We have now reached the halfway point of the football season and fantasy leagues are starting to get their playoff picture coming together. There are four more weeks of bye teams, so owners need to keep close tabs on the waiver wire.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 8
As the fantasy season reaches the halfway point, we take a look at some more waiver wire options at the quarterback position.
This week’s bye teams (Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington) don’t have much in the way of elite quarterback teams, but Blake Bortles and Sam Bradford have been decent streaming options. Owners still holding on to Ben Roethlisberger and Tony Romo will have even fewer options this week.
Still, there are plenty of appealing quarterbacks on the wire, so let’s pick five options owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (42 percent)
EJ Manuel was predictably a disaster in London, and his performance should put to rest any talk of a “quarterback controversy.” Assuming no setbacks, Taylor will be the guy when the Bills come back from their Week 8 bye. Now is the time for fantasy owners to pick him back up. If his knee is healthy and he can run again, Taylor will have low-end QB1 appeal when he comes back.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (38 percent)
Mariota is tentatively expected to return this week, and he’ll have a juicy matchup against a collapsing Houston Texans defense. Of course, MCL injuries are always tricky to handle, so keep an eye on Mariota’s practice reports this week. If he’s not able to go, then Zach Mettenberger can be picked up in 14-team leagues.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (35 percent)
Carr continues to take steps forward in his second season. He was nearly flawless in Week 7, carving up the San Diego Chargers for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-31 passing. Carr probably could’ve had even bigger numbers, but the Raiders called off the dogs after taking a 37-6 lead in the third quarter. Carr has been an up-and-down fantasy guy this year, and he’ll have one of his tougher matchups against the New York Jets’ aggressive defense this week. He’s worth rostering in fantasy leagues, but DFS players may want to fade him.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (30 percent)
Cutler is healthy again and the Bears have shown signs of life after looking like the worst team in football a month ago. More importantly, he has his top weapon back in Alshon Jeffery, who got another week of rest in the bye week. Cutler will always be Cutler, but he’s proven that he can still be a viable fantasy starter in the right matchups. The Minnesota Vikings defense will be a tougher test than the Detroit Lions’, but Cutler remains on the QB2 radar for now.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (28 percent)
The veteran continues to be a worthy streaming option, even though fantasy owners are probably not excited about starting him. Still, the Jets’ passing offense has been surprisingly effective and Fitzpatrick fits like a glove in Chan Gailey’s scheme. If there’s one major concern, it’s the health of Chris Ivory, who picked up yet another hamstring injury last Sunday. The Jets need Ivory healthy for their offense to function and for Fitzpatrick to find holes in the secondary, so watch the injury reports this week. If Ivory can’t play, then Fitzpatrick’s fantasy upside isn’t as high, even in a plus matchup with the Oakland Raiders.
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