If you’re like me, you’ve been having quite the eventful fantasy football season. Losing your starting quarterback in a fourteen-person league is never fun, but when you also lose your second-round draft choice, things can get real dicey, real quick. I’ve been doing my research however, and have come up with a list of players to look out for that can help you get back on track in time for playoffs.
Of course, none of these players’ success can be guaranteed with the NFL trade deadline on the horizon and the overall sloppy football happening across the league. And obviously, while the injury bug is going around, no one is safe. However, these players have a bright future ahead given the current circumstances and how they’ve been trending.
I’ll give two options per position to look for and we’ll begin with one which I left on the back burner during my draft in favor of the skill positions: quarterback.
With my seventh-round draft choice, I selected Trey Lance. Yeah, it’s been rough. After his average week one performance, the second-year Niners starter suffered an ankle injury causing him to be thrusted to the injured reserve. It was time to go waiver wire shopping.
First, I settled on a combination of Jared Goff and Marcus Mariota who were serviceable for a time, but eventually became a very hot and cold combination which I could not stand to deal with any longer. Finally, I set my sights on an Eagles rival: Danny Dimes.
That’s right, Daniel Jones is a reasonable option in fantasy football. Jones and the 6-1 Giants have been a tough opponent to any team which challenges them throughout the 2022 season. Much of this success is through the star running back, Saqoun Barkely, who is finally healthy. The quarterback, for his part, has been a solid starter who has not only kept turnovers to a healthy low, but also has added rushing potential to his gameplay in a more consistent way, adding to his appeal as a fantasy option. The Giants play Seattle’s porous defense this week which makes for a great reason to begin to roll with Jones.
Another affordable option either via trade or waivers is Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has become a hot hand as of recent weeks. His rushing ability, like Jones, has kept him in the conversation for teams with struggling or injured quarterbacks. The Bears seem to have finally created some semblance of an offense around the second-year starter who was quickly thrown under the bus as a bust in many fans’ eyes. With a blowout victory and impressive performance over the Patriots’ solid defense, Fields has earned a spot as a fantasy option for those without an answer.
Some other options for quarterback include the aforementioned Jared Goff, who has hit a bit of a speed bump in his strong start to the season. Much of this can be attributed to the difficult matchups and surrounding players’ injuries he has faced in this recent stretch. Jimmy Garopollo is another quarterback whose ceiling may not be great, but whose floor can provide something for your roster to hang onto in close matchups.
Next week, I’ll cover one of the more important positions for fantasy purposes: running back.
Joseph Gill is a fourth-year English major with a minor in journalism. Jg923276@wcupa.edu