Fantasy Football: Week 2 Streamers To Consider
Week 1 of the NFL’s 2023 season is now in the books and it gave us a lot of interesting surprises. Whether you won or lost your first matchup, it’s time to start thinking about the next one. What worked for your team? Which areas do you need to improve? And most importantly: did you get what you expected from your quarterback, kicker, and D/ST? If not, don’t worry. In this weekly article, you will find streaming options to help you squeeze as many points as possible out of these positions every week.
So let’s dive again into the streaming pool. And of course, don’t forget to check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings and the Start/Sit tool to help you with difficult decisions when setting up your final lineup for Week 2.
Quarterbacks
Mac Jones – New England Patriots (14% rostered)
Even though he was a top-five QB in Week 1, the idea of streaming Mac Jones might seem scary. He averaged only 5.8 yards per attempt against the Eagles, but the game script helped him boost his numbers. He was forced to pass a lot to keep up with the score, which made him reach 316 yards and score three passing TDs. This week he is playing against the Miami Dolphins, a team that allowed the second most points to the QB position in 2022. And that Week 1 shootout against the Chargers proved that Vic Fangio and the Dolphins’ defense still have a lot to improve. Mac Jones might not be the most exciting QB to start, but the matchup is great.
Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks (75% rostered)
Yes, I know. Geno Smith is heavily rostered. But after a disappointing Week 1 performance, he will be rage-dropped in a lot of leagues and you might find him available in yours. The Seahawks are playing the Detroit Lions in Week 2, which is still one of the best matchups for QBs, despite how much they seem to have improved this past offseason. The Lions allowed around 20 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks in 2022. They just gave 20.54 to a Kelce-less Patrick Mahomes, so Geno Smith is in a great spot for a bounce-back game against Detroit.
C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans (25% rostered)
The rookie QB had a decent regular season debut against a very strong Ravens defense. His Week 1 fantasy finish wasn’t great, mainly because he didn’t score a touchdown. But he gave us enough reasons to consider him a solid streamer in favorable matchups. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans clearly wants C.J. Stroud to toss the ball around. 54 of the 72 plays run by the Texans were passing plays, which means the team is confident in their rookie QB. He showed a strong connection with Nico Collins and has an interesting cast of other players at his disposal to throw the ball to. The Texans are playing the Colts in Week 2, which is a very streamable matchup since they allowed 17.81 average points to QBs in 2022.
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13% rostered)
In last week’s streamers article, I highlighted Jordan Love‘s great matchup against the Chicago Bears. Even with a decimated receiver corps, he took advantage of the matchup and finished among the top five. Now it’s Baker Mayfield’s turn. After making some mistakes at the beginning of the game, he managed to make things work, completing 24 of 34 passes for 173 yards and two TDs. Baker Mayfield will surely have his ups and downs during the season, but he has very trustworthy receivers and everything is set for him to have a very solid fantasy performance in Week 2.
Kickers
Jake Elliott – Philadelphia Eagles (64% rostered)
Surprisingly available in 46% of leagues, Jake Elliott is coming off a great Week 1 performance. He converted all of his four field goal opportunities in a game that turned out to be more high-scoring than expected. Elliott’s Week 2 matchup against the Vikings projects to be even better. The Vegas over/under line is 48.5 and the Eagles are 7.5 points favorites, which means they’re expected to score around 28 total points. This makes Jake Elliott an absolute green-light kicker according to the categorization I mentioned last week, so scoop him up if he’s available.
Brandon McManus – Jacksonville Jaguars (45% rostered)
The Jaguars are coming off a relatively easy win against the Indianapolis Colts, in which they didn’t need much from Brandon McManus. However, he delivered on what was asked of him, nailing his lone field-goal attempt and scoring four extra points. The Jags will now face the Kansas City Chiefs in what projects to be the highest-scoring game of the week, a potential shootout with a lot of opportunities for kicker points.
Riley Patterson – Detroit Lions (15% rostered)
Sadly, Riley Patterson was disappointing last week in the kickoff game against the Chiefs. But he wasn’t that bad actually. He nailed all of his three opportunities. The problem is he didn’t attempt a single field goal. He will have better chances in Week 2 in an indoor game at home against the Seattle Seahawks. The Lions are 5.5 points favorites in a game with a 49 over/under line, where both teams will be able to air it out and give their kickers a lot of scoring opportunities. Riley Patterson is also a green light for me this week.
Jason Myers – Seattle Seahawks (53% rostered)
On the other side of the ball at the same game is Jason Myers, a very trustworthy player who finished as the fourth-best fantasy kicker last season. He hit the right post in one of his three field-goal attempts last week, but he will also benefit from playing under a dome in Week 2, as coaches tend to favor long field goal attempts when playing indoors. He is not as available as his opponent Riley Patterson, but if you find him on your waiver wire, Jason Myers might be a great streamer for this week.
Defense & Special Teams
New Orleans Saints (51% rostered)
Still available in almost half of the leagues, the New Orleans Saints’ D/ST is still a great option for fantasy managers looking for a long-term streaming relationship. The Saints gave Ryan Tannehill a really hard time, intercepting him three times and sacking him in three more plays. Their schedule is really good for defenses during the first half of the season and they have a juicy matchup in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers, who just made a middle-of-the-pack Falcon defense look great. Scoop the Saints’ D/ST up if they are still there for the taking in your league.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3% rostered)
The Bucs’ D/ST had a very solid Week 1 performance against a scary Vikings offense. They are widely available in almost every league and are a great streamer option for Week 2. The Chicago Bears allowed 9.35 points on average to the position in 2022 and they just opened their season allowing 16 points to Green Bay, so if you need a D/ST to stream this week, Tampa Bay is a great option.
Washington Commanders (61% rostered)
A lot of fantasy managers saw the ‘Manders as a one-week rental against the Cardinals. But they’re actually not bad. And they have a favorable matchup against the Denver Broncos, who allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses in 2022. The Broncos are expected to be better this year with Sean Payton, but they are still struggling with some key injuries on offense, so check if someone dropped the Commanders’ D/ST in your league.
Cleveland Browns (6% rostered)
The Browns managed to shut down the Cincinnati Bengals’ powerful offense in Week 1. They were on fire and didn’t allow Joe Burrow to complete a pass longer than 12 yards. They will now face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who struggled heavily against the 49ers and might be without their top wideout Diontae Johnson, who suffered a hamstring injury. That makes the Cleveland D/ST one of the most interesting streaming options for Week 2.
New York Giants (0% rostered)
This one is for the brave, the bold, and the desperate. The Giants are coming off a terrible season opener in which they were obliterated by the Cowboys 40-0. But even though their D/ST scored zero fantasy points, most of those 40 points weren’t actually allowed by the Giants’ defense. It was a rainy game with a lot of offensive mistakes by Daniel Jones & Co. that led to that disastrous box score. The Giants have a great opportunity to turn things around in an easy Week 2 matchup against the Cardinals, who gave a bit of a fight to the Commanders but still allowed their D/ST to score 13 fantasy points.