NFL

Week 12 Fantasy Football Quarterback Streaming: In Ryan Tannehill We Trust

Quarterback streaming isn't for everyone, but if you're in a standard league -- like a 10- or 12-team league that features just one starting signal caller -- grabbing productive quarterbacks who have good matchups off the waiver wire is often doable.

Sure, you won't have the luxury of setting it and forgetting it with Drew Brees as your quarterback, but when the top-end signal callers draw a tough matchup, their upside can be matched by a waiver-wire option in a more favorable situation.

If you're looking for some options from the waiver wire -- regardless of league size -- then we have you covered.

Last week, we had Alex Smith as our top streamer. He totaled 19.44 points and finished the week as QB8. For the year, our top recommendation has averaged 19.61 points per game, which ranks ninth on the year and is slightly ahead of the per-game average for Cam Newton (18.9), the first quarterback taken in a majority of drafts this fall. Our top streamer has been a top-10 weekly performer in seven of 11 weeks, so please don't draft your quarterback early in 2017.

In Week 11, we also recommended Colin Kaepernick and Ryan Tannehill as secondary options. Kaepernick was QB9 while Tannehill was QB17.

With last week a thing of the past, let's take a look at the top options for Week 12 among quarterbacks owned in less than 30% of ESPN leagues.

Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

ESPN Ownership: 17.0%

The San Francisco 49ers are bad, and we want to target them relentlessly in fantasy football. This week, the Miami Dolphins get a home game against those 49ers, giving their entire offense a boost.

Tannehill hasn't surpassed the 20-point mark since Week 2, but people spend their whole day on Tinder looking for something that looks as good as this matchup. The Dolphins have an implied total of 26.5 points, the sixth-highest of the week, and they're 7.5-point favorites. Over his career, Tannehill has been a much better fantasy producer in wins.

SplitGamesCompletion PercentageAdjusted Yards/AttTDsINTs
Wins3567.22%8.005816
Losses3958.81%5.654146


While San Fran -- who will be traveling across the country for a 1:00 p.m. EST kickoff -- has been miserable against the run, they've also allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. The 49ers have given up at least 21 fantasy points to the opposing quarterback in each of their last five games, and they've allowed seven QB1 (top-12) performances this season.

Seeing Ryan Tannehill atop your roster isn't fun, but start him with confidence this week.

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers

ESPN Ownership: 17.0%

Kaepernick is going to keep appearing in this piece as long as his ownership -- which is at a way-too-low 17% on ESPN -- allows it.

Since taking over the starting job, Kaepernick has been a very good fantasy option. He's scored at least 18 points in four of his five starts, and Kap is averaging 52 rushing yards per game in that span -- which is basically a free passing touchdown (and then some).

The situation this week is the same as it has been over the past few weeks, and it's probably going to be this way a lot more often than not the rest of the year. As we just covered, San Francisco is a 7.5-point underdog for their road matchup at Miami. The expected game script and Niners' fast pace will likely result in plenty of drop backs, which, in turn, should lead to more opportunities to scramble.

In two-quarterback leagues, Kaepernick is a must-start option, and he's a very safe streamer in one-quarterback leagues with an enticing ceiling due to his running ability. As an added bonus, Kap has a nice Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears, so -- as he's already proven -- he's more than a one-week play.

Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings

ESPN Ownership: 11.6%

Playing Sam Bradford on Thanksgiving could ruin a perfectly great, food-filled day off, but it's not a terrible option.

Prior to last week's game against a good Arizona Cardinals pass defense, Bradford had averaged a respectable 252.75 passing yards per game in eight starts this year, with five games of at least 260 passing yards. The Minnesota Vikings' putrid run game -- last in the league, per our metrics -- has led to solid volume for Bradford.

The matchup this week is pretty sweet as the Detroit Lions have the NFL's worst pass defense, according to our schedule-adjusted metrics, and they've allowed the third-most points to passers. In Week 9, in a home game against these same Lions, Bradford completed 31 of 40 passes for 273 yards and 1 score -- good for 15.42 fantasy points.

In terms of safety and ceiling, he's a notch or two below Tannehill and Kaepernick, but he's a decent option for desperate streamers and those in two-quarterback leagues.