Hello and welcome to the Week 12 quarterback waiver wire watch!
Another weekend of NFL action has wrapped up and and don’t look now, but we’re rapidly approaching Thanksgiving and that means the fantasy playoffs are right around the corner. So you better start getting things in order for a postseason run.
We’ll go over some QB performers that you should consider scooping off the waiver wire ahead of Week 12 and as always, we’ll classify a waiver add as someone who is rostered in 60% of leagues at the max.
Week 12 byes: Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers (18.0%)
Young stepped up with possibly the best game of his pro career as he led the Panthers to a 30-27 overtime victory over the Falcons. The former No. 1 overall pick briefly exited the contest with an ankle injury and still managed to throw for a career-high 448 yards and three touchdowns in the big win over their division rival. What’s promising is that he’s starting to take advantage of weapons like Tet McMillan and Xavier Legette while his 54-yard pass to Tommy Tremble set up the game-winning field goal in OT.
And hey! With the Buccaneers suddenly struggling, there’s a real chance that the Young-led Panthers could capture first place in the NFC South by the end of Week 12. Look, he ranks near the bottom in several stats for starting QB’s, but the prospect of actually being in the playoff hunt could force him to elevate his game. If you believe in the power of momentum, Young will be sitting right there on waiver wire waiting.
Week 12 matchup: @ San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET (Monday night)
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (33.6%)
Speaking of former No. 1 overall picks, Lawrence helped guide the Jaguars to a 35-6 trash-canning of the Chargers on Sunday, gaining some ground on the idle Colts in the AFC South race. T-Law finished the game with 153 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and one interception. Not spectacular, but not bad and his 16 fantasy points was right in line with what he has been producing this season.
As we’ve mentioned in previous weeks, Lawrence isn’t going to will your fantasy lineup to a win by himself, but he’s a nice piece to have if you have stronger weapons surrounding him on your roster. With the struggling Cards on deck, it might be a smart decision to scoop him up.
Week 12 matchup: @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Arizona Cardinals (19.6%)
Well, things didn’t necessarily go well for the Cardinals in their 41-22 loss to the 49ers on Sunday, but at least Brissett made some history. The veteran journeyman threw for 478 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss, but his 47 completions was an NFL record as the Cards went full 2010’s Big 12-mode and abandoned any pretense of a run game.
The team’s season appears to be cooked and it looks like they’ll be playing from behind the rest of the way, which actually opens the door for Brissett to become a garbage time fantasy king. His stats since taking over for Kyler Murray have been decent with just over 1,500 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three picks through five starts. He obviously won’t approach 57 pass attempts like he did on Sunday, but Jonathan Gannon just letting him rip in second halves could benefit fantasy managers moving forward.
Week 12 matchup: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 4:05 p.m. ET
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (43.5%)
Wooooof. That was ugly.
The “seeing ghosts” version of Sam Darnold decided to re-appear over the weekend as the veteran threw four interceptions in their 21-19 loss to the Rams on Sunday, falling a game behind in the NFC West race. Even with that disaster of a game, he nearly pulled off a game-winning drive in the final minute before Jason Myers’ last-second field goal attempt went wide right.
Darnold has cooled off over the past few weeks, but he’s still been an overall solid fantasy QB with three 20+ point performances this season. And you know what can get a QB back on track? A get-right game against the worst team in the NFL, which is what he’ll look forward to when visiting the Titans this week.
Week 12 matchup: @ Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET (Monday night)
