RADIO
Throughout the fantasy football season, streaming becomes an important part of winning your weekly matchups. This is especially true when we start hitting the bye weeks. Knowing who to stream and when to stream them could be the ultimate difference-maker in a weekly matchup, and making the right streaming decisions throughout the season could easily be the difference in winning a championship.
Each week, I will create a team of streamers for you to choose from. They will be broken down based on ownership levels and league size. I will make specific recommendations for 14, 12, and 10-team leagues to give you the most guidance possible when selecting a streamer. 14-team streamers will be players with ownership levels around 15%, 12-teamers will be around 30%, and 10-teamers will be around the 45% mark. Keep in mind that just because a player is listed as a streamer for a particular league size, it does not mean you can't use them in a different league size. For instance, if a 12-team league streamer is available in your 14-team league, by all means, use them accordingly.
Let's take a look at Week 3's best streaming options with some highlighted players to keep an especially close eye on.
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Stream Team for 14-Team Leagues
QB: Joe Flacco, Denver Broncos - 75 Owned
RB: Frank Gore, Buffalo Bills - 25% Owned
RB: Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots - 14% Owned
WR: Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions - 17% Owned
WR: Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers - 25% Owned
TE: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins - 2% Owned
Joe Flacco (QB, DEN) - 7% Owned
I never in a million years thought I would be recommending Joe Flacco at any point in this column, but the situation at quarterback in 14-team leagues this week makes it so. Flacco has been relatively solid in the first two weeks, completing just under 70% of his passes for 560 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. The matchup against Green Bay this week looks tough as they have only allowed 431 yards through the air, which ranks 11th in the league, but this number is slightly skewed. Keep in mind, the Packers went up against Mitch Trubisky and the Bears' lackluster passing attack Week 1. In that game, Trubisky only put up 228 passing yards, a large chunk of which was to the running back position. Flacco has Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton as his primary targets and the game script says he will likely need to use them frequently as the Packers are 7.5 point favorites. While I do not love the idea of streaming Flacco, there are not many better choices in a 14-team league this week.
Rex Burkhead (RB, NE) - 14% Owned
Rex Burkhead should see plenty of action Week 3 vs. the Jets in a game where the Patriots are favored by 22.5 points. The implied totals have the Patriots winning by a score of 33-10. Very similar to last week, I would expect the Patriots to limit the use of Sony Michel late in the game with a massive lead. Burkhead saw plenty of action late in the third and throughout the fourth quarter last week. His final line saw him receive five carries for 21 yards and two receptions for 47 yards. This resulted in 8.8 fantasy points in a PPR league. Expect similar production this week at home vs. the Jets with the possibility of him breaking into the endzone.
Deebo Samuel (WR, SF) - 25% Owned
Last week, Jimmy G discovered Deebo Samuel. Samuel garnered seven targets, hauling in five of them for 87 yards and a touchdown. This came one week after he only saw three targets resulting in three catches for 17 yards. This week should see similar results to last week as the 49ers welcome in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers currently rank fifth-worst in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. They have given up 30 receptions for 467 yards against the position, which is good for an average of 15.6 yards per reception. They have also allowed four receiving touchdowns to wide receivers. While they did add Minkah Fitzpatrick to the secondary this week, it remains to be seen if he will be able to adjust to their scheme on such short notice. Samuel should have a nice day as he and Jimmy G continue to develop a rapport.
Stream Team for 12-Team Leagues
QB: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders - 32% Owned
RB: Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers - 41% Owned
RB: Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers - 31% Owned
WR: Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles - 31% Owned
WR: Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys - 27% Owned
TE: Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins - 23% Owned
Justin Jackson (RB, LAC) - 31% Owned
Justin Jackson has received 13 carries and two receptions on four targets the past two weeks. He has made the most of his touches by accounting for 125 total yards of offense. In Week 3 vs. the Texans, I think he has an opportunity to put up solid numbers even if he receives limited touches. Jackson has been doing damage already on limited touches as noted by his 8.9 yards per carry. The Texans' defense also happens to allow a large chunk of yards per carry as they have given up 187 rushing yards on just 34 carries, which equates to an average of 5.5 yards per carry. In a game where the Chargers are favored by a field goal, you could see Jackson carry the ball more than usual as they try to control the time of possession. He could be a solid flex play for owners in desperate need of help at the running back position in Week 3.
Randall Cobb (WR, DAL) - 27% Owned
This one almost seems too obvious. Cobb has seen 11 targets resulting in nine receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown as the number three receiver in Dallas. Now, he steps in as the number two wide receiver with Michael Gallup on the shelf. The Cowboys will be going up against a Miami defense that has allowed 327 receiving yards and four touchdowns to the wide receiver position. Add in the fact that Minkah Fitzpatrick has left for Pittsburgh, and you have a wonderful opportunity to get Cobb in your lineups.
Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) - 23% Owned
It looks as though Redskins' tight end, Jordan Reed, could miss yet another week. If this ends up being the case, Vernon Davis would be a solid choice at the position. Davis has seen 11 targets in his first two games this season, which has resulted in 7 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. This week, the Redskins face the Bears' defense, which has been susceptible to production from tight ends. The Bears rank seventh-worst vs. the tight end in terms of total fantasy points allowed. They have given up 15 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. This game is projected to be tight as the Bears are favored by only four points, so look for Washington to attempt to exploit one of the Bears' few weaknesses as often as they can.
Stream Team for 10-Team Leagues
QB: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions - 46% Owned
RB: Carlos Hyde, Houston Texans - 51% Owned
RB: Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins - 46% Owned
WR: Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs - 46% Owned
WR: D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks - 57% Owned
TE: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys - 28% Owned
Matthew Stafford (QB, DET) - 46% Owned
Matthew Stafford is having a tremendous start to 2019 as he has thrown for over 600 yards and five touchdowns in the first two weeks. In Week 3, things should not change as he faces an Eagles Defense that has struggled vs. the pass in the early going. The Eagles have allowed 87 completions, 700 passing yards, and six touchdowns to the quarterback position. Each of those ranks second-worst in the league. Add in the fact that the Eagles are third-best in the league vs. the run, and you have a team that will almost certainly be forced to throw the ball a lot. Stafford has the weapons at his disposal in Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola to have a monster day vs. the Eagles, and he likely will.
Carlos Hyde (RB, HOU) - 51% Owned
Carlos Hyde's ownership levels are starting to creep up to the point where he may no longer be permitted in this article after this week. He received a ton of work last week vs. the Jaguars where he received 20 carries for 90 yards on the ground. Compare that with Duke Johnson's six carries and it does not take long to see who is the feature back in Houston. The Texans find themselves up against a Chargers' defense that has allowed 268 rushing yards to the running back position in the first two weeks of the season, which ranks third-worst in the league behind only the Dolphins and Bengals. With the game projected to be extremely close (Chargers -3), it is unlikely Houston will need to abandon the run, nor should they against a defense that ranks this low. Feel free to plug Hyde into your lineups as needed.
D.K. Metcalf (WR, SEA) - 57% Owned
If D.K. Metcalf is available in your league, this should be the week to stream him. He has had steady targets of six and seven the past two weeks and has turned those into 7 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown. He will not be available in many leagues after this week. Going up against a New Orleans defense that has been abused by the wide receiver position will almost assure that. The Saints have given up 443 receiving yards on 24 receptions to the wide receiver position the last two weeks, and have also allowed four touchdowns. The only reason Metcalf won't have a huge day is if Teddy Bridgewater struggles mightily and the Seahawks can run the ball most of the game. Even if this happens, Metcalf will still see his share of targets in the early-going.
