Fantasy Football: Week 16 Streamers to Consider

If you’re reading this, you either won your first playoff matchup or had a first-round bye. So congratulations! You’ve made it to the fantasy semifinals. I don’t know about you, but I always find this week more challenging than championship week. Maybe it’s the threat of having to play the depressing third-place matchup. But let’s not think about that and focus on scoring as many points as possible to advance to the final round!

Streaming in the playoffs can be scary. Benching a supposedly star player in a tough game for a waiver-wire streamer with a favorable matchup might feel counterintuitive. Still, sometimes we must make tough decisions to taste the glory. In this article, you’ll find some streaming options for the QB, K, D/ST, and TE positions for Week 16.

If you’re not sure about playing one of these options over your current starters, you can always check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings and the Start/Sit Tool to compare both players and make the best choice for your lineup. You can also use the Ultimate Dashboard to get specific spot-start suggestions for your fantasy team.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers (54% rostered)

Mr. Unlimited misses having George Pickens as his go-to wide receiver. There’s no denying that. Last week, he struggled against the Eagles and registered his lowest yardage as a passer since he got the starting job in Pittsburgh. It’s still a little soon to know for sure, but Pickens might be back from injury this week, and that would be great for Russell Wilson’s upside in an excellent divisional matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, whose secondary has been terrible all season, allowing over 280 passing yards and over 20 fantasy points on average to the QB position. Monitor Pickens’ status during the week before starting Russ with full confidence, but he might be among the week’s most interesting streamers.

Aaron Rodgers – New York Jets (38% rostered)

Last week, we nailed it recommending Aaron Rodgers as a streamer. Maybe he just needed the Jets to be eliminated from playoff contention to get the pressure off his back and start balling out. He didn’t have a great passing rate, but his 16-of-30 completions were enough to rack up 289 yards, three touchdowns, and a top-five finish in a very high-scoring week for many fantasy QBs. He should once again be a solid streamer this week against the Los Angeles Rams, whose defense has been more permissive to quarterbacks lately, allowing over 19 fantasy points per game to the position.

Anthony Richardson – Indianapolis Colts (54% rostered)

Since Richardson recovered the starting QB job, he’s had some ups and downs. But even in bad games like this last one against the Denver Broncos, in which he couldn’t do much as a passer, he salvaged the day by using his legs, rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown. This week, he has a much more favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed over 17 fantasy points on average and the sixth-most rushing yards per game to quarterbacks this season. This means he should have a decent floor and a very interesting upside.

Kickers

Joshua Karty – Los Angeles Rams (6% rostered)

Last week, we highlighted Joshua Karty as a kicker who isn’t perfect but has enough volume to compensate for his mistakes and be fantasy-relevant. Well, it seems like he read the article because he went out and had a PERFECT game against the 49ers, nailing all four of his field goal attempts despite playing in rainy weather. The Rams’ offense should be better this week, advancing the ball against the New York Jets and providing their rookie kicker with his usual amount of opportunities to score fantasy points. He is widely available if you need a kicker with upside.

Anders Carlson – New York Jets (6% rostered)

Same game, same rostered percentage, but on the other side of the ball. Since the Jets signed Anders Carlson, he’s been busy kicking the ball constantly on high-scoring matchups. This clash against the Rams is projected to be among the week’s highest-scoring games. If you need a kicker to help your team advance to the fantasy championship, Carlson is a widely available streaming candidate.

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Chase McLaughlin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (51% rostered)

The fantasy football community works in mysterious ways. Chase McLaughlin was massively dropped last week after a humble fantasy finish against the Raiders in which he converted on all four of his opportunities, but they were all extra-point attempts. Then he had a monster performance last week against the Chargers, nailing four field goals and one PAT. That’s why the most useful thing to predict kicker performance is the game’s expected point total. Now, the Bucs will play against the Cowboys in what Vegas projects to be the second-highest-scoring game of the week. If McLaughlin is available in your league, he might be a valuable asset for your championship run.

Defense & Special Teams

Indianapolis Colts (15% rostered)

After their Week 14 bye, the Colts’ defense came back for a solid performance against the Denver Broncos, where they intercepted Bo Nix three times and sacked him once. This week, Indianapolis has the single best matchup for opposing D/ST: the Tennessee Titans. They’re the only team in the league that has allowed over 11 fantasy points per game to the position. Even the Bengals, who have struggled on defense all season, scored 21 fantasy points last week against the Titans. The Colts’ D/ST should provide a very solid floor this week as a streamer.

Cincinnati Bengals (26% rostered)

As mentioned last week, the Bengals were a smart pickup with streaming value for two straight weeks. They’ve already delivered on the first one against the Titans, and they’re still widely available for their second consecutive favorable matchup, this time against the Cleveland Browns, who are just below the Titans in average points allowed to D/ST. The Browns are still undecided on who will be their starting QB, but they have such a terrible offensive line this season, that it really doesn’t matter who is under center. Go ahead and stream the Bengals once again.

Atlanta Falcons (33% rostered)

The Falcons’ defense is not great. But some matchups are too good to ignore. This past Monday, they did a great job against the Raiders: four sacks, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, one safety, and they even blocked two kicks! Now they’ll face the Giants, who have lost Tommy DeVito to injury. Drew Lock is still dealing with his own injury, which might lead them to start Tim Boyle this week. You don’t even have to speculate. At this point, it doesn’t matter who the starting QB is; you can stream almost any D/ST against the New York Football Giants.

Green Bay Packers (48% rostered)

The Packers are still available in almost half of the leagues after everyone dropped them two weeks ago to avoid their game against the Lions. Last week, they sacked Geno Smith three times, got him out of the game with a knee injury, and then sacked Sam Howell four more times. This week, they get a juicy matchup against the starter-depleted New Orleans Saints, who are just wishing for the season to be over. The Packers’ D/ST should be a top streamer this week.

BONUS: Tight End

Brenton Strange – Jacksonville Jaguars (7% rostered)

With Evan Engram on injury reserve, Brenton Strange’s volume exploded. He caught 11 of 12 targets for 73 yards. None of those receptions surpassed 10 yards since he became a short-yardage escape valve for Mac Jones. This is a very useful role for a struggling quarterback like him, so Strange should maintain this kind of volume going forward, especially considering the Jaguars are quite short-handed on offensive weapons.