Last week, we missed on Joe Flacco (Anthony Richardson regained his starting spot), we hit on Caleb Williams, and we pretty much missed on Will Levis (he almost threw for 300 yards after I said he definitely would not). This week I’ll do my best to follow-up last week’s calls with our best Sleepers and Streamers at the QB position for Week 12. Whether your QB is injured or flat-out not performing, we can find a few QBs this week to get you by. We know winning your leagues takes a lot of work. Don’t fear! FantraxHQ is doing the work for you. Whether it’s matchups to exploit, injury replacements, or flat-out hot takes, we’ve got your fix. In this article, we’ll highlight three potential quarterback sleepers and streamers for NFL Week 12 that could help you win your matchups.
Week 12 Quarterback Sleepers and Streamers
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
If I’m being honest, I’m not a fan of Richardson’s. I think he has all the measurables in the world to become the next Cam Newton. A real freak. He’ll make throws that only one person in the world can make, and then he will throw a button-hook into the ground. It’s absolutely maddening. I think he could use a year or two to cook, but that’s not the reality. He’s playing and he needs to get better each week. That said, he’s going up against a Detroit Lions team that could absolutely take the claim of the best team in the league. However, even with their dominance, Richardson owners have two things going in their favor for this fantasy matchup. First, the Lions have one of the most average defensive lines in the league at the moment, generating 1.39 yards of push (according to PFF). That means Richardson will have plenty of time to get through his progressions, and at worst, he’s got a tremendous rushing/rushing TD floor. The second thing going in Richardson’s favor is that there is likely going to be a positive game script for the Colts passing attack. Meaning, come late-3rd quarter, the Lions are likely to be losing by enough that they’ll be throwing the ball on every down. That means there is more of an opportunity for Richardson to put up garbage time fantasy points. We don’t care how the fantasy points come, we just want to know that they’re there. They should be there for Richardson this week. I’d start him with confidence if he’s your best option.
Tommy DeVito, New York Giants
Daniel Jones has been demoted to the third string QB for the Giants. Personally, I don’t think he played that poorly, but he definitely played poorly for the $40M per year the Giants decided to pay him. Don’t feel sorry for him, he’s good enough that he’ll get another opportunity with another team. As for DeVito, in his best game last year, he threw for 3 TDs vs. Washington (with 246 yards). In his best game rushing, he ran for 10 carries and 71 yards. The Giants will play the Tampa Bay Bucs this week, and they don’t have the type of defense you fear. With DeVito’s rushing floor, Nabers as his WR1, and a likely positive game script in favor of the passing game, I’m happy to start DeVito if I’m in need of a QB this week. At the end of the day, fantasy football is all about putting yourself in position to benefit from opportunity. DeVito will have plenty of opportunities to put up fantasy points with his skillset. He’s my second-favorite play on the board (if you’re streaming a QB).
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
I’m in. I’m all the way in. Not a fan of Sean Payton. And I definitely was not a fan of Bo Nix. But I’ll be damned if these two aren’t making magic together. Nix looks like a poised veteran and is miles better than he was with his first start. This is the kind of progression you dream about. Nix has looked like what we expected Caleb Williams to look like this year. That said, fantasy football doesn’t need to be as hard as we make it. The Raiders are one of the worst (if not THE w0rst) teams in the entire league. They don’t have a QB you can count on, they can’t run the ball, and their defense can’t stop anybody. I expect the Broncos to run up the score on the Raiders, as they look to continue building confidence into a playoff race, vs. a division foe. Book Nix for 2+ TDs this week.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Got a beef with Bradlee’s Week 12 Quarterback Sleepers and Streamers? Let him hear about it in the comments below!