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Justin's top fantasy football streaming options at QB, RB, WR, and TE based on upcoming strength of schedule and team defenses. Pickup and start these players.
We're four weeks into the NFL season, which means that while we still don't know a lot about the teams in the league, we do know slightly more than we knew a month ago.
For example, we have some data about defenses now, which means we can start to think about how we can target those defenses. Someone giving up a lot of points to QBs? Let's stream the QB they face next week. Someone allowing a lot of receiving yards to running backs? Let's see who might be a good DFS sleeper play over the next few weeks.
Let's take a position by position look at how to stream against struggling defenses. Data on points allowed per position is coming from FantasyPros. Streaming recs are rostered in around 50 percent of leagues or less. I'll be looking solely at the next five weeks of the season because things can definitely change between now and then.
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- Running back (RB) rankings
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- Quarterback (QB) rankings
- Tight end (TE) rankings
- Defense (D/ST) rankings
- Kicker (K) rankings
- FLEX rankings
- Dynasty rankings
Quarterback
Bottom Five Defenses: Washington, Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa (HM: Houston, 0.2 PPG behind Tampa)
Possible Weekly Streams
- Week 5: Zach Wilson (@ATL), Jameis Winston (@WAS), Daniel Jones (@DAL), Jacoby Brissett (@TB), Mac Jones (@HOU)
- Week 6: Carson Wentz (vs HOU), Mac Jones (vs DAL), Taylor Heinicke (vs KC)
- Week 7: The Dolphins QB (vs ATL)
- Week 8: Sam Darnold (@ ATL), Daniel Jones (@KC), Jameis Winston (vs TB)
- Week 9: The Dolphins QB (vs HOU), Jameis Winston (vs ATL)
The Dolphins schedule sets up nicely for some streaming, with Jacoby Brissett this week and then either Brissett or Tua Tagovailoa in Week 7 and Week 9, depending on Tua's injury status.
Week 5 is chock full of streaming plays at quarterback, with five players getting matchups against one of these bottom six defenses. But if you want to be forward-looking with your streaming and grab someone who could be usable for multiple weeks, I think Mac Jones is a strong option -- he plays the Texans this week and then the Cowboys next week. Against a Tampa defense that also ranks in the bottom five, Jones threw for 275 yards and a pair of touchdowns despite playing in some bad weather. His real-life performance wasn't as good as people made it sound like, but it was solid enough for fantasy, and these next two games are good ones.
You could also stream Daniel Jones, who has great Week 5 and Week 7 matchups that also line up with some opportunities to stream his receiver/tight end. Or, because streaming at multiple positions is probably a bad strategy, it's a chance to get some cheap DFS stacks going to help you better allocate your salary elsewhere. Whatever. The point is that there are some good streaming plays at QB coming up.
Running Back
Bottom Five Defenses: Detroit, Jets, Seattle, Miami, Kansas City
Possible Weekly Streams
- Week 5: Ronald Jones II (vs MIA)
- Week 6: Samaje Perine (@DET), J.D. McKissic (vs KC)
- Week 7: Brandon Bolden (vs NYJ)
- Week 8: Samaje Perine (@NYJ, but Joe Mixon will probably be back by Week 8, right?), Kenneth Gainwell (@DET)
- Week 9: Mark Ingram III (@MIA)
Honestly, streaming at running back is by far the least viable position to stream at. None of these options are that good. You should have a solid group of RBs on your roster at all times and the only reason to dip down to the waiver wire and grab someone who you'd immediately play would be if an injury boosted someone into a larger.
That's why Perine is on this list but also shouldn't be. By the time this publishes, waivers will have run, and Perine will be grabbed in a lot of spots because of the Joe Mixon injury. Starting RBs are all rostered and backups who are still on the wire don't usually have much standalone value. That's just how things are going in the NFL right now. Gainwell will probably wind up rostered in a lot of leagues by Week 8 too.
Bolden in Week 7 might be the only real streaming play here. The Jets have allowed 32 receptions to running backs, tied for second in the league. They've allowed 288 receiving yards to backs, just one yard behind Seattle, who has allowed the most. The Jets are yet to allow a receiving touchdown to a back, but Bolden's increased passing game usage will make him an intriguing streaming choice for that meeting.
Wide Receiver
Bottom Five Defenses: Tennessee, Tampa, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta
Possible Weekly Streams
- Week 5: Jamison Crowder (@ATL), Darius Slayton (@DAL), Hunter Renfrow (vs CHI), DeVante Parker (@TB)
- Week 6: Randall Cobb (@CHI), Nelson Agholor (vs DAL)
- Week 7: Darnell Mooney (@TB), Josh Gordon (@TEN), DeVante Parker (vs ATL)
- Week 8: Terrace Marshall Jr. (@ATL), Zach Pascal (vs TEN), K.J. Osborn (vs DAL), Deonte Harris (vs TB)
- Week 9: Tim Patrick (@DAL), Van Jefferson (vs TEN), Deonte Harris (vs ATL)
Like running back, the options aren't great here. But let's focus on two things: Week 5, and who appears here multiple times.
First, this week. As mentioned above, you can stack Daniel Jones with a wideout against this Cowboys pass defense and be in good shape. I have Slayton listed above, but he's dealing with a hamstring injury, so if he's out again, maybe it's Kadarius Toney. Trevon Diggs is likely to trail Kenny Golladay all game, leaving room for the other receivers on the field to get much easier matchups.
Jamison Crowder is another good option against the Falcons. In his first game back, he was targeted nine times. We could see Zach Wilson use Crowder as his safety valve over and over and over and over...
As for multi-week streamers, I've got two names: DeVante Parker and Deonte Harris. Yeah, yeah -- they aren't fun names, but they're names. The quarterback uncertainty in Miami might scare you off of Parker, but he's had seven targets or more in every game and gets Tampa this week -- hello, garbage time points! -- and Atlanta in Week 7. Some good opportunities for him.
The other player is Deonte Harris, who has the same two matchups, just in Weeks 8 and 9. I actually don't know if Harris will be worth streaming, but whoever is operating in the role of the No. 1 wideout -- assuming Michael Thomas isn't back -- by that part of the season will be worth a look as a low-floor but high-ceiling play.
Tight End
Bottom Five Defenses: Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Giants, Jacksonville (HM: Tampa, 0.1 PPG behind Jacksonville)
Possible Weekly Streams
- Week 5: Dalton Schultz / Blake Jarwin(vs NYG), Evan Engram (@DAL), Jonnu Smith/Hunter Henry (@HOU), Anthony Firkser (@ JAX)
- Week 6: Jared Cook (@BAL), Jonnu Smith/Hunter Henry (vs DAL), Zach Ertz (vs TB)
- Week 7: Maxx Williams (vs HOU), C.J. Uzomah (@BAL)
- Week 8: Tyler Conklin (vs DAL), Gerald Everett (vs JAX)
- Week 9: Dawson Knox (@JAC, will be rostered way over the streaming threshold by then), Tyler Conklin (@BAL)
Week 5 features a streaming tight end battle between the Cowboys and Giants! Schultz isn't a streamer at this point -- if he's on your waiver wire, pick him up and just make him your tight end.
Week 5 and Week 6 set up to be good weeks for the Patriots' tight ends, but obviously with two of them, things are a guessing game. Henry's role has grown over the past two games, but Smith has gotten more consistent targets all year. Both caught their first touchdowns of the season last game. Both were targeted five times in that game. Smith's low (one catch for four yards against the Saints) is really low, while Henry has had some bigger plays, even without the same amount of targets. Henry is on the field a bit more, so there's that.
Tyler Conklin appears twice on this list. I guess you could play Tyler Conklin, maybe.
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