Fantasy Football Quarterback Streamers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 2)

Week 1 of the 2024 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 2.

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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Fantasy Football Quarterback Streamers: Week 2

Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues

Matthew Stafford (LAR) vs. Arizona Cardinals (35.9% Rostered)

Stafford had a solid performance in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, completing 69.4% of his pass attempts for 317 yards, one touchdown, and 14.7 fantasy points. Unfortunately, he was missing several starting offensive linemen while Puka Nacua left the game right before halftime due to a knee injury. Hopefully, his supporting cast is somewhat healthy this week. Yet, he is a top-end streaming option regardless because of the matchup. Stafford averaged 2.5 passing touchdowns and 18.3 fantasy points per game in the two contests against Arizona last year.

Fantasy players had low expectations for the Cardinals defense in 2024. However, they were awful in Week 1 against Josh Allen. The superstar had 39 rushing yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Arizona allowed Allen to complete 78.3% of his pass attempts for 232 yards and two touchdowns, totaling 15.3 fantasy points as a passer. Furthermore, he had only five pass attempts in the first half. While Stafford won’t put up any meaningful rushing numbers, he should have a similar or better performance in the air against the Cardinals.

Baker Mayfield (TB) vs. Detroit Lions (34.1% Rostered)

Hopefully, fantasy players snagged Mayfield off the waiver wire last week. The former No. 1 overall draft pick had an outstanding Week 1 performance, completing 80% of his pass attempts for 289 yards, four touchdowns, and 29.7 fantasy points. The veteran had no trouble picking apart the Washington Commanders’ defense, posting a 156.3 quarterback rate, averaging 12 yards per pass attempt, and totaling two touchdowns on 10 third-down attempts in Week 1. More importantly, Mayfield has another appealing fantasy matchup this weekend in a playoff game rematch.

It was a fantasy shootout when these two teams faced off in the playoffs. Mayfield had 349 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 23.5 fantasy points in the loss. The Lions had an awful pass defense last season, surrendering the third-most fantasy points per game (19.5) and the sixth-most passing touchdowns (28) to quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford had 14.7 fantasy points against his former team despite most of his offensive line and Puka Nacua missing a significant part of Week 1. Expect Mayfield to have his way with Detroit’s defense again.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Geno Smith (SEA) vs. New England Patriots (14.6% Rostered)

Smith wasn’t part of the Week 1 quarterback streamers article because of his matchup against the Denver Broncos. The veteran quarterback didn’t have a massive fantasy performance, with Kenneth Walker III having his way with the Broncos’ run defense. However, Smith played well in the victory, totaling 17.8 fantasy points. He only had 171 yards but only attempted 25 passes, completing 72% of them. More importantly, the veteran quarterback made plays with his legs, totaling four rushing attempts for 30 yards and a touchdown last week.

The Patriots pulled off the biggest upside victory in Week 1, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10. Joe Burrow had only 8.1 fantasy points against New England, completing 72.4% of his pass attempts for 164 yards and zero touchdowns. However, he was without Tee Higgins while Ja’Marr Chase played with food poisoning. Furthermore, the Bengals have historically struggled the first few weeks of the season during Burrow’s time under center. After a solid Week 1 performance, don’t be surprised if Smith has another top-12 finish.

Justin Fields (PIT) vs. Denver Broncos (11.1% Rostered)

Fantasy players must keep their eye on the Steelers’ practice report this week after Russell Wilson missed Week 1 with a calf injury. While the veteran quarterback could return for Sunday’s matchup against his former team, it’s not a guarantee that he gets the start. Fantasy players should make Fields one of their top streaming options, especially in deeper or superflex leagues, if he is the starter again in Week 2. Despite not having a touchdown against a tough Atlanta Falcons defense, Fields had 11.9 fantasy points.

Many expected the Broncos to have a top-tier defense in 2024. They forced two safeties in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, Denver had mixed results in slowing down Kenneth Walker III and Geno Smith. The veteran quarterback scored 17.8 fantasy points despite totaling only 171 passing yards and one touchdown. However, he had 30 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. Don’t be surprised if Fields has over 100 rushing yards this week if he gets his second consecutive start.

Streamer to Avoid

Derek Carr (NO) vs. Dallas Cowboys (4.4% Rostered)

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

Carr had an outstanding performance in the Week 1 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers. The veteran finished the week as a top-eight quarterback, totaling 21.3 fantasy points, a better fantasy performance than C.J. Stroud (18.7) and Jalen Hurts (16.4). It was great to see him play well against the Panthers after totaling 17.5 fantasy points in the two matchups against Carolina last year. However, Carr lucked out with three passing touchdowns on only 23 attempts. He had only 200 passing yards, while Chris Olave disappeared against the division rivals.

Unfortunately, Carr doesn’t have a cupcake matchup again in Week 2. The Cowboys had one of the top pass defenses in the NFL last season, holding quarterbacks to seventh-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (14.2). Furthermore, they made Deshaun Watson look like a poor man’s Daniel Jones on Sunday. Dallas picked him off twice and held the veteran to only 169 passing yards, one touchdown, and 10.7 fantasy points on 45 attempts. While Carr won’t be that bad, he’s a risky QB2 in Week 2.

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