Week 13 Waiver Wire Quarterback Priority List | Choosing Between Matthew Stafford, Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, Jake Browning, Kenny Pickett, Derek Carr and Tommy DeVito

For the last couple weeks, I’ve put together waiver wire priority stories on players with an own percentage of 50 or less. Usually, the quarterback position is pretty slim pickings, but going into week 13, there’s a couple of decent names.

Are the more well-known names the clear top waiver wire options, or should you be turning your attention elsewhere? Let’s dive in.

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Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

This week, we will be discussing Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, Indianapolis Colts’ Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders’ Aidan O’Connell, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati Bengals’ Jake Browning, New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr and New York Giants’ Tommy DeVito.

Stafford had arguably his best performance of the season in the Rams’ rout of the Arizona Cardinals in week 12. Stafford threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns, while being intercepted once. He completed 25-of-33 passes and was not sacked in the contest.

Stafford has reached at least 200 passing yards in all but two contests. Sunday was just the second time Stafford threw multiple touchdowns in a contest. He has thrown an interception in four straight games, and has only had three games without at least one pick.

One thing to note is that the Rams got Kyren Williams back from injury and rushed for 228 yards as a team in week 12. Having Williams back makes the Rams’ offense a much more balanced one and could open up some things for Stafford in the passing game.

Minshew led the Colts to a big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 12. He completed 24-of-41 passes for 251 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Minshew did score on the ground, rushing for 6 yards on three carries.

It wasn’t the prettiest quarterback performance, but Minshew did enough to help the Colts win. It was his most amount of passing yards in a win this season.

Minshew has now topped 200 passing yards in five games. Interceptions remain a problem, as he’s tossed seven across his past six games. 

O’Connell performed fairly well against a tough Kansas City Chiefs defense in week 12. O’Connell completed 23-of-33 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing an interception. He was only sacked one time.

It was a nice bounceback performance for the rookie after throwing three picks in the previous game. O’Connell didn’t throw an interception for just the second time.

O’Connell has now reached 200 passing yards four times this season. He’s still got more interceptions (6) than touchdown passes (4), but after the solid showing against a top-end defense, maybe O’Connell is starting to settle in.

Pickett and Browning were part of the same contest in week 12. Browning was the only one with a touchdown pass, but it was Pickett’s Steelers that prevailed 16-10.

Pickett had one of the better passing games in his career after completing 24-of-33 passes for 278 yards. He added 5 rushing yards on five attempts.

The 278 yards were the most for Pickett this season, and his 72.7 completion percentage was also a new season high. He’s now topped 200 passing yards in six games, but also has six contests without a touchdown pass.

Browning was an efficient 19-of-26 passing, throwing one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times and rushed three times for 9 yards.

It was Browning’s first start of the season and a pretty decent outing overall. If he can take care of the ball, there’s enough offensive weapons in Cincy to be at least an average fantasy quarterback.

Carr had a big game passing, but a costly pick-six ended up proving too big to overcome in a 24-15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Carr completed 24-of-38 passes on the day for 304 yards, but didn’t throw a touchdown.

It marked the fifth time Carr has thrown for over 300 yards this season, but the Saints are just 2-3 in those contests. It was the fourth time Carr has failed to throw a touchdown pass. Carr was intercepted for just the fifth time.

The Giants are now winners of two straight after DeVito led New York to an ugly 10-7 victory over the New England Patriots. DeVito completed 17-of-25 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception and was sacked six times.

While he wasn’t able to match his numbers from the previous win, DeVito put together a pretty solid performance. He’s been better than many expected and should maintain the job if he keeps up this level of play.

The Priority List

As I have in the past, I’ll break down this last section into two parts - first, looking at the week 13 matchups for each quarterback to identify the best streaming option, and then looking at the QB’s remaining schedule and giving my picks for the best options for the rest of the season.

The Rams will have a tough matchup with the Cleveland Browns in week 13. Minshew and the Colts are on the road against the Tennessee Titans. 

Pickett and the Steelers have the Cardinals in week 13, while Browning and the Bengals play Monday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carr and the Saints have the Detroit Lions.

The Raiders and Giants have their byes in week 13, so O’Connell and DeVito are out of the streaming conversation. 

While Browning has the easiest matchup on paper, I’m not comfortable enough starting him over the other four options. I’d go with the second most favorable matchup, which is Carr against the Lions’ defense that’s been shredded by the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears the past two weeks.

I’d go with Pickett next against the Cardinals, followed closely by Minshew against the Titans. I’d give the edge to Browning over Stafford - the Browns’ defense is no joke, and Stafford’s turnover woes are a problem.

The new FantasySP strength of schedule page shows Carr with the easiest remaining schedule with an A+ grade. Pickett and Minshew’s schedules are also an A+. Browning and Stafford each have a B+, while O’Connell and DeVito are at a C+. 

As for the best long-term option, I think Stafford is the guy I’d want. He’s got the most job security, and has plenty of offensive weapons around him.

I’d go with Carr next, even though I think there’s a chance the Saints could turn to Jameis Winston if the offense continues to stall out in future games. There’s a lot of talent on the Saints’ offense, and Carr usually takes good care of the ball.

Pickett and Minshew are pretty close in my book. Minshew has had the better resume this season, but I’d take a chance on Pickett based on what we saw in Pittsburgh’s new offense in week 12. 

DeVito and O’Connell are also pretty close in my book. I think both are pretty secure in their starting positions, but would give the slight edge to DeVito because he’s taken a bit better care of the football.

Browning I would take last, simply because I haven’t seen enough to trust him long term. The Bengals are on the wrong side of the playoff picture right now and could still add a different quarterback to the roster to try and sneak into the postseason.