Fantasy Football: Week 3 Streamers To Consider
It’s only Week 3, but the fantasy football season is in full form, with crazy, unexpected performances and very unfortunate injuries. If you’re among the unlucky who lost players like Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, or Jordan Love, you might need to make some adjustments to other positions in your roster to compensate and score as many points as possible.
That’s what this weekly article is all about. Every Tuesday, you’ll find here some streaming options for the quarterback, kicker, and defense/special teams positions to help you remain active and switch to better options while your league mates keep starting the same player week in and week out. Sometimes, we might even throw a tight end in the mix. Always remember to check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings for further assistance in your decision-making process, and also check out the Ultimate Dashboard, where you can sync your team and find spot start suggestions to improve your chances at winning your matchup.
Let’s get into the streamers for Week 3!
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr – New Orleans Saints (21% rostered)
Are Derek Carr and this unstoppable Saints offense for real? Time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: this week he has one of the best possible matchups for QBs. The Philadelphia Eagles allowed the second-most points to the position in 2023, and this season they seem to be following the same path, which is great for fantasy. They let QBs air the ball out like crazy. We’ve seen it with Jordan Love in Week 1, and Kirk Cousins also had a much more decent passing performance this past week. If Carr keeps connecting with his wide array of receivers, tight ends, and running backs in such an effective way, he should have a very solid fantasy outing this week.
Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks (29% rostered)
I don’t want to jinx it, but after two games, it seems like the 2022 version of Geno Smith is back. Last week, he completed 33 out of 44 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown in what was projected to be a very low-scoring game against New England. He will now face the Miami Dolphins, which looks like a tricky matchup after what happened last week in Miami, where Josh Allen scored fewer than ten fantasy points and Buffalo committed to the running game. This Seahawks offensive scheme is built differently. They will be able to throw the ball over Miami’s defense, which hasn’t been great so far. Geno is a more than fine streamer this week.
Gardner Minshew – Las Vegas Raiders (11% rostered)
Minshew led an unlikely comeback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 and is starting to have a proper connection with Davante Adams and Brock Bowers. He will now have a much easier matchup against the team that allowed Derek Carr to pass for 200 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1: the Carolina Panthers. Of course, the game script could favor the running game, as it happened last week to the Chargers, but the Raiders have important weapons that will demand targets in this juicy matchup, and Minshew should be able to reap the benefits.
Kickers
Blake Grupe (5% rostered)
As Jason Moore tweeted this week, Dennis Allen is looking like a coach of the year candidate. Their offense looks renovated under Klimt Kubiak, and they’re scoring a ton of points. That’s why their Week 3 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles has a 48.5 Vegas line. Also, they will play indoors at home, which usually means more kicking opportunities. Blake Grupe’s fantasy score would’ve been much higher last week if the Saints hadn’t scored so many touchdowns. He only had one field goal attempt and nailed five of his six PATs. This team is on fire and its kicker can be streamed with confidence in matchups like this one.
Jake Bates (18% rostered)
Since he is still so widely available, it’s my duty to recommend him for the second week in a row as a streamer with long-term appeal and the potential to become this year’s Brandon Aubrey. The Lions will constantly play in high-scoring games, and this week is not the exception. They will play against the Cardinals in what projects to be the highest-scoring affair of the week. You can still get on the Bates train since fantasy managers take a while to catch up with rookie kickers. But he won’t be as available as the season progresses, so get him while you still can.
Austin Seibert (0% rostered)
Not rostered in any fantasy team, Austin Seibert was arguably the Commanders’ most valuable player last week when he scored each and every one of his teams’ points. He nailed seven out of seven field goals and naturally finished as the week’s K1. He might not repeat that kind of performance any time soon, but Washington will visit the Bengals this week in a game with one of the week’s highest expected point totals, so he should get plenty of kicking opportunities.
Matt Prater (3% rostered)
Another encore from last week. Available in almost every league, the Cardinals’ kicker has been perfect through two weeks and will once again see a lot of scoring opportunities when they host the Lions in Week 3. We have to accept that the Cardinals will keep moving the ball, and if he continues being so accurate, Matt Prater might end up being one of the season’s most productive kickers.
Defense & Special Teams
Las Vegas Raiders (7% rostered)
Even with Bryce Young benched and Andy Dalton taking the reins, the Panthers are still a team to target when streaming D/ST. The Red Rifle might be able to make some of the Panthers’ pass-catchers viable for fantasy but don’t expect them to score a lot of points. The Raiders have not been especially good on defense, but they can be started against Carolina.
Seattle Seahawks (55% rostered)
The Seahawks’ defense has had a very good start to the season, and somehow, they’re still available in almost half of the leagues. They already have five sacks and two interceptions in two games, and now they’ll face the Miami Dolphins, who will be led by Skylar Thompson (I don’t think they’ll rush to start Tyler Huntley this week), who will most likely make mistakes and get sacked more than once.
Tennessee Titans (5% rostered)
The Packers-Titans game has a 37.7 over/under line, which means there won’t be a lot of action happening at Lambeau Field this Sunday. Malik Willis did a decent job protecting the ball during his first start as a Packer against the Indianapolis Colts, but it’s a matter of time before the turnovers start to occur. If you need a D/ST for this week, the Titans might be a decent option.
BONUS: Tight End
Zach Ertz – Washington Commanders (10% rostered)
Some people have been claiming that this article should include some tight ends since it’s also a streamable position. So here we go. Despite being on many waiver lists last week, Zach Ertz is still available in 90% of leagues. When will we face the fact that Kliff Kingsbury loves him, and he might not be as washed as some people want to think? If you still don’t believe in him as a long-term fantasy asset, you can at least stream him with confidence this week against the Cincinnati Bengals, whose defense allowed the second-most points on average to tight ends last season.
Comments
Love the Raiders stretch next week weeks