The waiver wire is rarely rich at the QB position. We are now in Week 9. At this point, the surprise QB1s have already been added. Unfortunately, all we really have are glorified streamers. But there is one rookie who remains an unknown, which, in this case, is a good thing. Fantasy football managers should give him a look.
Top QB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 9
More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | RBs | TEs
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (3% Rostered)
I have no idea if Will Levis is actually good. But the man threw for four touchdowns in his first career start. At the very least, there’s a chance he’s just the next big thing. It’s difficult to imagine a healthy Ryan Tannehill getting his job back now.
Fantasy managers in need of a QB will take the shot on Levis now. I wouldn’t start him next week, but now is the time to put him on your bench if you need a quarterback.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (17% Rostered)
It wasn’t the best day for Gardner Minshew, but he did throw two touchdowns. He has now thrown multiple touchdowns in two straight games.
Most importantly, the Colts get the Panthers next week. That’s a great spot for fantasy managers in need of a QB streamer. By no means is Minshew a priority add, but you can certainly do worse when looking for a spot starter.
Which QBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Gardner Minshew or Sam Howell?
Sam Howell is somehow both a QB1 and only rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues. Yet, that feels okay. I just don’t trust Howell on a weekly basis. He’s a great streaming option in the right matchup, but we’ve seen such a low floor that I wouldn’t want him out there every week.
Minshew is a tough one to figure out. His best game came in his toughest matchup against the Browns. Overall, he’s faced a pretty difficult slate of pass defenses.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
The good news is limited to just Week 9. The reason Minshew is worth a pickup is specifically because of his Week 9 matchup against the Panthers. Beyond that, Minshew has a solid Patriots pass defense and a bye before the Bucs pass funnel in Week 12. I only see one startable matchup for Minshew.
Similarly, Howell also has a tough stretch of opponents coming up. He also has the dreaded Week 14 bye. So, if you need a win to get in the playoffs in Week 14, Howell won’t be there to help.
Both of these guys are glorified streamers. For Week 9, I prefer Minshew. Long term, I prefer Howell.
Should You Roster Will Levis or Bryce Young?
I still believe in Bryce Young long-term. But we have an eight-week sample size of what rookie Young looks like for fantasy. It’s not great. He’s scored over 14.5 fantasy points just once and has yet to reach 250 passing yards in a game. He also doesn’t offer anything on the ground.
We have no idea how good Levis actually is. His four-touchdown performance may end up being a fluke. It also may not. For at least this year, give me the unknown upside of Levis over the known lack of upside of Young.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!