There is almost always a decent crop of quarterbacks available on any given week, whether that be your spare QB on the bench or a host of them on the waiver wire. In today’s NFL, most quarterbacks will probably be at least “fine” from a fantasy perspective, but QBs have massive scoring potential, and, as such, they should get as much attention as the rest of your roster.
There are a few QBs that are locked into your lineup, basically regardless of matchup. I am considering those to be Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray. There are a couple of guys angling to be in that tier, but for purposes of this piece, you won’t see any of the above moving forward. If you have them, play them.
Update: this “elite” list used to include Lamar Jackson, but he has been ticked down and is now fair game in the main section.
Let’s take a look at a few typically-solid options with overall QB1 upside, some mid-range QBs that aren’t automatic starters but may be hanging out on your bench, and a bunch of decent streaming options for Week 13.
View your league’s top available players with My Playbook 
Rostered Options with Massive Upside
Lamar Jackson (BAL)
After a nasty run of losses, Baltimore is now firmly in “must-win” territory. Lamar Jackson sat out last week against the Steelers, and he’ll be looking to carry the team to a big win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Luckily for them, they’re playing the usually-lowly Cowboys, who are in the bottom ten of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, and they’ve given up double-digit fantasy points to every QB outside of the NFC East. The Ravens have the latest game again, so keep an eye on his health as we approach the weekend slate.
Deshaun Watson (HOU)
Watson has been great this season, though losing his number one weapon in Will Fuller hurts. Watson has back-to-back weeks over 31 fantasy points, and he only has three games all season below 20. The Colts are technically the third-best against opposing fantasy QBs, but they’ve given up at least 18 fantasy points in four of their last five. Don’t get cute trying to avoid the Colts defense.
Mid-Range QBs That May be Available
Ryan Tannehill (TEN)
Tannehill’s production is directly linked to that of Derrick Henry. If Henry decides he wants to score all of the touchdowns, Tannehill probably gets one, and he’s on his way. The Browns defense isn’t great across the board, but they have given up 22 passing touchdowns this season, tied for the sixth-worst in the league. This game also has the highest Vegas total (53.5) at this point, which always helps.
Streamers!
Kirk Cousins (MIN)
Oh, man. The Vikings have burned me a million times in every way imaginable, but we have to keep with our Jaguars theme no matter the cost. Cousins has over 20 fantasy points in three of his last four, and the Jaguars are the third-worst against QBs. Everything points to a nice showing for Cousins. That’s where I’m ending his piece. I’m not going to say that this is a perfect opportunity to blow up in my face. I’m not saying that.
Mitch Trubisky (CHI)
Say what you will about Trubisky as the leader of a football team, but he’s usually pretty solid from a fantasy perspective. He was apparently bad enough to be benched this season (and ended up coming back last week), but he’s averaged a respectable 17.0 fantasy points as a starter. The Lions have given up 16 or more fantasy points in all but one game this season, and I trust Trubisky to keep that trend alive. Beware with him, however, that all it takes is a few bad plays for him to get benched again for an apparently-healthy Nick Foles. There is some inherent risk here since he isn’t the clear quarterback in Chicago.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Donald Gibson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Donald, check out his archive and follow him @DonaldGibsonFF
