Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense Rankings | Week 9

Thank you, Cade Otton! While my Stream of the Week QB and DEF were mediocre in Week 8, Otton was the overall TE1 last week, and that makes two weeks in a row he smashed as my Stream of the Week TE. Of course, he is now rostered in 70% of leagues and will never qualify on this list again, but it was fun while it lasted. We are hitting an interesting point in the season. The fantasy trade deadline is probably just a few weeks away for your league, and teams usually start to hoard decent players to see if they can trade them. That trend is definitely showing up at tight end this week, but there are still some great options at QB and DEF/ST. Let’s take a look at the best streaming options at QB, TE, and Defense from our Week 9 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 9 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

Sam Darnold vs. IND

Full disclosure: I was torn between Darnold and Bo Nix. I’m taking Darnold, so based on my track record, you should probably take Nix. Both have great matchups, but I like the weapons in Minnesota better. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and the return of TJ Hockenson, Darnold should beat up in Indy. The Colts allow the ninth-most points to QBs on the season, and two QBs have had 300+, two-TD games against them. Darnold has cooled a bit from a hot start but is still the QB15 on the season. Over his last two games, he is the QB12. He has a safe floor and a pretty incredible ceiling.

Other Options

• Bo Nix @ BAL
• Jameis Winston vs. LAC
• Joe Flacco @ MIN
• Geno Smith vs. LAR

Tight End

Noah Fant vs. LAR

While there were plenty of great options at QB and DEF, the tight end waiver pool is looking a bit thin this week. Fant has a great matchup against the Rams. They allow the third-most points to the position on the year, and over their last four games, tight ends have averaged 17 fantasy points per game as a position. Fant was pretty mediocre last week but was targeted four times with DK Metcalf out, and the Seahawks should be without the star WR again in Week 9. Fant was much better in Weeks 6 and 7, averaging over ten fantasy points, so hopefully, we see him more involved in this nice matchup.

Other Options

• Hunter Henry @ TEN
• Colby Parkinson @ SEA
• Juwan Johnson @ CAR
• Taysom Hill @ CAR

New Orleans Saints @ CAR

In the exact opposite feeling from tight end, there are a plethora of great defensive plays in Week 9. In fact, half of my Top 10 for the week are available in more than 50% of leagues and could all be streaming options. However, if I can pick on Carolina, I am going to pick on Carolina. In a trend that has continued almost all season long, the Panthers allow top-10 fantasy points to D/ST and have multiple turnovers in each of their last four games. They played the Saints in Week 1, and New Orleans was a Top 5 defense that week. That was with Diontae Johnson. Now, Bryce Young is short on weapons (height joke?), and the Saints are looking to bounce back after a rough couple of weeks, especially now that they have Derek Carr back on offense. This one could get ugly in Carolina.

Other Options

• Eagles vs. JAX
• Bills vs. MIA
• Commanders @ NYG
• Bears @ ARZ

Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find Club Fantasy’s Week 9 rankings here and the rest of our Week 9 content here!