The waiver wire is rarely rich at the QB position. We are now in Week 13. 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 13
Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts (16% Rostered)
Week 13 is going to be tough for some fantasy managers, with Josh Allen on bye. If you’re looking for a fill-in, the options are not great. Among the less-than-ideal options is Gardner Minshew.
More Waiver Wire Targets: WRs | TEs | RBs
There haven’t been many big games from Minshew this season. He has one with 28 fantasy points and two with about 15. Sadly, that may be good enough from a streamer in Week 13. It’s a favorable matchup against the Titans, making Minshew a viable option.
FAAB Recommendation: 2-5% should be enough
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (44% Rostered)
This is definitely not my preferred streamer for Week 13, but the Lions’ pass defense has completely fallen apart recently. Given how potent the Lions remain offensively, the Saints should have to throw to keep up.
If Derek Carr doesn’t have Chris Olave next week due to the receiver’s concussion, that definitely downgrades him as an option. But there aren’t many good ones if you need a QB.
Carr threw for 304 yards against the Falcons, but he was unable to throw a touchdown. In fact, the Saints couldn’t score a touchdown at all, settling for six field goals (making five). Typically, you can count on Carr for 15-18 points.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5% should be enough
Which QBs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Gardner Minshew or Jordan Love?
A few weeks ago, I might’ve said Minshew. But I must give credit where it’s due. Jordan Love has played much better football over the past month.
From Weeks 5-9, Love had a rough stretch with underwhelming fantasy production. Over his past three games, he’s scored 18, 20, and 26 fantasy points, throwing seven touchdowns against just two interceptions in that span.
Love’s remaining schedule is mixed, but he doesn’t have any overly imposing foes beyond next week’s Chiefs. Given that Love has displayed a much higher ceiling than Minshew, I prefer Love going forward.
Should You Roster Derek Carr or Matthew Stafford?
For the first time all season, Matthew Stafford scored more than 17.16 fantasy points. It took him four touchdowns to do it, but Stafford got to 24 against the Cardinals.
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Therein lies the problem, though. Given Stafford’s complete lack of mobility, he is entirely dependent on touchdowns.
Stafford is not airing it out like he did two years ago. He hasn’t thrown for more than 231 yards since Week 4. This was just his second multi-touchdown game of the season.
With that said, Carr hasn’t exactly had much of a ceiling, either. From a fantasy standpoint, these are very similar players. I wouldn’t necessarily prefer one to the other. They are both purely matchup plays.
Given that Stafford’s next two games are against the Browns and Ravens, the top two pass defenses in the league, right now, I prefer Carr.
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