After sitting most of his rookie year, Trey Lance was named the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback for the 2022 season. However, his experience as the starter ended on Sunday.
Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the 49ers’ 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Jimmy Garoppolo entered the game, had two touchdowns, and scored 16.7 fantasy points. While the 49ers had their replacement for Lance on the roster, fantasy players are likely scrambling around for a replacement option.
Unfortunately, fantasy players will have a more difficult time replacing Lance. However, there are buy-low trade targets and waiver wire options available. Here are five quarterbacks fantasy players should target.
Trade Targets
The G.O.A.T hasn’t gotten off to a great start this season. He has only one passing touchdown in each of the first two games. Furthermore, Brady has averaged only 9.9 fantasy points per game this season, scoring under 10.5 fantasy points in both contests. However, the Buccaneers have faced two tough defenses and have numerous injuries on offense. While he has a tough matchup in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, Brady’s schedule starts to lighten up after that. Furthermore, once the Buccaneers get back a healthy Chris Godwin and Donovan Smith, the offense should start to click. Now is the time to buy low while Brady is struggling.
After Denver didn’t play Wilson and the starting unit in the preseason, it’s not surprising that the veteran quarterback has struggled to begin the year. After throwing 340 yards in Week 1, Wilson completed only 45.2% of his passes for 219 yards and one touchdown while scoring 11.1 fantasy points Sunday against the Houston Texans. Some are ready to call Wilson a draft bust and look for a replacement option on the waiver wire. Take advantage of that foolish thinking. With a new quarterback and head coach, it will take some time for the Denver offense to gel and click. Once they do, Wilson will return to his mid-QB1 level of play.
When you lose a quarterback to injury, what should you do? Trade for an injured quarterback, of course! Prescott suffered a thumb injury in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Cowboys didn’t place him on injured reserve, believing he could return in a few weeks. While he struggled against the Buccaneers, scoring only 4.5 fantasy points, Prescott averaged 21.7 fantasy points per game over his previous 21 games. Meanwhile, the Cowboys should get Michael Gallup back from a torn ACL in the next week or two. Once Prescott returns to the lineup, expect him to produce like he did last season. Take advantage of your league mate and trade for Prescott before he returns.
Waiver Wire Targets
Over the first two weeks of the season, Wentz has scored more fantasy points than Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, and most other quarterbacks. His seven passing touchdowns tie for the league lead with Patrick Mahomes. Thanks to Washington’s talented trio of wide receivers, Wentz has the best receiving core of his career. More importantly, the Commanders’ defense has given up an average of 29 points per game this season, forcing Wentz and the offense to keep them in games. Furthermore, he could be among the league leaders in passing attempts and touchdowns this season. Wentz is currently rostered in only 56.7% of ESPN leagues. He needs to be the top waiver priority for anyone who lost Lance.
Winston had an excellent Week 1 performance, throwing 269 yards and two touchdowns while scoring 21.7 fantasy points against the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, he was awful on Sunday against the Buccaneers, throwing three interceptions and scoring only 7.6 fantasy points. However, the Buccaneers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and the Saints were without Alvin Kamara. While his performance against Tampa Bay brought back nightmares of his 2019 season, Winston’s schedule lightens up over the next few weeks with matchups against Minnesota, Seattle, and Arizona. Furthermore, he has an excellent trio of wide receivers with Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave. If Winston is on the waiver wire, grab him this week.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
