Quarterback Waiver Wire Adds: Should You Add Jordan Love, Daniel Jones or Kirk Cousins, While Dropping Jared Goff or Justin Fields?
Week 2 of the NFL season has wrapped up, giving fantasy owners two weeks of data to assess for most players.
Every quarterback, minus New York Jets’ Zach Wilson - who basically played a starting role in week 1 after Aaron Roders’ injury - has two starts under their belts. Let’s dive into the FantasySP Fantasy Assistant tool and see which QBs fantasy owners are adding and dropping and then help you make a decision if you are on the fence about making one.
Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love, New York Giants’ Daniel Jones and Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins are the three-most added quarterbacks at the time of this publication, while Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff and Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields are being dropped the most.
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Jordan Love Fantasy Outlook
After a strong opening week, Love put together another three-touchdown performance in week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. This time however, Love threw for just 151 yards. His completion percentage was just above his mark in week 1, completing 14-of-25 passes.
Love again took care of the football and did not throw an interception or lose a fumble for a second straight week. He’s one of only eight starting quarterbacks without an interception, and he’s only been sacked twice so far.
Love’s stats again weren’t all that stellar, but avoiding negative points is definitely a plus for fantasy owners searching for some more points at the position. His passing yardage could have been a lot higher had the defense not been called for two long defensive pass interference flags.
The Packers will face the undefeated New Orleans Saints in their home opener this coming Sunday. New Orleans has allowed just 351 passing yards and one touchdown to opposing quarterbacks through two weeks.
One thing to keep an eye on is the health of Green Bay linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins. Bakhtiari missed the Atlanta game, and Jenkins will miss at least a few weeks with a sprained MCL.
Daniel Jones Fantasy Outlook
Jones bounced back from a rough week 1 with a strong showing in week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. Jones threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns while completing 26 of his 37 attempts. He was intercepted once.
Jones also rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown while helping his team rally from a 20-0 deficit.
Jones appeared to lose a big weapon on offense after running back Saquon Barkley left with an ankle sprain, but coach Brian Daboll said the star back hasn’t even been ruled out for this Thursday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Jones might be asked to run a bit more even if Barkley plays, so that’s something to keep in mind.
The 49ers have surprisingly not defended the pass well to start the season. San Fran is in the bottom 10 spots in the league in passing yards allowed. The Niners have only allowed 21 rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks, but also have not faced a quarterback that can run like Jones can.
Kirk Cousins Fantasy Outlook
The Vikings are 0-2 on the season, but that hasn’t stopped Cousins from putting up some monster numbers. Cousins is second in the league in passing yards (708) after throwing for 364 yards in a Thursday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Cousins completed 31 of his 44 attempts and tossed four interceptions. He didn’t throw a pick, but did lose a fumble, his fourth turnover of the season already.
As the Vikings continue to be a pass-heavy team, Cousins is certainly going to be capable of putting up big numbers on a weekly basis. With all the weapons he has in the passing game, 300+ yards and multiple touchdowns seem achievable, but it also opens the door for opposing teams to pin their ears back, get pressure on the quarterback and create more turnovers.
Cousins has another favorable matchup ahead in week 3, facing off against a Los Angeles Chargers defense that has allowed the most passing yards (712) in the league through two weeks. The Chargers have allowed four passing touchdowns while picking off one pass.
Jared Goff Fantasy Outlook
I’m a little surprised to see Goff being dropped after putting up 323 passing yards and three touchdowns in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in week 2. Goff was picked off once and was sacked twice. He completed 28-of-35 passes.
Goff finished week 2 with more completions, yards and touchdowns than in week 1.
Goff might be without one of his offensive weapons for a little bit, as running back David Montgomery is dealing with a quad injury. But with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs in the RB room, and plenty of other pass catchers to throw to, Goff still has the talent around him to be successful.
Detroit will battle the Falcons in week 3 of the NFL season. Atlanta is second in the league in passing yards allowed (297) so far, but have given up four passing touchdowns.
Justin Fields Fantasy Outlook
It’s been a rough start to the season for Fields and the Chicago Bears. After being sacked four times and turning the ball over twice in the opener, Fields was sacked six times and threw two interceptions in week 2. The quarterback also fumbled twice, but did not lose either.
Fields completed 16 of his 29 passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, totaling 211 passing yards. The positive for Fields’ owners most weeks is that even when he doesn’t put up huge passing numbers, he usually makes up for it as a runner. That wasn’t the case in week 2, as he attempted just four runs that gained three yards. A rushing touchdown helped salvage a few points for the owners that started him.
I wrote last week about selling high on Fields, but now you probably won’t get nearly the value you expected for a quarterback drafted as high as he was. His trade value plummeted way down, and he now has a player rating of just 10.04 according to our charts after sitting at around 21.5 last week.
Despite being a first-round pick of Chicago in 2021, Fields’ time as the starting quarterback might be dwindling quickly. He’s going to have to get things going soon if he wants to stick in Chicago for the long haul.
Fields and the Bears take on the Kansas City Chiefs on the road in week 3. Fields is facing a defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in passing yards allowed (469). The Chiefs have not faced off against a true running threat at the quarterback position yet.
Who To Add?
I am on board with people adding Love, Jones and Cousins. If you are simply streaming quarterbacks, then Cousins is the quarterback I’d target this week given his matchup with the Chargers. I also like Cousins in the long-term view of things, as the Vikings are likely going to remain a pass-first team.
Between Jones and Love, I would lean Jones given his rushing ability. Love’s production might take a bit of a hit without some key members of the offensive line being healthy.
Who To Drop?
As mentioned before, I’m not exactly sure what Goff did in week 2 that has owners dropping him. His matchup is not great for week 3, but I still would have no problem starting him over a number of other starting quarterbacks. I would not drop Goff.
I’m also not quite ready to completely drop Fields at this point. You spent a high pick on the Bears’ quarterback, and that all would go to waste if you bail on him now. I’d try dangling him out in a trade before dropping him this week. Personally, I’d hold him for another couple weeks, but keep him out of your starting lineups. If he plays better, then you could put him back into your lineup or deal him away. If he continues to struggle, then at that point, I’d be more comfortable dropping him.