Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense Rankings | Week 8

As we turn the page on Week 7, we have officially reached the halfway point of the fantasy regular season. If your leagues look like mine, one or two teams are having a great year, another one or two are dwelling in the cellar, and the rest of the league is within one game of each other, fighting for a playoff spot. These next few weeks are CRUCIAL in fantasy football. Don’t throw your season away running out the same disappointing QB or TE just because you wasted a draft pick on them. Find your wins on the waiver wire. Here are the best streaming options at QB, TE, and Defense from our Week 8 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, 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 8 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

Russell Wilson vs. NYG

I wouldn’t usually start my blurb by talking about another player, but I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention Caleb Williams. As of yesterday, he was only available in 40% of leagues, so he doesn’t qualify for Stream of the Week, but you should check on him first. He went on bye very hot and has one of the best schedules for QBs to end the season. If he’s not available, Russell Wilson is a good consolation prize for Week 8. Wilson started his first game of the season in Week 7 and scored three TDs, two passing and one rushing. He elevated the whole Pittsburgh offense, and now they have another winnable matchup against the other NY team. The Giants give up the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs and have allowed 16 or more points to every QB they’ve faced since Week 3. It should be back-to-back Top 10 finishes for Russ.

Other Options

• Jared Goff vs. TEN
• Sam Darnold @ LAR
• Jameis Winston vs. CAR
• Bo Nix vs. BAL

Tight End

Cade Otton vs. ATL

It’s not very often I pick the same player as my Stream of the Week in back-to-back weeks. It’s even more unusual for a TE to finish in the Top 5 and still be available enough to call a Stream. But here we are with Otton. As I mentioned last week, after a slow start, Otton has become a favorite for Baker Mayfield. He is the TE5 in fantasy since Week 3. Now, with Chris Godwin done for the year and Mike Evans on the shelf until Week 11, Otton will become an even more significant part of this offense. He is the only active receiver or tight end on the Tampa Bay roster with more than 15 targets this season. The Falcons are a middle-of-the-road matchup for tight ends, but they have allowed at least one tight end to score six or more fantasy points in every game this season. That probably represents Otton’s floor, and if he scores a TD, he’ll be a top-5 option again this week.

Other Options

• Hunter Henry vs. NYJ
• Taysom Hill @ LAC
• Noah Fant vs. BUF
• Dalton Schultz vs. IND

Green Bay Packers @ JAX

Choosing Green Bay is about betting on a good defense. Despite their offensive woes this year, the Jags don’t give up a ton of points to fantasy defenses regularly. They have allowed multiple sacks in four of seven games and turned the ball over multiple times in three games. They are a boom-or-must matchup, and Green Bay has the talent to bring the boom. The Packers have the third-best fantasy defense this season and have beaten up better offenses than Jacksonville. They rank seventh in the NFL for QB sacks and lead the league in takeaways. At the very least, the Packers have a safe floor in Week 8, and if they get after Trevor Lawrence, it could be another great week.

Other Options

• Chargers vs. NO
• Texans vs. IND
• Saints @ LAC
• Bears @ WAS

Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find Club Fantasy’s Week 8 rankings here and the rest of our Week 8 content here!