For Week 13, I recommended Taylor Heinicke against the Raiders, Taysom Hill against the Cowboys, and Tyrod Taylor against the Colts. Hill made up for an awful passing performance with some rushing production and garbage time points, finishing as the no. 6 fantasy quarterback on the week, and Heinicke had a lackluster but usable no. 16 finish. Unfortunately, Taylor injured his wrist early against Indianapolis and exited the game, so the risky gamble in deeper leagues didn’t work out.
Overall, Week 13 offered some workable options for fantasy GMs who eschewed drafting a quarterback early and have been streaming the position. If you drafted Kyler Murray early or managed to snag Tom Brady later on in your drafts, this article probably isn’t for you. But if you’ve been streaming quarterbacks or have Jalen Hurts on bye this week, here are some viable Week 14 quarterback streamers with good matchups.
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Week 14 Quarterback Streamers
Check out our Week 14 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | PPR | Flex
Note: The below quarterback streamers are the “best of the rest”, meaning that they’re generally rostered in less than about 60-65 percent of major fantasy football platforms at the time of this writing even after waivers have run on Wednesday.
Cam Newton (35% on ESPN, 31% on Yahoo)
I know that Cam Newton burned us a couple of weeks ago with under 100 passing yards and two interceptions at Miami, but I’m ready to go back to that well. During the Panthers’ bye week, they fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady and tapped running backs coach Jeff Nixon as the interim replacement. Perhaps the change at play-caller will inject some life into this struggling Carolina offense, but more importantly, Newton is atop this week’s list of quarterback streamers due to the extremely favorable matchup against Atlanta.
The Falcons rank 29th in pass defense as well as 29th in pass rush win rate, both metrics which bode well for a bounce back game for Newton. Pass protection has been a major issue for Newton, and Darnold before him, but he should have ample time to throw against Atlanta. And of course, Newton’s rushing upside keeps his fantasy floor and ceiling fairly high even if he craters again as a passer. The Falcons have struggled to stop mobile quarterbacks this season, having allowed 62 rushing yards to Jalen Hurts in Week 1, 39 rushing yards to Daniel Jones in Week 3, 43 rushing yards to Taylor Heinicke in Week 4, and 66 rushing yards to Darnold back in Week 8.
Taysom Hill (43% on ESPN, 41% on Yahoo)
It’s hard not to like Taysom Hill this week when he finished as the no. 6 fantasy quarterback in Week 13 despite throwing four interceptions against Dallas on Thursday night. He struggled as a passer in his first start of the season playing through finger and foot injuries, but Hill remains an enticing fantasy play due to his running ability. Even in the ugly loss to the Cowboys in primetime, Hill put on a strong fantasy performance by running for 101 yards on just 11 rushing attempts.
The finger injury and the suspension of Deonte Harris make Hill a riskier prospect this week, but he remains a solid option among the Week 14 quarterback streamers. The Jets’ defense ranks dead last in the league against the pass, and they’ve given up the most points per game to opponents this year. Even if Hill doesn’t throw for much yardage or touchdowns in this great passing matchup, he can still have another startable fantasy performance from his production on the ground as long as he avoids the turnovers.
Taylor Heinicke (29% on ESPN, 37% on Yahoo)
In the four games since Washington’s Week 9 bye, Taylor Heinicke hasn’t been running much, which has capped his fantasy upside. It doesn’t help either that Washington also hasn’t been passing much in recent weeks, as their offense ranks ninth-lowest in pass rate over that span. It makes sense that Ron Rivera has re-committed to the ground game with Antonio Gibson now back healthy from the shin injury that limited him earlier this season, but the Cowboys are still a fair matchup for Heinicke this week from a fantasy perspective.
Despite ranking fourth-best against the pass in DVOA, Dallas has still given up the fifth-most passing yards per game to opponents this year. And while Heinicke ran just three times for 10 yards against the Raiders on Sunday, he could be forced to run more if Washington falls behind early to Dallas, as New Orleans did last Thursday night. In that contest, we saw Taysom Hill gash the Cowboys for 101 yards on the ground and get a long touchdown in garbage time. That same potential for garbage time points exists for Heinicke this week. He hasn’t displayed much of his running ability in recent weeks, but Heinicke remains among the top quarterback streamers this week considering his fantasy ceiling if he does run more in this contest.
Honorable Mentions
In deeper leagues, if none of the above-recommended quarterback streamers are available, Teddy Bridgewater hasn’t been particularly effective playing through a shin injury, but he has a good matchup against a Detroit defense that ranks 28th against the pass and allows the fifth-most points per game to opponents. And if you’re desperate, Ben Roethlisberger has been awful in his age 39 season amid swirling rumors of retirement, but he could be a serviceable option with Pittsburgh passing more in recent games and on a short week against a Minnesota secondary with some injury issues.
For more fantasy football and NFL content, follow me on Twitter @FFA_Meng.
More fantasy football fun for Week 14: Waiver Wire | FAAB Guide | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Stock Watch | Sleepers & Streamers | D/ST Streamers
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