Fantasy Football: Week 9 Streamers to Consider
Oh, no! More injuries! This season has been savage, to say the least. It seems like every single week we get at least one significant injury. This past Sunday, Drake Maye suffered a concussion, Jordan Love injured his groin, and a wide array of receivers and running backs also suffered injuries that we’ll have to monitor during the week, hoping for the best.
In times like these, streaming can be a very valuable resource to help your team survive the following weeks by getting as many points as possible from your “onesie” positions to compensate for your fallen soldiers. Like every week, here you’ll find some streaming options for the Q, K, and D/ST positions (including some occasional TEs) to help you make smart decisions and avoid the temptation of picking up Trevor Lawrence just because he scored over 24 points last week.
Don’t forget to check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings for further assistance as the week unfolds. They update them every day! And if you need spot-start suggestions for your specific lineup, go and sync your roster with the Ultimate Dashboard. You won’t regret it.
Quarterbacks
Bo Nix – Denver Broncos (35% rostered)
Making a second appearance in a row in this weekly article, Bo Nix is giving us reasons to consider him a weekly starter. Right now, he is among the top 12 QBs in fantasy points and ranks fourth in rushing yards with 259 (yes, that’s more than Jalen Hurts). He’s also been pretty good at throwing the ball and making big plays. This week, he has an excellent matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position, including some blowup performances by middle-of-the-pack QBs. Even if you don’t like streaming but you need a QB, Bo Nix might be a good pickup that you will be able to start in almost every game.
Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams (34% rostered)
This has not been a very good season for Matthew Stafford, but last week, he was finally reunited with his top two weapons: Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. This helped the offense open up so much that Stafford was able to connect with nine different receivers, completing 25 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. That was on Thursday night, so Stafford and all his amazing weapons will have enough time to rest and be ready for what is projected to be a high-scoring affair against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jameis Winston – Cleveland Browns (10% rostered)
This is for the desperate souls who need to shoot for the moon to win their matchups (isn’t it always like that with Jameis Winston). In his first start since 2022, he achieved an important 29-24 win for the Cleveland Browns against the Baltimore Ravens, throwing for over 300 yards, something this team hadn’t been able to do with Deshaun Watson. He showed good chemistry with Cedric Tillman and David Njoku, and he should have more games like this going forward. But we also know his gunslinging style has often led to some interceptions, so this week against the Chargers, he will be a high-risk/high-reward kind of streamer.
Kickers
Brandon McManus – Green Bay Packers (19% rostered)
You were warned last week: Brandon McManus was going to score a lot of fantasy points against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Luckily, he is still available in the vast majority of leagues. In his first two weeks as a Packer, McManus has been perfect, nailing all his extra point and field goal attempts. Even if Jordan Love misses the next game against the Detroit Lions, it should still be a high-scoring game with a lot of kicking opportunities on both sides of the ball.
Jake Bates – Detroit Lions (35% rostered)
Since this game has the week’s second-highest over/under, it’s my duty to once again mention Jake Bates. He’s been almost perfect this season, and the Lions are constantly feeding him with scoring opportunities. Even in matchups like last week’s Thursday night game in which he only had one field goal attempt, he managed to surpass the 10 fantasy point threshold thanks to the crazy amount of extra points he had the chance to score. Jake Bates should be among the top scorers at the position this week.
Joshua Karty – Los Angeles Rams (3% rostered)
If you’re not convinced by your current kicker, Joshua Karty might be a good streaming option this week. With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back from injury, the Rams look like a completely different team. They are a scoring machine, and that’s why their matchup against the Seattle Seahawks is among the week’s highest Vegas lines. Last week, Karty was only needed for extra-point attempts, and that hurt his fantasy score. But this week, he should get a lot of kicking opportunities. Let’s hope some of them come in the form of field goals.
Defense & Special Teams
Washington Commanders (21% rostered)
The ‘Manders struggled on defense during the first quarter of the season, but they have been improving lately, scoring 10+ fantasy points in three of the last four games. Last week, they contained Caleb Williams admirably, and now they’ll have a dream-scenario matchup against the New York Giants, who have allowed 10 fantasy points on average to opposing D/ST by letting everyone sack Daniel Jones as many times as they want.
Cincinnati Bengals (24% rostered)
The Bengals D/ST has been a fantasy rollercoaster this season, with more lows than highs. And after last week’s negative point result against Philadelphia, I don’t think a lot of fantasy managers will have the guts to stream them. So if you dare to pick them up, you might not need to fight anyone on waivers for them. But they have a very favorable matchup this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to the position and really have only one star talent left: Brock Bowers. He, Gardner Minshew, Jakobi Meyers, and Alexander Mattison are trying their best to move the offense, but the damage they can do is not much. The Bengals are a safe play this week.
New England Patriots (4% rostered)
The Patriots have not been good on defense this season, but they’ve shown some glimpses of hope against struggling offenses. This week, they’ll face the Tennessee Titans, and no one is struggling more on offense this season than them. Mason Rudolph might have had a decent fantasy performance last week against the Lions, but he and the Titans still gave away a couple of interceptions, one sack, three fumbles, and a defensive TD. The Patriots’ D/ST can definitely be streamed this week.
BONUS: Tight End
Taysom Hill – New Orleans Saints (21% rostered)
The Swiss Army knife man is back from injury, and he’s once again doing a little bit of everything. Last week, he had four targets, rushed for 20 yards, threw a pass, and even forced a safety while playing with the special teams unit. It wasn’t a big performance fantasy-wise, but we all know the kind of ceiling Taysom Hill can have in good matchups. This week, he’ll play against the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. If you need a TE to fill in for George Kittle this week, Taysom Hill could be a decent option.