Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterback Streamers (Week 10)

Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books. Last week’s streamers had mixed results. The Miami Dolphins had no answers for Justin Fields, as he had four touchdowns and scored 42.7 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Marcus Mariota was awful despite an appealing matchup. The veteran had only 7.6 fantasy points after he failed to score a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the streamer to avoid, Zach Wilson, struggled as expected. The second-year quarterback had only 154 passing yards and 10.6 fantasy points in the win against the Buffalo Bills.

However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming options for Week 10.

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

Justin Fields (CHI) vs. Detroit Lions (47.4% Rostered)

This week is the last time Fields will be a streaming option. The second-year quarterback has been unstoppable the past few weeks. Furthermore, he has become a top-10 or better quarterback for the rest of the season. Last week he broke the NFL record with 178 rushing yards by a quarterback. Yet, Fields still had three passing touchdowns in the game. More importantly, he averaged 30.7 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks, scoring nine total touchdowns against only one interception. Fields has been a top-five quarterback each of the past three weeks. Meanwhile, the matchup this week is excellent.

Despite their performance last week against the Green Bay Packers, the Lions have arguably the worst defense in the NFL. They had surrendered the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks before Sunday’s game. Furthermore, Detroit has surrendered 278.5 passing yards, 1.6 passing touchdowns, and 21 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. They have given up at least 260 passing yards and two or more passing touchdowns in half of their games. While Fields isn’t an elite passer, his rushing ability and improved weapons make him a top-five quarterback for Week 10.

Jared Goff (DET) vs. Chicago Bears (33.9% Rostered)

Goff started the season strong, averaging 22.9 fantasy points per game over the first four weeks this year. While he was the QB5 over the first month, the veteran quarterback has averaged only 10.1 fantasy points per game since his strong start, scoring under 11.5 fantasy points in 75% of the contests. However, Amon-Ra St. Brown missed time, and the Lions faced some elite defenses. Yet, the good news for Goff and fantasy players is that Detroit’s matchup this week is fantasy-friendly.

Chicago’s offense has been on fire lately because of Fields. However, their defense has struggled. Over the past two weeks, the Bears have allowed quarterbacks to complete 73.7% of their pass attempts for 552 yards and five passing touchdowns. They have surrendered 24.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks during that span. Furthermore, they have given up 22.2 or more fantasy points to quarterbacks in four of their past six games. Even after the Lions traded away T.J. Hockenson, Goff had two touchdowns last week against the Packers. He should have no trouble against Chicago’s defense after they traded away a pair of starters at the trade deadline.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (18.4% Rostered)

Since taking over for the injured Trey Lance, Garoppolo has been a solid streaming option for fantasy players. He has scored 16 or more fantasy points in all but two games this season, including four straight. More importantly, the veteran quarterback has found his groove in an improving San Francisco offense. Over his past four games, Garoppolo has thrown eight touchdowns compared to three interceptions. Furthermore, he has averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game, scoring 16.3 or more in every contest. Meanwhile, the veteran quarterback has a solid matchup on Sunday.

The Chargers have surrendered 14.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, around the league average. Last week they held Mariota to only 129 passing yards and 7.6 fantasy points. However, the Atlanta offense has been a fantasy nightmare all year long for anyone not named Cordarrelle Patterson. Meanwhile, the Chargers had surrendered at least two passing touchdowns in five of their previous seven games. Garoppolo lacks the upside to end the week as a top-five quarterback. Yet, with the addition of Christian McCaffrey and the hopeful return of Deebo Samuel, he has the weapons needed to take advantage of the Los Angeles defense.

Jacoby Brissett (CLE) vs. Miami Dolphins (7.2% Rostered)

Can we call it a revenge game if Brissett only played one year in Miami? Nonetheless, the veteran quarterback has played well for the Browns this season, scoring nine touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. While he hasn’t played like a fantasy superstar, Brissett has been one of my favorite streaming options for Superflex leagues this season. The veteran quarterback has averaged 14.1 fantasy points per game this season, his highest average since he started for the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. More importantly, Brissett is coming off his best performance of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins had no answers for Fields on Sunday. However, their defense was a fantasy goldmine for quarterbacks before facing the second-year star. Miami has surrendered 19.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season before last week’s game, the seventh-most in the NFL. After giving up 42.7 fantasy points to Fields, the Dolphins have given up 22.2 fantasy points per game to the position. While he won’t score 42 fantasy points against the Dolphins, Brissett could have his second straight game with 20 or more fantasy points.

Streamer to Avoid

Taylor Heinicke (WAS) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (16.1% 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.

The Washington backup quarterback has been solid for fantasy players the past few weeks. Heinicke has averaged 209.7 passing yards and 16.7 fantasy points per game in the three games he has started this season. However, he has scored under 14.5 fantasy points twice, including last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Heinicke had a season-high two passing touchdowns last week. Yet, he completed only 53.6% of his passes for 149 yards, ending the game with 13.7 fantasy points. Meanwhile, the Vikings had surrendered 18.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks before last week’s matchup.

More importantly, the Philadelphia defense has been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. They have surrendered only 1.1 passing touchdowns and 9.9 fantasy points per game to the position this season. Furthermore, the Eagles have held quarterbacks to under 12.5 fantasy points in all but one game since Week 1. Last week they surrendered two passing touchdowns to Davis Mills in the first half. However, the Eagles made adjustments and held the quarterback to only 12 fantasy points in the game while forcing two interceptions. With 10 days to prepare for this game, Philadelphia will make Heinicke see ghosts on Monday night.

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