardinals
Analysis: Mitchell Trubisky has yet to score more than 15 fantasy points in a game, but there is one good reason to believe that his time has finally come: matchup. Many were quick to peg the Bills as the league’s worst team after week 1, but with the results from week 2 it’s clear that the Cardinals are also vying for that lowly spot. Not only did the Cardinals’ offense fail to put up points on the board, they didn’t even pass the 50 yard line until 1 minute left in the entire game. This is in part thanks to the stout Rams’ defense, but it should be noted that the Bears have a similarly talented defense. This game script projects Trubisky will have the ball in his hands a lot, which will lead to good fantasy production.