NFL

3 Fantasy Football Quarterback Streaming Options for Week 2

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 Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, but when the top-end signal callers draw a tough matchup, their upside can oftentimes be matched by a waiver-wire option in a more favorable situation.

In Week 1, Matthew Stafford got us 27.6 fantasy points on his way to a QB4 finish for the week. Last season in this series, we streamed to an average of 17.76 points per game -- which came out to the QB16 -- with seven top-12 weeks.

If you're looking for some quarterback options from the waiver wire -- regardless of league size -- we have you covered. Here are three quarterbacks owned in fewer than roughly 30% of Yahoo! leagues who are in good spots this week.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Yahoo Ownership: 10%

Andy Dalton looked surprisingly good in a tough Week 1 draw at the Seattle Seahawks, throwing for 418 yards and two scores on his way to 20.72 fantasy points. We can't expect him to chuck it 51 times again this week -- though the Cincinnati Bengals could be sans Joe Mixon (ankle) -- but Dalton has a much easier matchup this time around, getting the San Francisco 49ers at home.

San Fran's defense looked capable in Week 1, but Jameis Winston deserves a lot of the credit for that. This is a 49ers D that allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in 2018, and they're a unit we can attack here with Cincy a 1.0-point favorite.

Dalton has long been a much better performer outside of the AFC, especially the AFC North. For his career, he averages 248.5 passing yards per game and 7.41 adjusted yards per attempt against NFC foes, compared to 231.1 passing yards and 6.79 adjusted yards per attempt versus the AFC.

Our models rank Dalton as the QB17 for the week, projecting him for 16.8 points.

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Yahoo Ownership: 32%

Josh Allen just misses our ownership cutoff of 30%, but if he's available in your league, prioritize him over Dalton.

In Week 1, Allen showed exactly why he's such a solid streamer, rescuing a fairly meh day with a rushing score. He finished with 254 passing yards, one score and two picks through the air, adding 10 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown as a runner.

Over 13 career games, Allen has either 20 rushing yards or a rushing touchdown in 12 outings. That raises his weekly floor, and the ceiling is huge as he's got four games with 90-plus rushing yards. Across his past seven starts, he's gone for fewer than 15 fantasy points just once, with three games of at least 25 points.

This week he goes back to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants in a game that could look a lot like the Buffalo Bills' Week 1 win over the New York Jets -- ugly and low-scoring. Buffalo is a 2.0-point favorite with an implied total of 22.75 points.

Our models rank Allen as a QB1 for this week, slotting him as the QB12 and projecting him for 17.94 points. He's the top streamer of the week among guys owner in fewer than 40% of leagues.

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Yahoo Ownership: 8%

Marcus Mariota threw just 24 passes in Week 1 at the Cleveland Browns, completing only 14, but he managed to rack up 24.32 fantasy points thanks to some big plays. He ended the Tennessee Titans' victory with 248 passing yards and three tuddies, two of which went to old faithful Delanie Walker.

Mariota has a much softer matchup in Week 2, getting the Indianapolis Colts in Nashville. Philip Rivers smoked Indy for 333 yards and three scores in Week 1, and while Rivers is a few notches above Mariota in terms of proven quarterback play, Mariota can succeed in this spot.

Over his career, Mariota throws for roughly 26 more yards per game at home than he does on the road, and his legs -- 24 rushing yards last week -- are a nice bonus.

In all, this is a solid spot for Mariota to have a decent day, though he lacks the upside of Allen or Dalton. Still, with Walker back, Derrick Henry proving to be a capable pass-game option and A.J. Brown looking electric early on, Mariota could be in for a bounce-back campaign. We project him for 16.22 points, making him our QB20 for the week.