The waiver wire is rarely rich at the QB position. We are now in Week 12. At this point, the surprise QB1s have already been added. Unfortunately, all we really have are glorified streamers. There’s just not much out there for fantasy football managers.
Top QB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 12
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (48% Rostered)
It wasn’t the best effort from Baker Mayfield against the 49ers. However, he’s shown us he has QB1 upside.
Before Week 11, Mayfield had four straight games with at least 17 fantasy points. Next week, the Bucs should have a much easier time moving the ball against the Colts’ average pass defense, putting Mayfield firmly on the streaming radar.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5%
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (1% Rostered)
Let’s not forget about players who had the week off. While it would definitely be nice for fantasy managers of Saints’ skill-position players if the team made the switch to Jameis Winston, that’s not going to happen. As long as Derek Carr is healthy, he will remain the starting quarterback.
Carr was knocked out of the Saints’ Week 10 game with a shoulder injury. But with two weeks to recover, he should be good to go in Week 12. And he’s worth streaming if you need a starter.
MORE: Fantasy Football QB Week 12 Trade Targets
With zero teams on bye, you shouldn’t need Carr. But perhaps you just lost Joe Burrow or Geno Smith. If so, Carr has a solid matchup against a Falcons defense that is bottom 10 against the pass.
From Weeks 5-10, Carr was a consistent floor starter with 15-18 points in every game. You can certainly do worse.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5%
Which QBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Baker Mayfield or Matthew Stafford?
In all seriousness, who is the better real-life QB right now? Are we sure it isn’t Mayfield?
He may not be lighting the world on fire, but Mayfield is proving beyond any doubt that he deserves to be a starting NFL quarterback. From a fantasy perspective, he’s also displayed a far higher ceiling than Matthew Stafford.
Mayfield has five games with at least 18 fantasy points. Those games are also higher than the best fantasy outing from Stafford all season. There’s just no ceiling whatsoever with Stafford.
One would think this would be the week for Stafford against a porous Cardinals pass defense, but he hasn’t proven capable of reaching 20 fantasy points. Mayfield has. For that reason, give me Mayfield going forward.
Should You Roster Derek Carr or Geno Smith?
After what he did last season, Smith has remained rostered in nearly 75% of leagues all season. Only recently has his roster percentage started to dip. But…why?
Smith has reached 16 fantasy points just three times this season and 20+ points only twice. He’s still a solid NFL starter, but Smith’s not the prolific passer he was in 2022.
MORE: Fantasy FAAB Picks Week 12
Carr has not displayed the ceiling Smith has, but he’s provided a much more stable floor. Given that Smith is dealing with an elbow injury and has an absolutely brutal upcoming schedule, fantasy managers may very well be better off with Carr going forward.
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