With Week 1 in the books, fantasy owners are either overconfident in their team or panicking already. It’s okay, we get it. There’s only one game of results to go by, and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype or doom and gloom. For the most part, we don’t recommend you make any drastic changes to your team until at least the bye weeks begin -- top stars get off to slow starts, and a hot start from that backup running back might not be sustainable.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 2
It’s only one week, which means it’s time to overreact. Here are some quarterbacks worth checking out on the waiver wire.
Still, there are plenty of options on the waiver wire if you’re so inclined, and while you shouldn’t replace your Week 1 starters yet, it’s never too early to go hunting for potential buy-low players or DFS targets. Let’s take a look at five quarterbacks owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues worth a look in Week 2.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (46 percent)
Mariota’s NFL debut could not have gone better. He threw four touchdowns and had a perfect QB rating before sitting out the fourth quarter in a blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. More importantly, Mariota looked comfortable in the pocket and under center, which were both knocks against him coming out of Oregon’s spread offense.
Having said that, we should probably pump the brakes a bit on Mariota. You shouldn’t be starting him in your 12-team league yet, and he won’t be putting up those kinds of numbers against better defenses than Tampa’s once there’s more game tape on him. Still, Mariota is a solid DFS play against the Cleveland Browns, whose defense got carved up by Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (26 percent)
Dalton has his offensive weapons healthy again, and when he’s on point against friendly defenses he can be one of the steadier quarterbacks in fantasy. Dalton put in a workmanlike effort against the Oakland Raiders, completing 25 of 34 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He has a decent matchup against the San Diego Chargers this week. Dalton will never be fully trusted by fantasy owners, but if the matchup is right, he’ll get you points.
Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams (13 percent)
Foles’ St. Louis debut was an impressive one -- he threw for 297 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense. There are a few caveats to his performance -- Seattle was missing Kam Chancellor, and Foles had an ugly strip-sack that was returned for a touchdown, nearly costing the Rams the game.
However, Foles showed a great deep ball and could have Brian Quick back next week. He’s facing a poor Washington defense next week and could be one of the better value plays in DFS. The Rams will need to continue leaning on Foles until Tre Mason and Todd Gurley are healthy.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (10 percent)
The Tyrod era in Buffalo started with a bang Sunday. Making his first career start, Taylor threw for 195 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-19 passing in a rout over the Indianapolis Colts. He avoided turnovers and added 41 rushing yards on nine carries. In short, it was exactly how Rex Ryan drew it up when he named Taylor the starter over Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel.
Taylor will never have eye-popping numbers in the Bills’ run-first offense, but he filled his caretaker role perfectly. He’ll be on the QB2 radar against a New England Patriots team still trying to rebuild its defense.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (five percent)
Reunited with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, Fitzpatrick was his usual effective self, completing 15 of 24 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Browns. The numbers don’t pop off the page, but they make Fitzpatrick useful in 14-team leagues. He gets a date with the Indianapolis Colts next, who are reeling after their Week 1 beatdown by the Bills.
