Surviving injuries can be one of the toughest jobs a fantasy football owner is faced with each week. There always seems to be plenty of depth to stream at wide receiver and tight end, but you’re forced to dig a little deeper to find replacements at running back.
Sometimes it isn’t pretty, but there are ways to patch the holes from week to week. But despite the analysts’ assertion that there is plenty of depth at quarterback, when you lose your primary signal-caller, finding a quality replacement for the long haul is as difficult as it gets.
So far this season, we’ve lost four starting quarterbacks for the year, five who have missed time due to injuries and four other teams that have made at least one change at the position. Between those 13 situations and the lack of reliability seen from Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Dalton, Blake Bortles and even Cam Newton, we are left with less than half the quarterbacks with whom we opened the season. So much for all that depth.
At this point, it should be clear as to which teams are headed to your playoffs and which ones are still fighting to get in. Many have fallen victim to the position’s unrest, and unless they’ve found a trade to fill the void, they have been forced to a very unkind waiver wire. In shallow leagues, there still might be hopefuls like Tyrod Taylor available, but if not, you’re left with the likes of Drew Stanton, Brett Hundley and the insufferable Mitch Trubisky.
Streaming quarterbacks is not easy because, with so many other owners in need as well, you have to plan at least a week in advance and make sure there is room on your roster to carry the extra ones. Find yourself a schedule grid and start mapping out each free-agent quarterback’s upcoming matchups. It’s a much easier way to sift through your options.
Paxton Lynch, or whoever is quarterbacking the Broncos, has the most favorable schedule from Weeks 10-16 with five games against bottom-ranked pass defenses. Stanton has the toughest with just two. Unfortunately, sticking with one guy probably won’t work, so streaming in others like Jacoby Brissett or Jay Cutler in Week 12, Hundley in Weeks 13 and 14 and even Joe Flacco in Week 15 may be necessary. It’s difficult, but not insurmountable.
Trading for a reliable quarterback is still recommended first. If you can’t, it’s time to put pen to paper and organize your waiver claims at least two weeks in advance. Things could change and you may actually catch lightning in a bottle, but having a plan in place at least gives you something to fall back on.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m.