We're getting deep into the fantasy football season now, and while not many fantasy managers will have their starting quarterback on bye in Week 9 (only Brock Purdy and Russell Wilson are off), there are plenty of managers who will be scrambling to figure out who to start.
Whether streaming quarterbacks was your plan on draft day or you've been burned by drafting someone like Anthony Richardson, all hope isn't lost. As is the case almost every week, some really solid options are likely to be on your waiver wire.
Here are the top three streaming quarterbacks for fantasy football this week, all of whom are available in at least 50% of ESPN public leagues.
Fantasy Football Streaming QB Week 9
1. Sam Darnold (vs. IND) — 53.5% Available
Sam Darnold has finally cooled off some, and now he's available in over 50% of leagues again. But "cooled off some" means he's still QB13 on a per-game basis, averaging 17.4 fantasy points. And really, it's one stinker against the New York Jets that pulled down his average. Even still, he's finished top-10 at the position in scoring as often as not over his last six games.
Now he draws a plus matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed top-12 production to opposing quarterbacks on the year. That's already a pretty appealing number, but how about when we add in the fact that "opposing quarterbacks" for the Colts include Malik Willis, Will Levis and Tyler Huntley?
Darnold's not necessarily an overly high-upside start (he's yet to eclipse 25 fantasy points in a game this year), but he should be a pretty safe bet in Week 9.
2. Bo Nix (at BAL) — 63.3% Available
Let me preface this by saying that I'm absolutely not sold on Bo Nix's apparent improvements as a passer over the last few weeks. Looking good through the air against the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders is more like a bare minimum that a starting NFL quarterback should be able to achieve.
But he can be a great fantasy football asset anyway.
Nix has run for 60-plus yards in two of his last three games and has either 60-plus yards or a touchdown on the ground in six of eight games this year. That rushing production is enough to make him an attractive streaming option most weeks, and any potential passing progress is icing on the cake.
The Baltimore Ravens aren't quite as bad a matchup as you might think on the surface, either. Their defense is real-life elite, but they've also been generous from a fantasy football standpoint, giving up at least 23 fantasy points in five of their last six, and allowing the third-most points per game to the position.
3. Derek Carr (at CAR) — 88.2% Available
The big caveat is to watch for Derek Carr's availability, but he is expected to play, and that makes him a viable streaming option in deeper leagues thanks to his amazing matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
The absence of Rashid Shaheed does ding his upside some, but not nearly enough to take him out of the streaming conversation against the same defense that let him drop 21.3 fantasy points in Week 1.
The Panthers have been easily the NFL's worst defense this year, and just last week made Bo Nix look like a star with a 284-yard, 3-TD game through the air. They've given up over 20 fantasy points per game on the season, and that includes allowing that 20-point threshold to be hit by all three of Nix, Marcus Mariota and Caleb Williams within their last four games.
Keep an eye on Carr's injury status for any potential setbacks, but if he plays then he's certainly startable.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Streaming Quarterbacks to Target in Week 9.
