Fantasy Football: Week 16 Streamers To Consider
Week 16 is coming to town! And it’s bringing a Christmas Eve full of football games. Most leagues will be playing their Fantasy semifinals this weekend and the best advice I can give you is to stay focused during the week to get your lineup ready before the holiday spirit gets in the way. We all want to spend a wonderful time with the family but we also want to beat our opponents and get closer to that fantasy championship!
In this article, you’ll find some likely available options to help you get as many points as possible from the most streamable positions: quarterback, kicker, and defense/special teams. Remember: it doesn’t matter which players helped you reach the playoffs. If your QB has a bad matchup this week, it’s ok to bench him for a streamer with a higher upside. If you need help deciding between two or more players, you can check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings and the Start/Sit Tool.
Let’s dive into Week 16’s streaming pool!
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (54% rostered)
Let’s face it. Baker has had a much better season than anyone expected. Last week he torched the Green Bay Packers completing 22 of 28 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns. He has been throwing the ball around very successfully and he should be able to continue doing so this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the most passing yards and the third-most fantasy points to QBs over the past four weeks. The Bucs are #2 in passing yards allowed, which means we might have an offensive shootout on our hands. I would gladly stream Mayfield this week as he continues his journey to a somewhat likely division title.
Tommy DeVito – New York Giants (12% rostered)
It might take some courage to start the Giants’ backup QB in the fantasy playoffs. But this is not a normal season. 22% of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks have had season-ending injuries in 2023. So don’t feel bad about starting a backup with streaming appeal. Tommy DeVito has one of this week’s most interesting matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has consistently allowed more points to opposing quarterbacks than any other team this season. Last week DeVito took a big hit that looked like a concussion but he was able to return to the game, so he should be fine this week to help you take your team to championship week. I just lost Justin Herbert in one of my most important leagues and I will be streaming Tommy DeVito. Who’s with me?
Joe Flacco – Cleveland Browns (32% rostered)
Since getting the starter job in Cleveland, Joe Flacco has been a very solid streamer. Even after throwing three interceptions last week, he finished among the top-12 QBs. He has thrown 133 passes in only three games. This kind of volume gives him a very safe floor and makes him a trustworthy streamer. This week he’ll play against the Houston Texans, who have allowed 20.3 fantasy points on average to opposing QBs over the past four weeks. Joe Flacco’s fantasy finishes have been oscillating right around that number, so he should be more than OK as a streamer this week.
Jake Browning – Cincinnati Bengals (44% rostered)
Let’s keep talking about overachieving backup quarterbacks. Jake Browning has been great so far. He’s had his struggles at certain times, but he has managed to pass for over 270 yards in three straight games, with an amazing 76% completion rate. Each week every fantasy analyst is expecting him to come back to reality but hey, maybe these numbers are his reality. This week he will play against the Steelers, who used to be a tough matchup but have recently allowed over 20 fantasy points to Bailey Zappe and Gardner Minshew. In this QB economy, you could do much worse than Jake Browning this week.
Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks (61% rostered)
After being very close to suiting up on Monday night, Geno Smith missed his second straight game due to a groin injury, so we will have to monitor his status closely during the week. But if he is good to go, he’ll play in a very favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who have allowed 3,400 passing yards this season and 17 fantasy points per game over the past four weeks. Geno Smith has the passing skills that can shine against this kind of defense. If he is healthy and logs enough practices during the week, Geno can be streamed this Sunday.
Kickers
Jake Moody – San Francisco 49ers (49% rostered)
The 49ers’ offense is on a heater right now! Last week they provided Jake Moody with seven kicking opportunities and once again he nailed them all. He hasn’t missed an attempt since Week 7 and he should keep getting plenty of opportunities this week against the Baltimore Ravens in what should be a high-scoring matchup. As five-point home favorites, the 49ers are expected to score around 25 points according to Vegas. But they have been averaging 34.5 points over the past six weeks. Need one more reason to start Jake Moody? I’ll give you a superstitious one: he is rostered in 49% of leagues. 49%… 49ers… Could it be a sign?
Michael Badgley – Detroit Lions (0% rostered)
Last week Dan Campbell decided to rule Riley Patterson out and named Michael Badgley the starting kicker. He did a pretty good job converting all his opportunities, although none of them were field-goal attempts. But we’ve seen Badgley be a solid kicker in good matchups back when he played for the Los Angeles Chargers. This week the Lions will visit the Minnesota Vikings in a game that is projected to see the week’s second-highest score. If Michael Badgley is named the starter again, he will be a widely available streaming option.
Greg Joseph – Minnesota Vikings (5% rostered)
On the other side of the ball in the same game, Greg Joseph is looking once again as a streaming option now that Nick Mullens is throwing the rock for Minnesota. This divisional matchup against the Lions is especially important if the Vikings want to stay alive in the fight for a playoff berth. It’s no surprise this game has one of the week’s highest over/under lines. Greg Joseph hasn’t been perfect this season, but the expected volume and the fact that his game will be played indoors are good reasons to consider him a viable streamer.
Chase McLaughlin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2% rostered)
As Baker and the Buccaneers evolve as contenders for the NFC South, their offense has been scoring more points. This has presented Chase McLaughlin with many kicking opportunities and he has made the most out of them. He has only missed one kick so far this season. This week the Bucs will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in what might become a fantasy points bonanza. Both teams have been good on offense and bad on defense, which should keep the score moving. This is always good news for accurate kickers like Chase McLaughlin.
Defense & Special Teams
Washington Commanders (10% rostered)
Right now one of the best fantasy D/ST strategies is starting whichever defense is playing against the New York Jets. Robert Saleh and Aaron Rodgers’ faces during last week’s game against the Dolphins said it all. They can’t wait for this season to be over. Benching their QBs constantly for each other isn’t solving anything. They have serious offensive line problems and now it’s the Commanders’ turn to reap the benefits. Washington’s defense might be this week’s most appealing streamer.
Green Bay Packers (29% rostered)
The Carolina Panthers have become another great matchup to target. Since their bye week, they have allowed at least seven fantasy points to opposing defenses. That’s a very solid floor for the D/ST position. The Packers’ defense has been far from trustworthy this season, but this matchup is safe enough and might even be an upside play. The Panthers have allowed 14.7 fantasy points per game to opposing D/ST over the past month and now that their season is over, this average might keep increasing.
Denver Broncos (36% rostered)
After being destroyed last week by the Detroit Lions, not many fantasy managers will think about streaming the Broncos. But they will be playing against the Patriots, who just allowed the Chiefs to sack Bailey Zappe four times. New England has been allowing 11 fantasy points on average to opposing D/ST over the past four weeks and is officially out of playoff contention, while the Broncos are still very much in the hunt. Despite the bad performance last week, Denver’s defense has been good recently, and this is a great matchup to stream it.
Seattle Seahawks (18% rostered)
This week the Seahawks will visit the Tennessee Titans, who have had some interesting moments on offense with Will Levis -like that four-minute comeback against the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago- but have been a good overall matchup for opposing defenses. Last week Levis was sacked four times by the Texans. The week before, the Dolphins got a pick-six out of him. And a week earlier, the Colts sacked him four times and intercepted him twice. This Titans offense has become a recipe for D/ST fantasy points, and the Seahawks’ defense is just good enough to take advantage of it.
Comments
Wait a minute… Kickers are still played in fantasy football??