Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterback Streamers (Week 11)

Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books. Last week’s streamers were a successful bunch. Justin Fields had his fourth straight game with 23 or more fantasy points, including 39 or more in back-to-back contests. However, the days of adding him off the waiver wire are long gone. Meanwhile, the rest of the streamers from last week all played well. Jacoby Brissett took advantage of a struggling Miami Dolphins secondary, throwing for over 200 yards and scoring 16.5 fantasy points despite Amari Cooper‘s quiet performance.

However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming options for Week 11.

All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in Superflex leagues.

Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues

Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) vs. Arizona Cardinals (39.5% Rostered)

Last week, the veteran quarterback’s four-game streak with two passing touchdowns ended. However, Garoppolo still scored 15.9 fantasy points in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The former backup has totaled 15.5 or more fantasy points in all but two games this season, including five straight contests. Furthermore, he has completed 71.8% of his pass attempts over the past four games, averaging 268.5 passing yards per game during that span. More importantly, the veteran has an appealing matchup on Monday night.

In Week 10, the Cardinals faced the Los Angeles Rams without Matthew Stafford, as the veteran quarterback missed the game with a concussion. While the duo of John Wolford and Bryce Perkins scored only 9.1 fantasy points, the Cardinals have been a fantasy-friendly matchup for quarterbacks this season. Arizona surrendered 20.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks before last week’s game, one of the highest averages in the NFL. Furthermore, the Cardinals gave up 289.3 passing yards, 2.7 passing touchdowns, and 23.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the past three games before last week. Fantasy players that need a bye-week replacement should add Garoppolo off the waiver wire.

Marcus Mariota (ATL) vs. Chicago Bears (37.6% Rostered)

While the veteran quarterback has made starting Kyle Pitts and Drake London each week a total nightmare, Mariota has been a solid streamer all year. The former Oregon star is averaging 15.5 fantasy points per game this season. He has scored 17.7 or more fantasy points in four of the past six contests, including last week against the Carolina Panthers. More importantly, Mariota has started to throw the ball more over the past few weeks. Over the past three games, the veteran quarterback has averaged 27 pass attempts per game. By comparison, Mariota had only one game with more than 27 pass attempts over the first seven weeks this season.

More importantly, the former first-round pick has an excellent matchup this week. The Bears have struggled to slow down quarterbacks lately, giving up 21.4 fantasy points per game to the position over the past three games. Chicago surrendered 22 or more fantasy points in two of those games and 40% of their matchups this season. Furthermore, the Bears have given up two or more passing touchdowns in three straight games, including last week. While he isn’t an elite passer, Mariota should have a solid performance against a struggling Chicago defense.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Ryan Tannehill (TEN) vs. Green Bay Packers (7.6% Rostered)

After missing the past two games with an ankle injury, Tannehill returned last week against the Denver Broncos. Despite taking on arguably the best pass defense in the NFL, the veteran quarterback scored 19.4 fantasy points, a season-high. Furthermore, he had two passing touchdowns, matching his season-high, finding Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for both scores. More importantly, the veteran has a solid fantasy matchup on Thursday night against the Packers.

Green Bay’s defense has struggled to slow down opposing attacks lately. Over the past three weeks, quarterbacks have averaged 16.1 fantasy points per game against the Packers. They have thrown for at least two touchdowns in every game during that span against Green Bay. Furthermore, the Packers have lost several critical players on their defense over the past few weeks, including Rashan Gary and Eric Stokes. Both players are out for the year, severely impacting their unit. Tannehill won’t have a top-five performance against the Packers. However, he offers fantasy players a safe floor bye-week replacement.

Davis Mills (HOU) vs. Washington Commanders (2.6% Rostered)

This week there are four teams on a bye, meaning fantasy players won’t have the services of Tua Tagovailoa, Tom Brady, Geno Smith, and Trevor Lawrence. All four are rostered in at least 70% of ESPN leagues, making it hard for fantasy players to find a suitable replacement option. Yet, Mills is a solid option this week. The second-year quarterback has struggled this year, averaging only 11.8 fantasy points per game. However, he has thrown six touchdowns over the past four weeks. Furthermore, he had a season-high 319 passing yards last week against the New York Giants, scoring 14.8 fantasy points.

Meanwhile, the matchup makes the former Stanford quarterback a possible streaming option this week. The Commanders have surrendered 17.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Furthermore, they have given up 18.3 fantasy points per game to the position on the road this year, giving up at least 17.6 fantasy points in all but of their five road games. With a healthy Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins at his disposal, Mills should have a solid performance against the Washington defense.

Streamer to Avoid

Matt Ryan (IND) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (6.8% Rostered)

Typically streaming articles tell you which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback each week that you should avoid.

What in the world is going on in Indianapolis? The Colts fired former head coach Frank Reich last week and replaced him with former ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday. While he played for the Colts from 1999-2011, Saturday had no previous college or NFL coaching experience. After announcing the team would stick with Sam Ehlinger as their starter, Ryan got the last-minute start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran missed the last two games but had 222 passing yards, two total touchdowns, and scored 22.7 fantasy points in the win on Sunday. However, fantasy players shouldn’t rush to add Ryan off the waiver wire.

Before his benching, the former Atlanta star had scored under 10 fantasy points in nearly half of the games this season. Furthermore, Ryan had four interceptions in his previous three starts and 12 turnovers before his benching. Meanwhile, the matchup couldn’t be worse for the veteran. The Eagles have held quarterbacks to only 9.4 fantasy points per game this season. They have given up under 225 passing yards in all but one game this year, including four straight. More importantly, opposing quarterbacks have scored under 12 fantasy points in all but one game since Week 1. Fantasy players need to find a better option streaming option this week.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.