Fantasy Football: Week 2 Streamers To Consider
Football is finally back! What a Week 1 we had, full of studs, duds, surprises, and even a couple of unexpected injuries. But the season is just beginning and this is the time to start tweaking and fixing our rosters to get them ready for a championship run. If you drafted Jordan Love and feel like your season is over, don’t panic. You’ve come to the right place.
This weekly article aims to give you some streaming options to try to get as many points as possible from the QB, K, and D/ST positions. Of course, if you need further help deciding between two or more players, Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings can be very helpful, as well as the Start/Sit Tool.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some streamers for Week 2.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (42% rostered)
After a very solid 2023 season where he finished in the top 12, Baker Mayfield was once again an afterthought in most drafts despite having almost the same offensive weapons. He finished Week 1 as the QB2 after completing 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. It would be foolish to expect this kind of performance from him every week but he is very good in favorable matchups. And guess what? This week he has a very juicy matchup one the Detroit Lions, who allowed the third most fantasy points to QBs last season. This game has the week’s third-highest over/under, so stream Baker with confidence in this potential shootout.
Kirk Cousins – Atlanta Falcons (53% rostered)
Don’t give up on Captain Kirk yet. Yes, he had a horrendous performance in his first start as a Falcon, but he’ll have a chance to bounce back this week in a tough but enticing matchup against the Eagles. Philly allowed the second-most fantasy points to the QB position in 2023 and in Week 1 they let Jordan Love throw the ball around before he got injured. It might take some guts, but Kirk Cousins can be streamed this week.
Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams (60% rostered)
Another relatively available streamer with a great Week 2 matchup is Matthew Stafford. He opened the season eclipsing the 300-yard mark, reminding us of what he can do with a healthy Cooper Kupp. He won’t have his other elite wideout Puka Nacua, who is headed to IR after injuring his knee last Sunday. But he has a great divisional matchup against the Cardinals who allowed over 19 fantasy points on average to QBs last season and have an improved offense capable of keeping up with the score like they did against the Bills last week.
Kickers
Jake Bates – Detroit Lions (13% rostered)
It’s a little soon to tell, but Jake Bates could end up being this season’s Brandon Aubrey. A little-known rookie kicker, with a very accurate leg, playing in a high-scoring team. And as a bonus, he’ll play all his home games under a dome. He started his NFL career with a perfect slate, converting all his opportunities (two field goals and two extra points). The Lions are 6.5-point favorites against the Bucs in what projects to be the third-highest-scoring game of the week, so he’ll have a chance to continue on the right path. Get him before your league mates find out about him.
Matt Prater – Arizona Cardinals (2% rostered)
I know it’s hard to envision the Cardinals as a high-scoring team. But they almost beat the Bills in Week 1 and they’ll now face the Rams in a game that should once again deliver a lot of points. The Vegas line is 49.5 and the Cardinals are underdogs by only 1.5 points. Matt Prater was perfect in Week 1, converting two field goals and two extra points. This offense will keep moving as long as Kyler Murray stays healthy and Prater should get a lot of opportunities this week.
Joshua Karty – Los Angeles Rams (3% rostered)
On the other side of the ball in the same potential shootout, Rams’ kicker Joshua Karty is another interesting rookie to watch out for this season. He also nailed two field goals and two PATs in Week 1 against Detroit and he seems to be the answer to one of the Rams’ major headaches from 2023. It looks like they’ve finally found a reliable kicker who will have the chance to continue proving himself this week against the Cardinals.
Cairo Santos – Chicago Bears (15% rostered)
Last week Cairo Santos scored almost half of his team’s points, converting on all his opportunities. You might not remember this, but last season Santos finished as the K4 in fantasy football and even if Caleb Williams takes a little while to get a grip on this offense, the Bears should be much better at moving the ball this season and providing their kicker with enough opportunities to shine. This week they’ll play against the Texans in a game with a decent 46.5 over/under, making Cairo Santos a solid streaming play.
Defense & Special Teams
Los Angeles Chargers (8% rostered)
The key to streaming defenses is to target poor quarterback play and it seems that the team to target this season is -at least for now- the same as in 2023: the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young had a rough season opener and it’s clear the team is still in rebuild mode. The young QB completed only 13 of 30 passes and threw two interceptions. Dave Canales has a lot of work ahead of him but for now, playing the Chargers DST against the Panthers in a game with a 39.5 over/under is a smart move.
Washington Commanders (18% rostered)
If we’re talking about targeting offenses with poor QB play, we have to consider playing DST against Daniel Jones. After looking awful in Week 1 and throwing two picks, the Giants have confirmed he will remain the starter and this is good news for the DST streaming crowd. The Washington Commanders weren’t able to contain Baker Mayfield in Week 1, but keeping Danny Dimes in check should be a much easier task in what projects to be a low-scoring affair in Washington.
Seattle Seahawks (54% rostered)
Not as available as the other options in this list, but the Seahawks DST did a very decent job against the Broncos last week. If they’re available in your league, you should consider streaming them this week against New England. The Pats were better offensively than expected against the Bengals last week, but last season they were among the top 3 in points allowed to the position. This game has the week’s lowest expected point total, so the Seahawks’ DST should even have a safe floor.
Indianapolis Colts (3% rostered)
Last but not least, the Indianapolis Colts might also be playing against a subpar QB this week when they face the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love will be out for several weeks and Malik Willis will be the backup at least for this week. Willis has not been good when he’s had the chance to play in the NFL. In 12 games, he has never thrown a touchdown and has been sacked 15 times already. The Colts should be able to take advantage of the situation here.