RADIO
Now that bye weeks are in full swing, streaming becomes a more viable and almost necessary strategy. Knowing who to add and when to start them could be the ultimate difference-maker in a weekly matchup. 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 5'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: Teddy Bridgewater, New Orleans Saints - 7% Owned
RB: Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts - 20% Owned
RB: Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons - 14% Owned
WR: Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers - 23% Owned
WR: Auden Tate, Cincinnati Bengals - 5% Owned
TE: Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts - 21% Owned
Teddy Bridgewater (QB, NO) - 7% Owned
Teddy Bridgewater has not blown anyone away yet as the starting quarterback in New Orleans. This week could be different as he enters a game with an expected total of 47. Last week, the Buccaneers put up 54 points on the Rams Defense, and will enter New Orleans looking to throw the ball against a defense that is ranked eighth-worst against the pass. The good news for Bridgewater and New Orleans is that the Bucs are currently ranked second-worst against the pass. I expect this game to be a track meet with both teams putting up over 300 yards through the air. This is one of the few upcoming spots where I would feel comfortable streaming Teddy.
Nyheim Hines (RB, IND) - 20% Owned
Hines had his best week of the season as far as fantasy is concerned in Week 4. He may have only carried the ball three times for six yards, but he also hauled in all six of his targets for 39 yards. The performance enabled him to produce over 10 fantasy points in a PPR league.
Hines is without a doubt the Colts' third-down and passing-down back. In Week 5, he will be of the utmost importance to them as the Colts are huge underdogs to the Chiefs. The Chiefs are favored by 11 points at home, which means the Colts will likely be in pass mode most of the game, similar to last week when they found themselves down early to the Raiders. The Chiefs have given up 19 receptions for 151 receiving yards to backs so far this season, so Hines could find himself having a very productive night.
Auden Tate (WR, CIN) - 5% Owned
This is a rare situation where Auden Tate finds himself on the Stream Team. In Monday night's game against the Steelers, John Ross was injured and is now expected to miss multiple games. This makes Tate the de facto number two wide receiver behind Tyler Boyd. Tate has been targeted 16 times in the last two weeks and should see a significant amount of targets at home this week vs. the Cardinals. The game has a total of 47.5 where both teams should be able to move the ball with ease as both defenses rank near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed per game. Look for Tate to put up double-digit fantasy points this week in a PPR league.
Stream Team for 12-Team Leagues
QB: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals - 33% Owned
RB: Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers - 29% Owned
RB: Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots - 38% Owned
WR: Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons - 32% Owned
WR: Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles - 40% Owned
TE: Trey Burton, Chicago Bears - 32% Owned
Rex Burkhead (RB, NE) - 38% Owned
After last week's abysmal performance vs. the Bills, everyone is jumping off the Burkhead bandwagon, but as I said two weeks ago in this article, the next few weeks are where you want to roll with him. The Patriots have the Redskins, Giants, and Jets coming up on the schedule. They will be huge favorites in these games, which means they likely will not have to use Sony Michel late into the third and fourth quarters. This is exactly the type of scenario where Burkhead thrived two weeks ago vs. the Jets when he had 11 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown, plus added in six receptions for 22 yards. The next three weeks are the best opportunity to stream Burkhead, so do not jump off that bandwagon just yet.
Mohamed Sanu (WR, ATL) - 32% Owned
The Falcons enter Week 5 facing a Texans Defense that has given up 773 receiving yards to the wide receiver position, which ranks seventh-worst in the league. Couple this with the fact that the Texans have only given up 341 rushing yards to running backs and Atlanta struggles to run the ball, and you have an opportunity for Atlanta wide receivers to have big games.
Mohamed Sanu has become Matt Ryan's second-favorite target behind Julio Jones in recent weeks and could be a major benefactor of a porous pass defense in Houston. Over the last two weeks, Sanu has hauled in 15 receptions on 18 targets for 166 yards. This week, I would expect him to again garner somewhere between six and 10 targets, and put up double-digit fantasy points in Houston.
Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) - 40% Owned
Nelson Agholor has been a boom or bust candidate for most of his young career, and this season has been no different. In Week 5 vs. the Jets, he has a great opportunity to boom. Agholor will again enter Week 5 as the number two wide receiver behind Alshon Jeffrey, assuming DeSean Jackson is unable to suit up again (and it appears that may be the case). While this was the case last week, Agholor was not needed to produce much as Jordan Howard and the offense took care of business.
This week, he faces a Jets pass defense that has given up 660 receiving yards to the wide receiver position in just three games. The Jets have also shown the ability to stop the run by allowing only 216 rushing yards to running backs through three games. I think the Eagles come out moving the ball through the air in this game, and Agholor finds himself right in the mix.
Stream Team for 10-Team Leagues
QB: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings - 42% Owned
RB: Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks - 57% Owned
RB: Jaylen Samuels, Pittsburgh Steelers - 47% Owned
WR:D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks - 59% Owned
WR: Jamison Crowder, New York Jets - 45% Owned
TE: Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers - 49% Owned
Kirk Cousins (QB, MIN) - 42% Owned
Everyone is down on Kirk Cousins after his slow start in 2019, including Adam Thielen. This week is where he should get back on track. After essentially getting called out by his teammate, Cousins will have all the motivation he needs to put up a big performance against the Giants in Week 5.
The Giants enter the matchup ranked fifth-worst in the league in passing yards allowed to the quarterback with 1,182 yards. They have also given up the sixth-most passing touchdowns to quarterbacks with eight. Cousins should have no trouble moving the ball through the air and appeasing his receivers and fantasy owners this week. If he does, it may be time to jump ship entirely.
D.K. Metcalf (WR, SEA) - 59% Owned
To be fair, I may have a bit of recency bias when it comes to making this recommendation. After watching Jameis Winston and the Bucs steamroll the Rams through the air on Sunday, I have to have some exposure against the Rams Defense this week.
The Rams have allowed 692 receiving yards to wide receivers this season, which ranks 10th-worst in the league. The Seahawks have also shown a willingness to move the ball through the air this season as they currently rank 11th in the league with 266.2 passing yards per game. Metcalf is averaging just under six targets per game, which he has turned into 223 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He should continue to produce tonight and is a solid flex option or WR2 in 10-team leagues where you need a fill-in.
Jimmy Graham (TE, GB) - 49% Owned
Jimmy Graham finds himself in a terrific spot this week against the Cowboys. He is coming off a game vs. the Eagles in which he received a season-high in targets, receptions, and yards. He hauled in six of nine targets for 61 yards. Now, he gets to face a Cowboys Defense that has given up 26 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns to the tight end position. If the Packers are without Devante Adams as expected, Graham could find himself in line for a large workload this week, especially considering the Cowboys rank seventh-best in terms of receiving yards allowed to wide receivers. This is one of the better spots you will find this season to stream Graham.
