Fantasy Football Streaming Week 5
As this season moves along we run into bye weeks and bad matchups that could leave you scrambling to find the right player for your position of need. It could also be that you decided to punt positions like quarterback and tight end while loading up on talent at running back and receiver. Whatever your strategy is, I am here to point out some of the best streaming options for the week to fill those voids.
The positions most often streamed are quarterback, tight end, and defense. I will be giving you steaming defenses and players options each week with low ownership that are in matchups that could lead to good performances. If there are any running backs or receivers that fit these criteria along the way, I will throw them in as well.
The tools I am utilizing to come to my decisions are:
- Daily Roto – Daily Roto has Redzone data, snap counts, targets, and an awesome Lineup optimizer
- FantasyData – Advanced player metrics, stats and live odds for week five
Streaming Defenses
Streaming Defenses in Fantasy Football is becoming a key factor in your lineup decision-making process throughout the week. Last week a friend of mine lost his fantasy week purely from not paying closer attention to the schedule. Yes, the Packers are a great defense, but the Eagles were desperate for a win. They also have a great offense despite their recent injuries. Matchups are key, and there is a lot of points to be had in streaming defenses. Here are my top two recommendations for week 5:
25% owned Yahoo/47% owned ESPN
The Titans have been a solid defensive unit this season allowing 20 points or fewer in every game. For fantasy purposes, they have scored at least 8 points in 3 of 4 contests. In each of those 3 games they have at least 3 sacks and a turnover forced. This week they are at home looking at the Buffalo Bills who may be without Josh Allen. In case you didn’t know Matt Barkley is the Bills back up that is in line to start if Allen misses the game. Barkley boasts a career 10:19 touchdown to interception ratio while completing fewer than 60% of his passes. The Titans are in a position to have a dominant defensive performance at home in week 5.
39% owned Yahoo/42% owned ESPN
The Eagles are a tale of two defenses in 1. Their run defense is arguably the best in the NFL and their pass defense is one of the worst in the league. In week 5 they are at home against the New York Jets. Worst case scenario, they see Sam Darnold, fresh off of recovery from mono, under center. Best case they feast on Luke Falk. Falk’s first start saw him throw for just 98 yards and an interception. Either way, you can count on the Jets not having a run game to help their passing game and I don’t trust Falk or Darnold in his first game back to be able to challenge this Eagles defense.
Streaming Quarterbacks
36% owned Yahoo/32% owned ESPN
Jacoby Brissett has been very good over the last 2 games. He has 575 yards/5 TDs/1 INT over the 2 game span. This week Brissett and the Colts hit the road for Sunday Night Football against the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs. The most commonly known thing about the Chiefs is their offense is dominant while their defense is not. They currently are allowing the 8th most points per game to quarterbacks. Brissett is going to have to throw the ball to keep up with what the Chiefs will do on offense. This bodes well for him having a solid floor and a high ceiling.
35% owned Yahoo/15% owned ESPN
I know the memory of Andy Dalton being abysmal on Monday Night Football is fresh in your head but remember, we are talking streamers here and not a rest of the season starter. Dalton will be playing at home for only the 2nd time this season and gets an Arizona Cardinals team that can’t stop anyone, allowing the 3rd most points to quarterbacks on a weekly basis. Through 4 weeks they are allowing 289.5 passing yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game. The Bengals are an uninspiring 0-4 and that can be scary but the matchup says Dalton is a good start this week and could provide you that streaming option you need.
Streaming Tight End
16% owned Yahoo/18% owned ESPN
As much as writing up Andy Dalton pained me, this one may hurt even more. The last time Tyler Eifert had 50 receiving yards and a touchdown was week 12 of 2016. Yes, in 2016. He has only played in 13 games since then due to constantly being injured but he is obviously not a focal point in this passing game. That is the bad news. The good news? Eifert will play the Cardinals in week 5. If you have been living under a rock through 4 weeks, you may have missed that the Cardinals have no idea how to defend a tight end when they run a pass route. They are allowing 19.78 points per game to tight ends which is by far the most in the NFL. Here is a list of the tight ends the Cardinals have faced and their stat line.
- T.J. Hockenson – 6/131/1
- Mark Andrews – 8/112/1
- Greg Olsen – 6/75/2
- Will Dissly – 7/57/1
With the tight end position being a wasteland outside of the top 4, I am happy to take my chances on a tight end against a team that has allowed the position to use and abuse them.
37% owned Yahoo/36% owned ESPN
Jimmy Graham spent weeks 2 and 3 as a guy taking up space on the field. He has no catches in either game but came back to relevancy in week 4. He caught 6 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Most of these catches and yards came after Davante Adams injured his foot. This injury appears to be a turf toe type of injury leaving Adams questionable at best to play. If Adams misses this week, Graham becomes an intriguing flier. Dallas has been a middle of the pack team at defending tight ends, but a limited or out Adams should mean more opportunities for Graham.
Backs/Receivers
- Diontae Johnson (PIT) – 7% owned Yahoo/6% owned ESPN
- Taylor Gabriel (CHI) – 10% owned Yahoo/8% owned ESPN – if healthy
- Geronimo Allison (GB) – 24% owned Yahoo/27% owned ESPN – if Adams is out
- Nyheim Hines (IND) – 19% owned Yahoo/38% owned ESPN – ppr
Father to a daughter and son as well as a husband to a wife. I have a healthy obsession with football and not so healthy obsession with ice cream. I have been following the NFL closely for over a decade all while working full-time jobs, primarily as a police officer.
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