Monday, October 4, 2021

Fantasy Football QB Waiver-Wire Options Heading Into Week 5

Every week, we examine players that may be available on your league's waiver wire that could help your team in the short and/or long term.

For a player to be listed, he must be rostered in 50 percent (or less) of Yahoo! leagues. The goal is to provide recommendations of players that have a greater chance of being available on your league's waiver wire. Of course, your league's size and settings could significantly impact whether these players (or better options) are available in your particular league(s).

With that said, here are some quarterback waiver-wire options to consider heading into Week 5 (Yahoo! % rostered in parenthesis):

RankPlayerTeamRoster %
1Trey LanceSan Francisco 49ers30%
2Daniel JonesNew York Giants31%
3Sam DarnoldCarolina Panthers37%
4Mac JonesNew England Patriots17%
5Justin FieldsChicago Bears42%
6Taylor HeinickeWashington Football Team10%
7Jared GoffDetroit Lions13%

1. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (30%)

In previous iterations of our waiver-wire column, I've noted that Lance becomes a better option as each week passes given the expectation that the No. 3 overall pick eventually becomes the starter at some point this season. With a Week 6 bye, Week 7 has seemed like a logical transition point to Lance.

With Jimmy Garoppolo sustaining a calf injury this week, however, Lance was forced to take over in the second half. The rookie completed nine-of-18 for 157 yards (8.7 Y/A) and two touchdowns and added 41 rushing yards on seven carries and a two-point conversion. Lance scored more than 20 fantasy points in a half of action.

That said, Garoppolo said he has "hope [he misses] just a couple of weeks or something." Given his dual-threat abilities, Lance has enormous upside and it's unlikely that Jimmy G. gets the starting job back.

2. Daniel Jones, Daniel Jones (31%)

Jones threw for a season-high 402 yards and two touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Scoring 27.78 fantasy points in the OT win, Jones has now scored 21-plus fantasy points in three of four games this season and currently ranks among the top-six fantasy QBs on the season (through Sunday's games).

The Giants will head to Dallas in Week 5. Historically (four games, three starts), Jones has had modest performances against the Cowboys -- no more than 229 passing yards in any game.

The Cowboys have been playing better defense this year and Trevon Diggs (five interceptions) is developing into one of the league's top corners, but the Cowboys have allowed four 300-yard passing games through four weeks. In each of those games, the Cowboys have faced a minimum of 39 pass attempts and three of the four quarterbacks they've faced have scored at least 22 fantasy points.

Even if he doesn't post gaudy passing statistics, Jones has the underrated ability to make plays with his legs. With 188 rushing yards through four games, he's on pace for 799 rushing yards. While unlikely to get that close to 800 rushing yards, he ranked seventh among QBs in rushing last season.

3. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers (37%)

Despite the loss in Dallas in Week 4, it's been so far, so good for Darnold. Not only does the 24-year-old quarterback have three consecutive 300-yard passing games, but he has rushed for multiple scores in back-to-back games. Through Sunday's games, Darnold is a top-five fantasy quarterback on the season.

With a matchup against the Eagles in Week 5, Darnold is once again worthy of streamer status.

Note: Mac Jones faces the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets over the next three weeks, which sets up favorably for some streaming opportunities.

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