Streaming Quarterbacks: Week 14 Targets

Dec 08, 2020

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We’re now officially into the playoffs and what a way to close out the regular season for fantasy. Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield showed out for the streamers with QB1 finishes. Jalen Hurts played on multiple series and gave the Eagles a small spark on offense. Even Sam Darnold got in on the fun, scoring three touchdowns for the first time all season. The waiver wire continues to offer viable quarterback options with Week 14 being no different, despite the higher stakes. Let’s review the Week 13 results and then dive into the recommendations for the first week of the playoffs.

Other Week 14 Streaming Articles: DST | TE | K

Week 13 Review

It was another productive week for the streamers. Carr, Mayfield, and Kirk Cousins all finished within the Top 12, with Philip Rivers and Tua Tagovailoa inside the Top 18. Regardless of the results, it’s important to recognize the small shifts within each offense that enabled their big days to see if we can capitalize on the changes moving forward.

Top Streamers*
- Kirk Cousins – 21.4 pts (QB10)
- Philip Rivers – 19.2 pts (QB15)
- Derek Carr – 31.7 pts (QB1)
Deep Plays*
- Baker Mayfield – 29.5 pts (QB3)
- Tua Tagovailoa – 16.1pts (QB18)

*All ranks pending Tuesday Night Football.

The process pointed us to Carr as one of the better plays given the Raiders were facing the Jets (20.0 aFPA). They did struggle with multiple three-and-out drives, but ended the game with an average of 40.1 yards per drive (average 37.1 yards per drive on the season). It should be noted 11.9 of his points came on plays he hasn’t typically made. He had a two-yard run for a touchdown with Josh Jacobs out and completed a 46-yard touchdown to retake the lead with just five seconds left in the game. We’ll take the positive variance but shouldn’t expect similar performances moving forward.

Baker Mayfield also saw a positive change on offense. His 66.7% red-zone passing rate was the highest it’s been all season. He was also able to convert his deep-pass attempts into 131 yards and a touchdown (second-highest deep-ball yards on the season). Mayfield now has back-to-back games with a touchdown pass of 15 air yards or more. His neutral passing rate also ticked up to 60.0%, but the Browns had a multi-score lead by the end of the half. Regardless, we’ll take the aggression as a positive sign for the passing game as they face Baltimore in Week 14.