Quarterbacks fantasy football owners can target while Patrick Mahomes is out
A week by week look at who to stream.
The good news: Patrick Mahomes reportedly avoided a significant injury and will return “after a brief absence” after dislocating his kneecap on Thursday night.
That’s still bad news for fantasy football owners who have the Kansas City Chiefs megastar on their rosters … but luckily the quarterback position is so deep, you can stay afloat by streaming QBs (if you don’t have a great backup) while waiting for Mahomes to return to action.
The timeline for a return, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, was about three games, so let’s stretch it to four contests in case he needs another week and give you some names to target who could be on your waiver wire:
Week 8
Sam Darnold, New York Jets
He’s the first name I looked for when losing Mahomes. After this week, he gets the Jaguars, Dolphins, Giants and Redskins in Weeks 8 to 11. So if he’s around, scoop him up for all four weeks.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
The Texans aren’t great at stopping opposing passers and it’s possible Carr will throw a bunch in a comeback effort.
Whoever is playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers
They play the Dolphins, so that helps.
Week 9
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
He gets a Thursday night tilt against the Cardinals on the road, which could mean a lot of passing volume against a struggling secondary.
Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Texans again!
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The Redskins are a good opponent to throw on!
Week 10
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Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
The Raiders aren’t great at stopping opposing passers, so he’s an option for a Thursday night matchup.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals throw a ton mostly because their defense is so bad that Dalton needs to attempt more passes, and the Ravens’ pass D isn’t great (although we’ll see if Marcus Peters changes that).
Week 11
Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts
He’ll face the Jaguars without Jalen Ramsey, although I’m not sure Brissett will be on waivers.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Another player who gets to face the Dolphins.
Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints
It’s possible Drew Brees is back by then. But if he’s not? The Bucs are a sieve against the pass.