Jay Cutler Injury: Matt Moore & 4 Replacements off Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

Jay Cutler will have surgery after finishing the Chicago Bears' Week 11 win against the San Diego Chargers with a broken thumb. The surgery will sideline Cutler for six to eight weeks. This is after Cutler has increased his production and fantasy value over the past few weeks.

A few quarterbacks are emerging as fantasy options that can keep your team alive in the playoff hunt and as we reach the playoffs. A few teams that have underperformed have come on strong as of late, and their quarterbacks' fantasy value has grown tremendously.

A replacement for Cutler is necessary, whether he was your starter or bench player. Here are a few replacements for Cutler after his injury.

1. Tyler Palko: Chiefs

Tyler Palko is replacing Matt Cassel for the Kansas City Chiefs, who is out with an injury as well. For the drive Palko was in, he brought a spark to the team. The Chiefs and Palko play the New England Patriots, a team with one of the worst pass defenses in the league, and we'll see how Palko performs under pressure.

Believing that he'll do well as a serviceable backup isn't out of the question and expecting around 15-20 points is a good assumption if he can find Dwayne Bowe consistently. Limiting turnovers and going through his progression will make the yards and touchdowns pile up.

Pick him up as a serviceable QB2 or bench QB for the time being to replace Jay Cutler.

2. Carson Palmer: Oakland Raiders

People have hesitated to pick up Carson Palmer and that is good for those at the middle to bottom of leagues. Palmer has been meshing with this offense quite well even without the help of Darren McFadden.

Palmer has had more than 15 points the last two weeks, with 17 in his victory this week over Minnesota. He will only continue to get better. He can service an owner well, as he has only gotten better since joining this Raiders squad.

As McFadden gets healthy and the Raiders can play both McFadden and Bush, teams will have to create a game plan targeting the dynamic duo. This will allow Palmer to beat teams deep a few times a game, resulting in big fantasy numbers for Palmer.

Pick him up off the waiver wire as a replacement for Jay Cutler.

3. Alex Smith: San Francisco 49ers

Alex Smith is available in 66 percent of fantasy football leagues still, even after a 8-1 start for the San Francisco 49ers and a career performance from Alex Smith.

He has over the last two weeks gained 16 and 18 points respectively—this is more than enough to service your team. Alex Smith is an upside play because the 49ers' offense continues to get better as the weeks go on.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has found a way to do something no 49ers coach has done, which is make Alex Smith effective in any sense. Smith continues to heat up and the 49ers will continue to battle throughout the season as they get ready to clinch the NFC West.  Pick him up if you want 15-20 fantasy points every week consistently.

4. Matt Moore: Miami Dolphins

Matt Moore has come on very strong the last few weeks, taking the previously winless 0-7 Dolphins to three straight victories the last three weeks. Over those three weeks, Moore has averaged two touchdowns and around 200 yards over those wins, which is enough to get decent points out of the quarterback.

He is a hot waiver pickup this week and owners should try and pick him up if possible. He is the best candidate to replace Jay Cutler currently as the Dolphins try and continue their hot streak, and Moore intends to prove that he can continue to be the man in Miami.

Pick Moore up if you need more of a boost from your quarterback (pun intended). Moore will be able to replace Cutler and even produce better than Cutler would have been able to down the stretch. He's owned in a little more than one percent of leagues, so most likely he will be there to pick up off waivers.