We have reached the quarterpole. Hopefully, you are 4-0 and making your leaguemates green with jealous rage every time they look at your roster. If you are not, there is still plenty of time. On the streaming front, things get interesting now with bye weeks starting. That means two things: 1. There are fewer options to choose from each week, and 2. There are more people who need to stream. Welcome to the new readers. As you’ll read in a minute, the streaming crowd is having a great season so far. Let’s keep that going with the best streaming picks at QB, TE, and Defense from our Week 5 rankings.
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
As we head into Week 5, I like to take a look at the big picture of how we are doing. Last year, the QB12 averaged 18 points per game, the TE12 was at 8 per game, and the DEF12 finished at 6 per game. We compare ourselves to the 12s because, at the very least, our Streams should be equal to the last startable player at each position. After Week 4, I like to switch to comparing myself to this year’s 12s. The QB12 moved up to 20 points per game, the TE stayed at 8, and DEF picked up one point to make it 7 per game. So, how do we compare?
My Stream of the Week is at QB11 with 21 points per game, TE14 at 7 per game, and DEF2 with an outstanding 17 points per game. While TE is hurting us, we are KILLING it on DEF/ST. My best picks, whether I called them Stream of the Week or not, are currently sitting at QB3, TE1, and DEF1. Using only players available in 50% of leagues, we have built top-5 plays at every position in this article. Not too shabby.
| Last Week SOTW | Last Week Best Pick | SOTW Season Avg | Best Pick Season Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 14 fantasy points | 32 fantasy points | 17 fantasy points | 26 fantasy points |
| Rank | QB17 | QB5 | QB16 | QB2 |
| TE | 21 fantasy points | 21 fantasy points | 11 fantasy points | 16 fantasy points |
| Rank | TE1 | TE1 | TE7 | TE1 |
| DEF | 0 fantasy points | 16 fantasy points | 12 fantasy points | 16 fantasy points |
| Rank | DEF29 | DEF2 | DEF2 | DEF1 |
Note: Best Pick is the one of my five picks that scores the most points each week. I might not have called them Stream of the Week, but hopefully, you did!
Week 5 Streams of the Week
Reminder: All picks were available in over 50% of ESPN leagues after waivers had run on Wednesday.
Quarterback
Stream of the Week – C.J. Stroud @ ATL
Stroud is the QB10 on the season and should not be available in this many leagues. Your league’s loss is your gain this week. While Atlanta is middle of the road to fantasy QBs, they still give up 18 fantasy points per game. The last three QBs they’ve faced have scored 26, 20, and 18 fantasy points. With a goal of 20 points for our streaming QB, I like those odds. It also helps that the Falcons chose to skip their bye week coming back from London, and I think we could see a flat performance, even at home. Stroud hasn’t scored fewer than 24 fantasy points since Week 1 and is averaging 300 yards and almost two touchdowns per game. He feels very safe in Week 5.
Other Options
- Matthew Stafford vs. PHI
- Joshua Dobbs vs. CIN
- Jared Goff vs. CAR
- Sam Howell vs. CHI
Tight Ends
Stream of the Week – Dalton Kincaid vs. JAX in London
We’re going with rookies at QB and TE this week. Kincaid showed the first positive sign we wanted to see last week: he beat Dawson Knox in targets 5-1 during their Week 4 matchup against Miami. He caught four of those balls for just 27 yards, so it’s still just six fantasy points. But a touchdown could’ve made that a great day, and Jacksonville has given up a TE touchdown in half their games this season. They also allow the 5th-most points to the position and just got torched by Jonnu Smith for six catches and 95 yards. Kincaid should hit 6-8 points on catches and yardage alone, and that is his floor. He could easily match what Smith did and find the endzone, and we’re talking about a 20-point day. Or, based on my history with TEs this season, Dawson Knox will score two touchdowns. I prefer Kincaid, but a gamble on either makes sense.
Other Options
- Jake Ferguson @ SF
- Luke Musgrave @ LV
- Dalton Schultz @ ATL
- Hayden Hurst @ DET
DEF/ST
Stream of the Week – Detroit Lions vs. CAR
The Lions are already the 8th-best fantasy defense this season and get what looks to be a cupcake matchup at home against the Panthers. Carolina gives up the 9th-most points to DEF/ST and just let Minnesota’s defense drop 13 fantasy points last week. The Vikings managed five sacks, and the Panthers allow 3.5 sacks per game. On the other hand, the Lions average just over three sacks per game and are a better team than the Vikings. I think Aidan Hutchinson goes off this week and probably gets three sacks himself. Throw in a defensive touchdown and the Lions will be in the running to be the #1 fantasy defense in Week 5.
Other Options
- Texans @ ATL
- Patriots vs. NO
- Commanders vs. CHI
- Colts vs. TEN
Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find Club Fantasy’s Week 5 rankings here and the rest of our Week 5 content here!