Fantasy Football: Week 9 Streamers To Consider
Bye weeks are tough. We just survived the first bye-pocalypse of the season, and it was brutal. Hopefully, you made the right tweaks and lineup decisions to get a win. While this week brings fewer teams on bye, it still won’t be easy. The Eagles, Buccaneers, Jets, and Browns will all be off, which means plenty of must-start players won’t be available. It’s time to prepare accordingly.
Weeks like this are where the art of streaming becomes especially relevant. It’s not just about replacing your starters to fill out a lineup. It’s also about identifying positions where you could actually upgrade for the week by targeting a player with a more favorable matchup or in a better fantasy situation.
That’s the purpose of this weekly article: to highlight the most interesting streamers at QB, K, D/ST, and TE. As always, don’t forget to check Andy, Mike, and Jason’s weekly rankings and the Ultimate Dashboard, an amazing companion full of tools to help you build the best possible lineup.
Let’s take a look at the top streamers for Week 9.
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold – Seattle Seahawks (43% rostered)
It’s pretty wild how available Darnold is right now. He was the QB13 before the Seahawks’ bye week. And their schedule is quite QB-friendly. This week, he will face the Washington Commanders, who have allowed over 19 fantasy points per game to the QB position. He has great weapons, so he can even be considered more than a streamer. If he is available in your league, he might even be your ticket out of streaming land.
Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins (22% rostered)
It definitely takes some guts to recommend Tua as a streamer this season. But after his performance last week in Atlanta, he deserves at least a look. Coming off one of the worst games of his career against the Browns, he bounced back in a big way, completing 20 passes for 205 yards and four TDs. That confidence boost should carry over into this week’s matchup against the Ravens, who have been allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to QBs. It might sound scary, but if your starter is on bye, Tua might be a very serviceable option.
Mac Jones – San Francisco 49ers (10% rostered)
It’s still early to be sure, but it looks like Mac Jones will continue starting for the 49ers after throwing for 193 yards and two TDs last week against the Texans. He’s filled in well for Brock Purdy and has been fantasy-relevant when the matchup allows. This week, he’ll face the Giants, who are giving up over 21 fantasy points per game to QBs, making Mac a solid streaming option.
Jacoby Brissett – Arizona Cardinals (3% rostered)
Another “nasty boy” to monitor this week, unless Kyler Murray is cleared to return from injury (in which case Murray would be the recommended streamer here). In two starts, Brissett has completed 52 passes for 599 yards and two TDs, even bringing life to some previously irrelevant Cardinals weapons. Whoever starts for Arizona this week will have a dream matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to QBs this season.
Kickers
Cairo Santos – Chicago Bears (3% rostered)
He returned after missing two games with an injury and, despite missing his second field goal of the season, had a decent performance. This week, the Bears face the Bengals in what could be one of the highest-scoring games of the week. Since Joe Flacco arrived in Cincinnati, the Bengals have become a goldmine for fantasy scoring on offense as they continue to be pretty bad on defense. Given the projected shootout, Cairo Santos is one of the top kicker streamers this week.
Riley Patterson – Miami Dolphins (2% rostered)
Riley Patterson has been one of the few reliable pieces on this otherwise forgettable Dolphins season. In eight games, he has missed just one kick. After Miami’s strong showing in Week 8 against Atlanta, he should have plenty of scoring chances this week versus Baltimore, in what Vegas projects as one of the two highest-scoring games of the week.
Will Reichard – Minnesota Vikings (32% rostered)
Last week, the Vikings’ offense completely stalled against the Chargers, and Reichard missed one of his two field goal attempts, leading to a disappointing fantasy day. But this week could be a different story in a divisional matchup against the Lions. With a 47.5 over/under and despite Detroit being favored by 8.5, Reichard should get enough opportunities to be a solid streaming option.
Matt Prater – Buffalo Bills (40% rostered)
Highly disrespected all season long, the veteran returned from the bye and immediately scored double-digit fantasy points, despite missing an extra point. This week, the Bills will host the Chiefs in what could easily be the highest-scoring game of the week. With Tyler Bass still on injury reserve, Prater will have several scoring opportunities, making him arguably the most appealing kicker streamer for Week 9.
Defense & Special Teams
Los Angeles Rams (34% rostered)
They were massively dropped this past bye-pocalypse week, but the Rams’ DST might be the best streaming option this week. They will play against the Saints, who might finally start their rookie QB Tyler Shough. It is an excellent matchup for an already great defense.
Detroit Lions (46% rostered)
The Lions are still available in many leagues after their bye week, despite being one of the top fantasy defenses this season. This week, they will face the Vikings, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing DSTs due to frequent offensive mishaps. J.J. McCarthy is expected to return as the starter, which could reduce some of those mistakes, but the Lions remain a solid streaming option.
Los Angeles Chargers (30% rostered)
The Chargers’ defense has had some outstanding performances this year and just sacked Carson Wentz five times. That was the perfect warm-up for this week’s matchup against the Titans, the team that’s allowed the most sacks in the NFL. Rookie QB Cam Ward continues to struggle behind a weak offensive line. All this makes the Chargers one of the best DST streaming options for this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars (9% rostered)
The Jaguars have had some fantasy volatility, but now they are fresh off a bye and face the Raiders, who have been a mess on offense and are giving up the second-most fantasy points to DST. Geno Smith has been constantly under pressure behind a shaky offensive line, and the Jags should be able to capitalize.
BONUS: Tight Ends
Colston Loveland (25% rostered)
With Cole Kmet sidelined by a back injury, it looked like Loveland was set for a breakout last week. But he only managed three catches for 38 yards. It’s still early to say, but Kmet may miss at least another game. If that’s the case, Loveland will get another chance to shine, this time in a much better matchup against the Bengals, who are allowing the most fantasy points per game to TEs this season.