QB Streamers to Add for Week 2

The first week of the 2024 fantasy football season has come and gone.  For those of you who didn’t go with the elite quarterback strategy in your drafts, this article is for you. With Packers QB Jordan Love likely out for at least a month with a sprained MCL (could’ve been way worse so we’ll take it), along with some disappointing week 1 performances (I’m looking at you, Kirk Cousins!), you may be taking a glance at the available quarterbacks on the waiver wire for Week 2.

To give a quick Week 1 recap, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, and Trevor Lawrence all failed to reach 12 fantasy points, and Kyler Murray and Patrick Mahomes didn’t do much more.  Quarterback play overall was down throughout the league, with the average number of net passing yards coming in at just 187, according to Marcus Mosher of the 33rd Team.  That’s the lowest since 2000.  Maybe you’re not quite ready to panic about your quarterback, but it doesn’t hurt to check which signal-callers you may be able to snag off the waiver wire this week before it’s too late.  For our purposes. we’ll only mention quarterbacks who are rostered in under 70% of leagues on Yahoo.

 

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers at Lions

 

This one’s an obvious no-brainer.  Mayfield made the Commanders’ secondary look invisible, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1.  He’s working with a new offensive coordinator in Liam Cohen, but you would never know it.  The former #1 overall pick in 2018 looked completely in command of the offense, while his connections with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin looked stronger than ever.  The offense was in rhythm and Mayfield made a strong case in week 1 to prove his 2023 season was no fluke.  He’s got plenty of receiving weapons to throw to, from the reliable veterans in Godwin and Evans to rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who is a big play threat that can get behind the defense at any time (see below).   Don’t forget about Rachaad White, an excellent receiver out of the backfield, who racked up 75 yards through the air.  The checkdowns to White can give Mayfield some easy fantasy points, which count the same as a deep ball to Mike Evans.

In Week 2, the Bucs travel to Detroit where their 2023 season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.  Mayfield threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns along with two picks in their playoff loss, but the Lions overhauled their secondary in the offseason after trading for former Bucs CB Carlton Davis and drafting CB Terrion Arnold in the first round.  Of course, it’s still too early to see how these changes affect the Lions’ secondary from a macro perspective, but Matthew Stafford was able to throw for 317 yards on them in week 1.  Mayfield also seems like a guy who doesn’t get over losses too well.  After losing to the Lions twice in 2023 (week 6 regular season and playoffs), he’ll want nothing more than to start 2024 2-0 with a road win in Detroit.

Hey Browns fans, look how easy Baker Mayfield is making winning look.. it's so easy for him. pic.twitter.com/2b1DsmfwLM

— Russellburgh Steelers (@QuillionWatts) September 8, 2024

 

Sam Darnold, Vikings vs. 49ers

 

Couldn’t we picture this coming?  Okay, maybe not starting the game with 12 straight completions, but we’ve seen Darnold start seasons on a good note in the past and be fantasy-viable (2021).  208 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception is nothing to sneeze at for a guy available in 90% of leagues, considering how the big-name signal callers fared this past week.   To be fair, it was the first game with a new defensive coordinator for the Giants (Shane Bowen), so it likely will take a little time for them to get in sync.  The former #3 overall pick in 2018 took advantage of that right off the bat.  Looking ahead to Week 2, the matchup isn’t quite as favorable with the 49ers coming to town for the home opener.  However, while the matchup is tougher, the passing volume should also increase for Darnold.  The game script wasn’t in favor of him needing to throw often in Week 1, with the Giants showing no ability to do anything offensively and the Vikings coming away with a blowout win.  That won’t be the case next week.

The long-term outlook for Darnold is also a positive one.  Second-year receiver Jordan Addison, who was one of Darnold’s favorite targets in week 1, reportedly avoided a major ankle injury.  He has one of the more respected play-callers in his ear in Kevin O’Connell along with arguably the best receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson.  To add to the weaponry in Minnesota, Tight End TJ Hockenson is targeting Week 7 as his return from a major knee injury, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

 

Geno Smith, Seahawks at Patriots

 

Smith may not come to mind as one of the more popular Week 2 streaming options at quarterback.  Only throwing for 171 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his 2024 debut against the Broncos isn’t overly encouraging.  To further complicate things, the Seahawks travel to New England in Week 2 to face a defense that completely shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Week 1.  I’ll admit this is more of a longer-term play, but you should be able to get Smith this week without using any notable amount of your FAAB.  That may give you a discount compared to coming weeks when his matchup is more favorable, such as a Week 4 Monday night clash in Detroit.   The Seahawks and Lions always seem to create fireworks when they play each other, and this year should be no different.  Looking ahead a few weeks can give you an advantage over other managers potentially scrambling to pick Smith up when the immediate weekly outlook is better.

Despite DK Metcalf‘s comments, new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb brings a much more pass-happy system after the Seahawks were one of the most sluggish offenses in 2023.  Also, let’s make sure we touch on the plethora of weapons the 12-year veteran has at his disposal.  There aren’t going to be many quarterbacks you can pick up on the waiver wire who have a comparable group of skill position players around him, giving another reason to consider Geno on the waiver wire this week.

 

Honorable Mention: Derek Carr, Saints @ Cowboys

 

You might be wondering why I am not mentioning Derek Carr after his three touchdown performance against the Panthers. If the Saints played the Panthers again in Week 2, he’d be the priority add at quarterback this week, but unfortunately for him, it might not go quite as smoothly on the road in Dallas.  The Cowboys rendered Browns QB Deshaun Watson ineffective in Week 1.  Sure, Watson is a shell of who he used to be, but Cleveland has a decent enough group of pass-catching weapons that it was still an impressive performance by the Dallas defense.  Carr could very well end up in this post for Week 3 after another strong outing, but everything went more than perfect for the Saints in Week 1.  Even still, this isn’t mentioning the wrench that Taysom Hill throws in Carr’s fantasy prospects as a common red zone substitution at QB.  This shouldn’t just be about chasing last week’s points, and putting Carr on this list ahead of the aforementioned names would be doing just that.

 

 

Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Ken Murray / Icon Sportswire