This is it. We’ve reached the first of this season’s feared “Byepocalypse” weeks. All of our Falcons, Bengals, Bills, Saints, Jets, and Jaguars will be M.I.A. from our lineups this week, so we’ll be without a lot of star players, including at least three every-week starting QBs as well as some relevant kickers and D/ST.
But don’t panic. This is why the fine art of streaming exists. This weekly article is always here to suggest some viable streamers for the QB, K, and D/ST positions, as well as an occasional tight, to help you survive weeks like this one.
Don’t forget to keep checking Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings throughout the week if you need some help deciding among two or more players. I also recommend using the Fantasy Footballers’ Ultimate Dashboard as a weekly aid to get tailor-made spot-start suggestions for your roster.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Last call at the fantasy bar to get Bo Nix. His rostered percentage increased by 17% from last week when we recommended him as a streamer, and he delivered the goods, completing 28 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns. He only rushed twice in this one, but he eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the first time in his career. The rookie is having a great first season, and this week he should have a great game against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed the eight-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa had his best performance of the season last week against them, so Bo Nix should be once again an excellent streamer.
The Giants finally decided to move on from Daniel Jones, and they surprisingly decided to start Tommy DeVito instead of Drew Lock, who will still be the backup QB. I know it isn’t an exciting proposition, but I’d be willing to stream DeVito in this extremely favorable matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed more fantasy points per game than anyone else to opposing QBs this season. I would even consider streaming Daniel Jones if he were the starter. If you’re willing to go with this bold option, keep an eye out for any new developments during the week in case the Giants change their mind.
Can we trust Anthony Richardson once again? Did those two weeks warming the bench change something in him? Well, he looked pretty good last week on the road against the New York Jets, completing 20 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown while also rushing 10 times for 32 yards and two more TDs. His completion percentage increased considerably to 66%, so at least we can be sure that he will be the starter once again this week against the Detroit Lions, who have a tough defense, but there aren’t a lot of streaming options this week and Richardson has a rushing upside that very few other QBs have. Grab and stream him if he is available in your league.
The Commanders ruled out Austin Seibert for a second straight week, so it seems his injury might be more serious than everyone thought. They’ll play against the Dallas Cowboys, so there’s a good chance Zane Gonzalez gets the starting job for the third time in a game where Washington is projected to score over 27 total points as heavy favorites. Whoever kicks for the Commanders this week should be very solid for fantasy. Just make a mental note to check if Seibert is back or not before starting Gonzalez.
After being highlighted in last week’s article as a viable streamer against the San Francisco 49ers, Jason Myers delivered the goods with two 50+ yard field goals and a couple of extra points. He is still widely available, and he has an even better matchup this week against the Arizona Cardinals. This game has the week’s highest over/under, and Vegas has the Seahawks as home favorites, so there should be a lot of opportunities for Myers to keep his streak alive.
In the same game but on the other side of the ball, we’ve got Chad Ryland kicking for the Arizona Cardinals while Matt Prater is still on Injury Reserve. Prater could be activated from IR this week, but at the moment of writing this, he is still inactive. Ryland has been doing a great job, nailing all his field-goal and extra-point opportunities. Both teams are projected to score a lot of points in this game, so I would be willing to stream Chad Ryland if Prater remains inactive.
I always like streaming D/ST that are coming from their bye week. In this case, the Buccaneers are not only rested, but they also have a great matchup against the New York Giants, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. The Bucs’ secondary might be among the worst in the NFL this season, but their front seven should be able to get some sacks, regardless of who is the Giants’ starting QB this week.
The Commanders’ D/ST has shown two faces this season. But they’ve been consistently good against bad offenses, and this week, they’ll play against one of the teams that have struggled the most offensively this season: the Dallas Cowboys. They really haven’t been able to establish a solid attack, and since Dak Prescott got injured things have gone worse. Yesterday, even though Cooper Rush had a solid fantasy outing himself, the Texans’ defense was able to sack him five times, intercept him once, recover a fumble, and score a defensive touchdown. The Cowboys are an offensive mess and the Washington defense should be a very reliable streamer against them.
Many fantasy managers dropped the Chiefs’ D/ST last week because they played the Bills. And it was definitely a smart choice. But this week, they will once again be a viable streamer against the Carolina Panthers in a game with a very low 41.5 expected point total, in which the Chiefs are 11.5-point favorites. Bryce Young’s accuracy has been improving lately, but the Panthers’ offense is still very far from becoming a threat to opposing D/ST.
A dart throw for fantasy managers in desperate need of a tight end for this byepocalypse week. The rookie has seen a considerable increase in volume over the last two weeks before the team’s bye week, becoming the second-most targeted player behind only Malik Nabers. Tommy DeVito should keep relying on the young TE. This week, the Giants will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. If your tight end is on bye this week, Theo Johnson could be a light in the dark world of the tight end position.
We have to give a special mention to Week 11’s TE1 Taysom Hill. He is still available in half of the leagues, and the current situation in New Orleans has turned him into one of the main protagonists of this offense. Last week, he rushed for 138 yards and three TDs while also receiving eight of 10 targets for 50 yards. He had such a massive involvement that he scored over 38 fantasy points despite throwing an interception and losing a fumble. Of course, he will still have some bust weeks, but which TE doesn’t? His ceiling is the stratosphere, and he’ll now face the Rams, who have been permissive to tight ends and middle-of-the-pack against the rest of the positions. Ergo, since this guy plays every position, you can stream him as your TE.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
