Every week we will bring you our advice on which signal-callers have the potential to help your fantasy teams win. We will look at the previous weeks’ performances, the quarterbacks’ supporting cast, the matchup, and smart statistical insights to offer you the clearest picture of which QB to pick up from your waiver wire.
Remember, we will only consider QBs who are less than 70% rostered in Yahoo! leagues so as to give you an honest chance at picking one up for your team’s matchup.
Week 6 was disappointing across the board for fantasy purposes at the quarterback position with only five signal-callers eclipsing the 20-point mark, none of those eligible for streaming. Our three choices fared relatively well with competitive scores and we had two top-15 scorers. Leading the way was Sam Howell (18.34 fantasy points), who threw three touchdown passes in the Commanders win over the Falcons. It was an impressive performance from the second-year quarterback, whose accuracy is improving and the growth in his execution of the playbook is there to see. Veteran Matthew Stafford (13.24 fantasy points) was our recommended streamer and we hoped he would take advantage of a favorable matchup but that fell flat as he produced his lowest fantasy score of the season. Stafford was impressive with his throws but he only threw for one score, something that has been a fantasy hinderance so far this campaign. Our last recommendation, Gardner Minshew (12.56 fantasy points) had a rough outing until some garbage time production salvaged his fantasy day – the veteran could not deal with a strong showing from an inspired Jaguars defense.
| QB | Matchup | % Rostered (Yahoo!) | Fantasy Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford, Rams | LAR vs. ARI | 66% | 13.24 |
| Gardner Minshew, Colts | IND at JAX | 1% | 12.56 |
| Sam Howell, Commanders | WAS at ATL | 33% | 18.34 |
Going into Week 7 we have a whopping six teams on bye so the following quarterbacks are unavailable: Bryce Young (Panthers), Joe Burrow (Bengals), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), C.J. Stroud (Texans), Zach Wilson (Jets) and Ryan Tannehill (Titans).
With that knowledge in mind, let’s look at our recommendations for Week 7.
| QB | Matchup | % Rostered (Yahoo!) | Projected Fantasy Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geno Smith, Seahawks | SEA vs. ARI | 67% | 17.60 |
| Jordan Love, Packers | GBP at DEN | 65% | 14.98 |
| Sam Howell, Commanders | WAS at NYG | 56% | 15.77 |
“Season On The Line”
Geno Smith, Seahawks vs. Cardinals
Mixed in with some elite throws downfield were two interceptions that changed the outcome of the game last week in the loss to the Bengals and it was the first time this season Geno Smith didn’t throw for a touchdown. It was tough on Smith, who battled a miserable showing from his offensive line to actually keep the Seahawks in the contest for large periods. His connections with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett downfield were eye-catching and deserved better from a real life and fantasy point of view.
Smith goes up against a Cardinals defense that is allowing the fourth most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. That’s a solid outlook in a game that could define the Seahawks chances of a playoff run.
Geno Smith had some of the prettiest 27 completions you'll ever see in an NFL game yesterday (@theqbschool 👀) He threw for 300+ on a good Lou Anarumo squad. There's some impressive stuff
Unfortunately – he also took a beating/OL stunk, threw 2 INTs and the team went 1/5 in RZ pic.twitter.com/wx4tNaBwjh
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) October 16, 2023
“Pack And Go”
Jordan Love, Packers at Broncos
Snapping an impressive start to the season for Jordan Love, the Week 5 loss to the Raiders on Monday Night Football was a disappointing way to go into the bye week for the Packers. The hope is that the extra time will have allowed Love and Matt LaFleur to reignite the things that made him successful in the first four weeks. The return of Aaron Jones might make the game plan a little easier and pad Love’s stats out of the backfield. What we really want to see is a better chemistry with Romeo Doubs, who hasn’t turned his target share into catches, touchdowns and points despite red zone opportunities.
A beleaguered Broncos await Love this week and there could not be a better team to get on track against.
Jordan Love rolls out and finds a wide open Christian Watson for 77 yards!
📺: #GBvsLV on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/ZjjXbjW0ad pic.twitter.com/Y1FrjP2d6x— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2023
“Howell To Win The Week”
Sam Howell, Commanders at Giants
Roster, set, repeat has been the tonic for Sam Howell in terms of fantasy this season, the Commanders quarterback is the current fantasy QB12 and that makes him a QB1 officially and in our hearts too. We have already waxed lyrical about his performance last week and this week’s matchup against an improving Giants defense will be another challenge. We are relishing seeing what happens.
55 seconds of fun Sam Howell throws pic.twitter.com/Qhk6h1ACuv
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 10, 2023
Don’t hesitate to give me your thoughts and hit me up for questions on X at @benjaminhaller1.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Jordon Kelly/ Icon Sportswire