Going into a week where quarterback change was minimal, Week 12 saw another non-starting quarterback make his way into a game.
This time it was a familiar name on a familiar team, as Matt Flynn entered a game Scott Tolzien started.
Flynn’s second chance with the Packers is a reminder to 2-QB fantasy footballers that no matter how much we think we control our team, anything can, and usually does happen.
In the case of the Packers, we went from having a quarterback (Tolzien) safely stowed away in the QB2 streaming role, only to make way for another quarterback (Flynn), who was probably on the waivers of many 2-QB leagues, to finish off the game.
Remember, fantasy football is an uncontrollable game, no matter how much control we think we have. With that in mind, let us look at some potential 2-QB waiver wire adds for the stretch fantasy playoff run.
Matt Flynn
This is your one-week waiver wire savior. If you combine the fantasy points scored by Tolzien and Flynn in Week 12, they would have combined to be the second highest scoring fantasy quarterback for the week, after Philip Rivers.
There’s no guarantee Flynn will be starting this week versus the Detroit Lions, but after Tolzien completed only 42.1 percent of his passes through a little more than two quarters of play versus the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Flynn has the upper hand in the competition.
Flynn has a history versus the Lions. As a Packer, as he once threw for almost 500 yards and six touchdowns against them–in one game. That was Flynn’s money contract game, and he’s been living off it his entire career.
Even if Flynn isn’t the most attractive looking turkey this week, he still gets to go up against a Lions’ defense which is having trouble stopping the pass.
On the season, the Lions give up an average of 290.6 passing yards per game, and have allowed 14 passing touchdowns in their last five games, while not intercepting a passer once in those same five games.
In six games this year, quarterbacks have scored multiple passing touchdowns versus the Lions, and that total would be seven, if you combine Josh McCown and Jay Cutler’s stat totals in Week 10.
The match-up is right for Flynn, or Tolzien.
Trust the poor pass coverage numbers of the Lions’ pass defense, and roll with Flynn this week, if you’re looking for a potentially high risk/high reward move.
Matt McGloin
It wasn’t his near-20 fantasy points and QB1 finish from Week 11, but Matt McGloin did put up 13 standard fantasy points against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12.
McGloin’s showing versus a Titans defense which has been holding quarterbacks in check this year was impressive enough for the Raiders to give McGloin another shot this week.
A Thanksgiving match-up versus the Dallas Cowboys awaits McGloin, and he should be able to flirt with low-end QB1/high-end QB2 numbers, as the Cowboys are one of the worst pass defending teams in the NFL.
Fantasy wise, no team has given up more fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks than the Cowboys this year, and when you dig deep, and take a closer look at the numbers, you see just how bad it’s been for the Cowboys’ defense.
Every opposing fantasy quarterback, minus Nick Foles’ Week 7 aberration game, has scored at least 14 fantasy points against the Cowboys. And six of the 11 quarterbacks the Cowboys have faced, have scored 20+ fantasy points, with three of those quarterbacks scoring 30+ fantasy points.
Except for Foles, and Robert Griffin III, every quarterback has scored at least one passing touchdowns versus the Cowboys this year, with three four-passing touchdown performances on the stat sheet.
There’s a chance McGloin will succumb to game flow though, as the Cowboys are also putrid at stopping the run, which could lead to the hot-as-of-late Rashad Jennings, and the potentially returning Darren McFadden to run wild on the Cowboys, leaving McGloin to be nothing but a game manager.
The match-up looks good on paper for McGloin, but there’s a possibility you could come away from the game with an upset stomach, feeling like you do when you eat too much stuffing
Playoff season provides three not-so imposing match-ups for McGloin, as he and the Raiders go up against the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego Chargers. If you pick up McGloin now, there’s a chance you might start him during the fantasy playoffs.
Brandon Weeden
Everything old is new again in Cleveland, as a concussion to Jason Campbell forced Brandon Weeden back under center Sunday versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns play the Jaguars this week, and if Weeden’s kicking around your 2-QB waiver wire, you could do worse than starting a quarterback who has Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron to throw to.
Not to mention Weeden would get to face a Jaguars defense, who before Case Keenum in Week 12, had given up three straight top-4 or better fantasy quarterback performances.
