Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books. Hopefully, your team pulled out the victory. However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming quarterback options for Week 9.
All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in superflex leagues.
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Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues
Baker Mayfield (TB) vs. Houston Texans (27.9% Rostered)
Mayfield has been a go-to streamer target for me almost every week this season. Last week, he got left off the list because of the matchup against a talented Buffalo Bills defense. However, the former No. 1 overall pick had one of his better performances, totaling 237 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 21.4 fantasy points in the loss. More importantly, Mayfield has bounced back since his awful performance in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions, averaging 256 passing yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 18.8 fantasy points per game over the past two weeks.
Thankfully, the veteran quarterback has an appealing matchup in Week 9 after facing the Bills. The Texans have surrendered 15.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. They’ve given up at least 16.3 fantasy points to quarterbacks in all but two games since Week 1. Furthermore, Bryce Young had arguably the best performance of his career last week against Houston, completing 71% of his pass attempts for 235 yards, one touchdown, and 14.5 fantasy points. Mayfield should have his second consecutive 20-plus fantasy point outing.
Derek Carr (NO) vs. Chicago Bears (20.9% Rostered)
Last week, Carr was one of my streaming options and had an impressive performance. The veteran quarterback completed 70.4% of his pass attempts for 310 yards, two touchdowns, and 18.3 fantasy points in the win. He had at least 300 passing yards for the fourth time this season, including the third consecutive week. Furthermore, Carr looked healthy after dealing with a shoulder injury the past few games. The veteran quarterback has totaled at least 16.3 fantasy points in three consecutive games despite having only four passing touchdowns in those contests.
While he took advantage of a struggling young secondary in Week 8, Carr gets to do it again on Sunday. The Bears have struggled to slow down opposing quarterbacks, surrendering 18.9 fantasy points per game. Quarterbacks have scored at least 22 fantasy points in all but three games against Chicago, including four of the past six. Last week, Justin Herbert completed 77.5% of his pass attempts for 298 yards, three touchdowns, and 24 fantasy points in the win. Fantasy players should expect Carr to have his fourth consecutive game with over 300 passing yards.
Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues
Zach Wilson (NYJ) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (5.4% Rostered)
The Jets have fought hard to earn their 4-3 record despite losing Aaron Rodgers early in Week 1. While he hasn’t been anywhere near perfect, Wilson has played better this year than in 2022. The third-year quarterback has averaged 10.5 fantasy points per game this season. However, he has averaged 12.7 fantasy points per game over the past four contests, helping New York have a three-game winning streak. Wilson totaled at least 240 passing yards in two of those games. More importantly, the young quarterback has an appealing fantasy matchup on Monday night.
Wilson faces a Los Angeles defense that surrendered 23.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the first seven weeks, the most in the NFL. They gave up at least 21 fantasy points in all but the one matchup during those seven weeks. Furthermore, opposing quarterbacks have totaled three or more passing touchdowns against the Chargers in nearly half of their matchups this season. Last week, Tyson Bagent completed 67.6% of his pass attempts for 232 yards and 11.2 fantasy points despite throwing two interceptions. If he can protect the ball, Wilson should have a solid QB2 performance.
Mac Jones (NE) vs. Washington Commanders (4.6% Rostered)
New England’s offense has been disappointing this season. However, Jones has had some positive moments. The third-year quarterback averaged 249.3 passing yards, 1.7 touchdowns, and 17.1 fantasy points per game over the first three weeks. More importantly, he has bounced back after a few awful fantasy performances. Over the past two weeks, the former Alabama star has averaged 216.5 passing yards and 16.1 fantasy points per game, throwing two touchdowns in both contests. Meanwhile, fantasy players couldn’t be more excited about Jones’ matchup in Week 9.
After holding Joshua Dobbs to only 0.98 fantasy points in his Arizona Cardinals debut, the Commanders have surrendered 24.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Furthermore, they have given up at least 21.2 fantasy points to every quarterback besides Desmond Ridder and Dobbs. Last week, Jalen Hurts had four passing touchdowns against Washington, bringing his season total against the division rivals to six. By comparison, he has seven passing touchdowns in the other six games this year. While Jones won’t have four passing touchdowns against the Commanders, he should have a top-10 finish.
Streamer to Avoid
Gardner Minshew (IND) vs. Carolina Panthers (7.4% 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.
Fantasy players have seen the wild swings with Minshew over the past few weeks. The veteran quarterback surprised everyone and scored 27.1 fantasy points against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7 after totaling two passing and two rushing touchdowns. However, he hasn’t been a rewarding streaming option for most of the year. Minshew has averaged 16.1 fantasy points per game in the four contests he started this season. However, the veteran has scored fewer than 14.9 fantasy points in all but the matchup against the Browns, including under 13.1 fantasy points twice.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have been a difficult opponent for opposing quarterbacks. They have held quarterbacks to 14.3 fantasy points per game this season, one of the lower averages in the NFL. Furthermore, Carolina struggled against Jared Goff and Tua Tagovailoa. Yet, they have held all other quarterbacks to only 10.6 fantasy points per game this year. Last week, C.J. Stroud had only 140 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, and 12.9 fantasy points in the loss to the Panthers. Carolina has an awful run defense that Indianapolis will want to exploit, further limiting Minshew’s fantasy appeal.
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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.