Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense Rankings | Week 5

The NFL is still weird. Last week was better than Week 3 for streaming, but still not great. To make matters worse, my second-guessing stopped me from having an excellent week at QB. I was debating between Justin Fields and Geno Smith for my Stream of the Week and could not decide. In that moment of uncertainty, I saw the name Caleb Williams and thought I struck gold. I moved him to the top of the list. Fields was the QB1 in Week 4. Williams was the QB22. My process is sound; my decision-making is questionable. That’s why I give you five options every week. If you can choose from my picks better than me, you could’ve built QB1, TE4, and DEF1 for the season, all from guys available in free agency. Let’s see if I can get it right from our Week 5 QB, TE, and Defense rankings.

…But I’ll understand if you go with my second option instead.

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, you’ll see how my Stream of the Week (SOTW) and Best Pick finish 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 5 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

Geno Smith vs. NYG

It was a solid Week 4 for Smith, despite the loss to Detriot. He threw for 395 yards, the most in a game this season, and one TD. It was almost two, but DK Metcalf stepped out of bounds a half-yard outside the endzone. Still, Smith was the QB8 on the week, and fantasy managers who streamed him aren’t complaining. Now he gets a home tilt against the Giants. New York is tied for allowing the 8th-most TDs to quarterbacks and has allowed three two-touchdown games in four weeks. Smith now leads the NFL in passing yards, so combine what we’ve already seen with a two-TD night, and Smith feels like a solid play in Week 5

Other Options

• Sam Darnold vs. NYJ (London)
• Justin Fields vs. DAL
• Trevor Lawrence vs. IND
• Derek Carr @ KC (Monday)

Tight End

Tucker Kraft @ LAR

Yes, I am still picking on the Rams after Cole Kmet let me down last week. It was my fault for trusting Kmet and the Bears’ offense in the first place. Kraft has played two games with Jordan Love this season. In Week 1, he scored six fantasy points. While that’s not great, it’s also not terrible for a streaming TE. In Week 4, he was the TE1 overall with 18 fantasy points. I’ll take that gamble, especially with Christian Watson out. Kraft has fully usurped Luke Musgrave and seems to have a good rapport with Jordan Love. The Rams now allow the 8th-most fantasy points to TEs and haven’t allowed fewer than six to any starting TE this season. Kraft has a decent floor and a TE1 ceiling. Perfect for streaming.

Other Options

• Taysom Hill @ KC (Monday)
• Tyler Conklin vs. MIN (London)
• Zach Ertz vs. CLE
• Colby Parkinson vs. GB

Denver Broncos vs. LV

The Raiders are a mess. After losing to Carolina, they barely beat a bad Cleveland offense last week. Now, they’re dealing with a Davante Adams business decision injury and will once again rely on Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers as their leading WRs. Throw in a sub-par running game, and you have the makings of an offense to stream against. Even with Adams, the Raiders allowed the third-most points to DEF/ST. The Broncos just held the Jets to nine points and 210 offensive yards. They could top that and pitch a shut against the Raiders. Denver is the third-ranked fantasy defense this season and ranks second in sacks, averaging four per game. They’ve also recorded multiple takeaways in two of their four games. Sacks and takeaways are what you bank on when streaming a defense, and it should be a good week for the Broncos.

Other Options

• Bears vs. CAR
• Vikings vs NYJ (London)
• Packers @ LAR
• Seahawks vs. NYG

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!