There are just two weeks left in the fantasy season. I assume you’ve made at least one semi-final if you’re reading this. CONGRATS! You are better than all but three managers in your league—it’s time to put those losers in their place, too. With QBs dropping like flies, streaming has saved many teams’ playoff hopes. Last week, not one of the Top-12 QBs was drafted in the Top 12 at the beginning of the season. Yet, our Streams were all excellent plays. You can win with a new QB, TE, and/or Defense each week, and here are the best from our Week 16 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
Common sense says I should be humble and not jinx anything as we head into these most critical weeks of the season. I’m screaming out, “F. That.” We SMASHED last week. At QB, four of five picks hit 20+ fantasy points, and our Stream of the Week scored 22. At TE, our Stream of the Week scored 18 and finished as the TE5. And on DEF, the Colts scored 14 as our Stream of the Week and ended up as the DEF4. On the season, if you just stuck with my top pick, you’d have 16 points per game at QB, 11 at TE, and 11 at DEF. Not great at QB, but excellent at TE and DEF. Our weekly Best Pick is better than the current top player at each position. It’s been an excellent season to Stream a little Stream.
| Last Week SOTW | Last Week Best Pick | SOTW Season Avg | Best Pick Season Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 23 fantasy points | 30 fantasy points | 17 fantasy points | 28 fantasy points |
| Rank | QB13 | QB1 | QB17 | QB1 |
| TE | 9 fantasy points | 10 fantasy points | 11 fantasy points | 16 fantasy points |
| Rank | TE19 | TE16 | TE8 | TE1 |
| DEF | 0 fantasy points | 4 fantasy points | 10 fantasy points | 15 fantasy points |
| Rank | DEF29 | DEF19 | DEF1 | 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 16 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 – Baker Mayfield vs. JAX
Baker Mayfield has been really good over the last two weeks and probably should not be as available as he is in most leagues. Thank goodness most fantasy players have stopped managing their teams. Their loss is your gain. Mayfield has scored seven TDs and 61 fantasy points in the last two games. He is the QB2 in fantasy during this short span. The Jaguars give up the 4th-most fantasy points to QBs and have given up big weeks to pocket passers over the last month. The previous three they faced have averaged 322 yards, two TDs, and 30 fantasy points against them. This has all the makings of a high-scoring game, and Mayfield should repeat as a top-5 quarterback in fantasy.
Other Options
- Jake Browning @ PIT
- Will Levis vs. SEA
- Gardner Minshew @ ATL
- Derek Carr @ LAR (Thursday)
Tight Ends
Stream of the Week – Hunter Henry @ DEN
A red-hot TE facing the worst defense against TEs is a match made in heaven for streamers in Week 16. Henry has scored three TDs over the last two weeks, with a two-TD performance in Week 14. The Broncos give up the most fantasy points and the most TDs to TEs this season. They just gave an overall TE1 performance to Sam LaPorta and have allowed six TDs in their last six games. The Patriots are STRUGGLING at WR, and Bailey Zappe is leaning on Henry. That will continue in your semi-final matchup this week.
Other Options
- Isaiah Likely @ SF
- Cade Otton vs. JAX
- Tucker Kraft @ CAR
- Jonnu Smith vs. IND
DEF/ST
Stream of the Week – Indianapolis Colts @ ATL
Hopefully, you got the Colts when they were my Stream of the Week last week because you get to play them again. Indianapolis is the DEF4 on the season and ranks Top 5 in sacks, takeaways, and DEF/ST touchdowns. Those are the exact categories you need to score fantasy points. In fact, only the Dallas Cowboys have scored more TDs than the Colts, and you won’t find Dallas on many waivers. Since Week 6, only one DEF has failed to score at least five fantasy points against the Falcons, and teams are averaging seven points per game in that span. That gives the Colts a safe floor. Throw in a TD, and you have a Top 5 week!
Other Options
- Eagles vs. NYG
- Commanders @ NYJ
- Bears vs. ARZ
- Packers @ CAR
Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find Club Fantasy’s Week 16 rankings here and the rest of our Week 16 content here!