Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense Rankings | Week 2

One week down, 16 to go! Streaming can be fun. When you see your Week 1 Stream of the Week QB throw four TDs and finish as the QB2, that is fun. Thank you, Baker Mayfield. On the flip side, when you see every Saints TE and RB except Taysom Hill score a TD, that is less fun. That is also why I tend to boycott Hill from my Stream of the Week; his usage is too hard to predict. Regardless, it was a lesson re-learned, and we stream on. Here are the best streaming options from our Week 2 QB, TE, and Defense 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

Am I any good at this? I’ll let the numbers tell you. In this section, I’ll show you how my Stream of the Week (SOTW) and Best Pick finished every week. Since I always give five options, my Best Pick is the one that scores the most points, even if I didn’t call it the Stream of the Week. Basically, Best Pick shows you what streaming is capable of. Scores and rankings are based on PPR scoring and 4-point passing TDs. I know the world uses 6-point passing TDs, but data providers love 4-point, and I am trying to keep this simple.

Week 2 Streams of the Week

Note: All of these players were available in around 50% of ESPN leagues as of Wednesday morning after waivers had run.

Quarterback

Jared Goff vs. TB

Goff did not live up to the hype in Week 1, throwing for just 217 yards and only one TD against the Rams. That performance is why he is available in so many leagues. He gets a second home date in a row, this time with Tampa Bay. The Bucs just gave up a top-10 week to rookie Jayden Daniels, and Goff should be able to make it two in a row. While Daniels got it done with his legs, which Goff certainly will not, this Tampa Bay defense is beatable through the air, too. Last season, they gave up top-10 points to the QBs and they did not markedly improve anywhere on defense. I’m betting on Goff feeling much more comfortable at home in Week 2 and going for 250 and two TDs.

Other Options

• Matthew Stafford @ ARZ
• Baker Mayfield @ DET
• Trevor Lawrence vs. CLE
• Justin Fields @ DEN

Tight End

Mike Gesicki @ KC

We all saw what Isaiah Likely did to Kansas City last week. He torched them for nine catches, 111 yards, and one (almost two) TDs. Likely spent most of that game essentially playing slot WR, and with Ja’Marr Chase and, hopefully, Tee Higgins, Gesicki could play a similar role in Week 2. Is he as good as Likely? No. But we don’t need him to be the TE1. Gesicki can walk out of this game as a top-5 tight end with 50 yards and a TD. Last week, he saw four targets and caught three for 18 yards. He had a TD called back and then fumbled the ball into the endzone on the next play. If he can fix those mistakes in Week 2, he could be a great play.

Other Options

• Colby Parkinson @ ARZ
• Juwan Johnson @ DAL
• Jonnu Smith vs. BUF
• Chigoziem Okonkwo vs. NYJ

Defense

Los Angeles Chargers @ CAR

I’m not sure you need a paragraph of analysis here: START ANY DEFENSE AGAINST THE PANTHERS. They are very bad. The offense just gave up four sacks and three turnovers against the Saints while only scoring 10 points.  Now, they get the Chargers, who were a top-5 fantasy defense in Week 1 against the Raiders…with four sacks and three takeaways. A repeat seems like a lock, and the Chargers could even finish as the top defense in Week 2.

Other Options

• Colts @ GB
• Seahawks @ NE
• Jaguars vs. CLE
• Texans vs. CHI

Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find Club Fantasy’s Week 2 rankings here and the rest of our Week 2 content here!