Hello and welcome to the Week 16 waiver wire watch for quarterbacks!
The first week of the fantasy playoffs is in the books and some of you are a step closer to winning your league and claiming bragging rights over your friends. Meanwhile, some of you are fighting for your life in the loser’s bracket and trying to avoid finishing last. Either way, it’s time to start lookiing for ways to fortify your rosters for the next round of the postseason.
We’ll go over some QB performers that you should consider scooping off the waiver wire ahead of Week 16 and as always, we’ll classify a waiver add as someone who is rostered in 60% of leagues at the max. As a reminder, bye weeks a no longer a thing at this juncture of the year, so every team will be in action for the rest of the way.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (54.7%)
Lawrence is dialed in right now and led the Jaguars to their fifth straight win in a 48-20 clowning of the Jets on Sunday. 330 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, and six total touchdowns were the numbers that he put up in what was his the best regular-season performance of his five-year pro career, finishing the week as the top fantasy quarterback with 44.3 points.
The former No. 1 overall pick has gotten better throughout the second half of the season and that was notably his third straight week without an interception. He has the 10-4 Jags inching closer to the AFC South title and with the Chiefs being eliminated from the postseason, he’s one of the QB’s who could finally break through when the playoffs begin next month. We’ve been telling you to grab T-Law for weeks now and there’s still a chance to find him on your waiver wire.
Week 16 matchup: @ Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Arizona Cardinals (35.0%)
The Cardinals were pantsed by the Texans 40-20 on Sunday and once again, the team’s success (or lack there of) is irrelevant to this conversation. It’s all about Brissett, who once again had another solid day in fantasy with 249 passing yards and three touchdowns to one interceptions, earning 21.6 fantasy points for mangers in the process. Jonathan Gannon is still just letting him rip to close out this miserable campaign as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 40 pass attempts.
The veteran journeyman is still the garbage time king in fantasy for this season and it will remain that way for the rest of the way. Need a top-20 QB that can help you through the rest of your playoff bracket? He’s sitting right there.
Week 16 matchup: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 4:05 p.m. ET
Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons (8.8%)
Cousins has been the boogeyman to the Buccaneers throughout his career and he did it to them again in the Falcons’ 29-28 victory last Thursday night. The veteran Pro Bowler had his most productive game since, well, last year’s Thursday night win over the Bucs, throwing for 373 passing yards and three touchdowns while leading the team back from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter.
Cousins has been mostly solid since replacing the injured Michael Penix Jr. last month and is in all likelihood playing his final games in a Falcons uniform. His connection with weapons like Kyle Pitts Sr., Bijan Robinson, and even David Sills V last Thursday was impressive and that could possibly allow the Falcons to scrape together a few more wins before the season ends. If you’re desperate for QB streaming options for this week, he’s a guy worth taking a look at off the wire.
Week 16 matchup: @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings (30.2%)
Well, well, well, McCarthy is showing us something late in the season and he was able to go down to Jerry World and grab a 34-26 win over the Cowboys for Sunday Night Football. The second-year QB out of Michigan had his best start of his career so far, throwing for 250 passing yards with two touchdowns and one pick through the air, but the biggest highlight came when he fooled the Dallas defense on a bootleg and literally griddy’d into the end zone for a score.
That’s now six total touchdowns in the last two weeks for the Vikings QB as he’s beginning to stave off some questions over his ability to actually lead this franchise. He’s certainly not afraid to air it out downfield to weapons like Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison as his 9.39 ADOT ranks fourth among starting QB’s this season. He’s been a top-10 fantasy QB for the past two weeks and is worth a look for their matchup against the Giants this weekend.
Week 16 matchup: @ New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET
