What is Streaming in Fantasy Football?
When playing fantasy, there are a lot of players who are considered "every week starts". Some of these players include Christian McCaffrey, Davante Adams, Travis Kelce and so on. There are a few positions in fantasy football that don't have as many every week starters. Quarterbacks, defenses and kickers are very streamable positions, meaning that they're usually able to have their spots filled in a pinch off of the waiver fire and free agency.
Every week, I'm going to bring you the most up to date streamers moving forward to make life as easy as possible for you! There will be two lists. The first list will be the best streams for the players matchup the upcoming week. The second list will be a players 3 week outlook for long term streamability.
Let's get started.
Quarterbacks:
Sam Darnold
Next Three Games - DAL, PHI, MIN
Average Ownership: 13.2%
Sleeper: 10%
NFL: 14.5%
ESPN: 15.1%
Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, Darnold is free at last! That's right, free from the grasp that is the New York Jets and Adam Gase, Sam Darnold has been thriving in Carolina. Not only has he been killing it with his new team, this week he is going up against a soft Dallas Cowboys defense. A defense that has given up 402 yards of offense per game on average so far this season. Ranked 23rd in average fantasy points given up to the QB position with 22.8.
Darnold has the weapons to compete week in, week out for a top 12 fantasy football finish. The Panthers have shown that they also have no problems making the option call on the goal line, allowing Darnold some juicy goal line carry opportunities. After the Cowboys, he gets the Eagles and Vikings, another set of softer defenses. The Minnesota Vikings also rank in the bottom 6 in terms of average QB points allowed with 23.5. If you need a stream this week, Sam is my first option for sure.
Matt Ryan
Next Games - WAS, NYJ
Average Ownership: 48.1%
Sleeper: 93%
NFL: 19.6%
ESPN: 31.6%
Okay, I know this offense is struggling. And they aren't just struggling number wise, but they are not passing the eye test in any stretch of the imagination. So why is Matt Ryan a top streamer? Because he plays the Washington Football Team and has Ridley and Pitts as weapons, that's why. Before the season began, many people believed that Washington would be a legit defense and be hard to match up against. It's early yet but... it looks like that might have been wrong. Over the first three weeks, Washington has given up 1,295 yards and 92 points. They are also ranked dead last in fantasy points allowed to the QB with an average of 27.7 points a week.
Yikes.
Then in week 5, Ryan and the Falcons take on the New York Jets so he'll be streamable then as well. Sadly, he's on BYE the following week but you'll get two games out of Ryan in one pickup this week. If you need a streaming option and he's available in your league, check out Matt Ryan.
Ryan Tannehill
Next Games - NYJ, JAX
Average: 70.2%
Sleeper: 46%
NFL: 86.5
ESPN: 78%
The Jets have been bad. Oh man, have they been bad. They haven't been the worst about giving up yardage, but instead points. They give up an average of 23.4 points a game, which is pretty awful. Ryan Tannehill is efficient with the ball and isn't usually asked to do more than is necessary, so this week he has a chance to be solid if you really need a QB start.
The meat of this pickup is the fact that the Titans play the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 5. Defensively, they're even worse than the Jets because Urban Meyer hasn't figured it out yet. If you need the stream, Tannehill should be a nice option for your fantasy football team.
Joe Burrow
Next Three Games - JAX, GB, DET
Average: 74.6%
Sleeper: 84%
NFL: 72.9%
ESPN: 67.6%
Joe Burrow is pretty widely owned in a lot of leagues. However, I feel I have to mention him with his upcoming three game schedule. Wowza... Jacksonville, Green Bay and Detroit? Get ready for the continuation of last season's breakout.
Starting with Jacksonville, they've given up 418 offensive yards, 28.3 points per game and have given up 21.5 fantasy points to quarterbacks per match this season. Mix that with an offense that's clicking and you've got a recipe for monster fantasy points
Both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions are within the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to the QB spot so Burrow is a full go.
Defenses:
Cincinnati Bengals
Next Three Games - JAX, GB, DET
Average: 21.5%
Sleeper: 12%
NFL: 10.5%
ESPN: 41.9%
The Bengals so far this season have racked up 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. Against a team with a green NFL head coach and a rookie quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, there's a chance for big fantasy points to be scored for your fantasy football team this week. Not a whole lot to say about this matchup other than the Bengals defense isn't widely owned and the Jags stink.
Green Bay is a much harder matchup but Detroit should be much kinder to the Bengals in week 6. Short term stream, yes. Long term stream, maybe if you can hold out over the Packers.
Tennessee Titans
Next Games - NYJ, JAX
Average: 25.9%
Sleeper: 17%
NFL: 24.3%
ESPN: 36.6%
The Titans are my #1 fantasy football streamers defense this week and next week. Week 1 was a bit of a mess for Tennessee but they bounced back nicely last week against the Colts in a must win divisional game. Earning three and two sacks in the past two games, they are starting to wind up and get some momentum. And what better way to build momentum than playing the worst offense in the NFL in week 4 and then Jacksonville in week 5? This past week, the Colts only put up 16 points on the Titans and they are much better than the Jets.
I expect the Titans to be a top defense over the next two weeks as their opponents lack of good offense helps them out.
Green Bay Packers
Next Three Games - PIT, CIN, CHI
Average: 25.9%
Sleeper: 23%
NFL: 35.1%
ESPN: 19.6%
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a mess and their QB situation is falling apart. The Packers have given up some of the most points to the quarterback position this fantasy football season but with Big Ben looking the way he currently does and the Steelers not having a healthy wide receiver room, the Packers are a sneaky stream to grab off the waiver wire for week 4.
The Bengals may be too tough to play the Packers defense against but when week 7 rolls around, you can certainly start them against the Chicago Bears if Matt Nagy is still the Head Coach.
Kickers:
A Twitter user by the name of @Lindellions does a weekly kicker tier list with lots of great information. I've really enjoyed them and found them useful throughout the season. I know when to admit when I'm out of my depth and kickers are not a position I claim to know a lot about. Below I'll be posting her tier list along with the top 5s fantasy points and ownership average.
Week 4: Tyler Bass vs. HOU
48.1% average league ownership
Week 4: Matt Gay vs. ARI*
40.4% average league ownership
Week 4: Evan McPherson vs. JAX
3.7% average league ownership
Week 4: Daniel Carlson @ LAC*
59.7% average league ownership
Week 4: Rodrigo Blankenship @ MIA
42.5% average league ownership
Kicking and Streaming Week 4 Conclusion:
This upcoming week 4 matchups are primed for certain players to have a top week. My favorite streams on the list are Sam Darnold, the Bengals defense, the Titans defense Tyler Bass and Matt Gay. Come back next week for more Kicking and Streaming and good luck in week 4!
Co-owner and editor of B3T Sports. I’ve been involved in the Fantasy Football community for over 8 years now. Over the past 2 seasons, I’ve begun writing fantasy football content, sports betting content and hosting 2 podcasts every single week!