Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense | Week 11 Rankings

We are in fantasy crunch time, with just four games left to make it to the playoffs and six or seven to win a championship. I also only have that much time to improve the dreadful standing of my Streams of the Week. It has already been a long season, and there is plenty to go. I was a little surprised at the caliber of players available in 50% of leagues for my Week 11 QB, TE, and Defense rankings. I got to choose some good players having down seasons at QB and DEF. At TE, well, I’ll just let you read it.

A Quick Note: You will notice that I do not cover Kicker streams. We leave that to the experts, so check out Linda’s rankings.

Accountability

From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. That might be hyperbole, but the letdown is real when you go from Justin Fields’ monster Week 9 to 21 points from Marcus Mariota. And 21 points is a good week. In fact, Mariota was the only one of my Streams of the Week to actually hit last week, as Greg Dulcich and the Broncos DEF both underperformed. All in all, we got 27 points from the three Streams of the Week. The QB12, TE12, and DEF12 are averaging 34 points per game this season, so it was another disappointing week.

While our Streams of the Week don’t look great for the year, let’s just take a second to focus on the Best of the Bunch. Every week, I give you five picks for each position. I call one of them my Stream of the Week, and in 2022, that player has not been very good. However, when you look at Best of the Bunch, I am giving you some GREAT PLAYS. This represents the best of my five weekly picks, and so far, they are the QB1, TE2, and DEF1. Considering that these players are available in 50% of leagues each week, those rankings are insane. The takeaway is that the right pick is in this article, maybe just not my top pick.

Week 11 Streams of the Week

Reminder: All picks were available in more than 50% of ESPN leagues on Wednesday after waivers had run.
2nd Reminder: You can find all of our Consensus Rankings here!

Quarterback

Stream of the Week – Russell Wilson vs Las Vegas

Let’s Ride. This was certainly not the trip Bronco’s fans were expecting. One of the best defenses in the league and one of the worst offenses. Russell Wilson was supposed to fix that exact issue, but he has been average, at best. However, the best cure for average in the NFL right now is a date with the Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson has had one great game this season, back in Week 4, against the Raiders. He went for 266 total yards and three total TDs in that game, his only top-5 fantasy finish this season. Here’s hoping Russ can cook up a repeat against the team that allows the 2nd-most points to fantasy QBs this season.

Other Options

• Jimmy Garoppolo @ ARZ
• Jared Goff @ NYG
• Marcus Mariota vs CHI
• Taylor Heinicke @ HOU

If you want more personalized advice from Ryan Weisse, you should check out ConnectGo! It’s an app that lets you get 1-on-1 advice from some of your favorite fantasy analysts. You can text them and even set up video calls to discuss waivers, trades, lineups, and whatever other fantasy football questions come to mind. Download the app today!
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Tight Ends

Stream of the Week – Cole Kmet @ ATL

As the leader of the Cole Kmet Anti-Fan Club, this was a day I had been dreading. My good friend Kyra Wiaterowski once called me The Grinch That Stole Kmet-mas, and I wore that title with pride. And now, he’s my Stream of the Week. Well, to start, I’m not dumb. Kmet has scored five TDs in three weeks and is the overall TE1 over that span. He should probably be too rostered even to make this list. Secondly, even during my hateful rants, I said there would be weeks when he is a good streaming option. You have to play the matchups.

Atlanta is a good matchup for TEs, but they present an interesting issue for Kmet. While the Falcons give up the 8th-most fantasy points to the position, they have only allowed one TE-TD this entire season. Kmet is making his name on TDs right now. Will he take advantage of the six receptions for 60 yards the Falcons allow on average? Will he even be targeted six times? He has shown big-play ability over the last two weeks, so I think he’ll be fine…but if my picking him just jinxes him, I won’t be too sad!

A quick note about Taysom Hill: As long as he meets the criteria, Hill will be my permanent #2 on this list. He offers an upside that no streaming TE can match, but his floor is still very bad. That floor is why I would never consider starting him at QB, but he is worth the gamble at TE. My fundamental issue with calling him a TE will likely prevent me from ever calling him my Stream of the Week.

Other Options

• Taysom Hill vs LAR
• Greg Dulcich vs LV
• Tyler Conklin @ NE
• Hayden Hurst @ PIT

Wondering how I made some of my decisions? Check out our DFS Matchup report. It’s great for Start/Sit decisions, too!

Defense

Stream of the Week – Los Angeles Rams @ NO

At the start of the season, the Rams were one of the most heavily drafted and rostered defenses in fantasy. I would never have expected to see them on this list. A string of mediocrity has fantasy managers fed up, but they might have bailed at the worst possible time.

The Saints give up the 3rd-most points to fantasy defenses this season, with D/ST averaging nine fantasy points against them. On average, they give up two sacks and one turnover per game and have allowed six sacks with three takeaways total over their last two games. Each of those two fantasy defenses, the Ravens and Steelers, scored 10 fantasy points. With Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsay, the Rams are in a better spot than both of those teams, and we could easily see a five-sack, two-interception game. If one of those picks goes to the house, the Rams will be a top-5 unit this week.

Other Options

• Bengals @ PIT
• Jets @ NE
• Broncos vs LV
• Commanders @ HOU

My Streams of the Week debut every Wednesday night on No Punt Intended. If you want to get ahead of the competition, join us live!