Stream of the Week: QB, TE, and Defense Rankings | Week 17

I have written 16 weeks of intros, and frankly, I’m tired! Let me get to the point! It’s Christmas Eve, the games start early this week, and you have a title to win. Let’s finish what we started and win that championship with the best QB, TE, and Defense streaming options from our  Week 17 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 touchdowns. Although the world uses 6-point passing touchdowns, data providers love 4-point, and I am trying to keep this simple.

If you want to see my old picks, this link will take you to my past Stream of the Week articles.

Week 17 Streams of the Week

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

Quarterback

Bryce Young @ TB

I have been on the Bryce Young bandwagon for a while now, and it feels good to see this kid play well. He has thrown at least one passing TD in each of his last eight games, and over the last four, he’s added a rushing element, scoring a rushing TD in three games. Over that four-game span, Young is the QB8 in fantasy. The last time he faced Tampa Bay, back in Week 13, he also finished as the QB8 in fantasy. The stars are aligning for another Top 10 week. Young might not have the same upside as Caleb Williams or Anthony Richardson, but he has a far safer floor.

Other Options

• Caleb Williams vs. SEA
• Anthony Richardson @ NYG
• Drake Maye vs. LAC
• Geno Smith @ CHI

Tight End

Chigoziem Okonkwo @ JAX

Mason Rudolph loves Chig Okonkwo. That is abundantly clear. Over the last two games, Okonkwo has seen 21 targets. If you look at every tight end to play in the NFL this season, only 50 have more than 21 targets. Okonkwo has done that in two games. In that span, he has scored the most fantasy points of any tight end despite not scoring a single touchdown. The Jags have allowed seven tight end touchdowns this season, so I think Okonkwo can find the endzone this week. Yes, the Jags shut Okonkwo down just three weeks ago, but that was with Will Levis at QB. I never thought I’d say this, but Mason Rudolph will solve that problem.

Other Options

• Dalton Schultz vs. BAL
• Brenton Strange vs. TEN
• Pat Freiermuth vs. KC
• Ja’Tavian Sanders @ TB

Los Angeles Chargers @ NE

Despite their recent struggles, the Chargers are still the seventh-nest fantasy defense in 2024. They’ve faced a run of good offenses, but the last time they faced bad offense, Atlanta, back in Week 13, they were the second-best defense in fantasy. Is New England a bad offense? They allow the fifth-most points to fantasy defenses this season, so I think they fit the bill. Drake Maye has played well enough, but the team will still turn the ball over and struggle to score points. The game is also in New England in December, and bad weather could play in the defense’s favor.

Other Options

• Colts @ NYG
• Bills vs. NYJ
• Dolphins @ CLE
• Commanders vs. ATL

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!