There are four positions in fantasy football at which managers can get by without a weekly startable option on their regular roster. QB, TE, Kicker, and Defense all lend themselves to streaming. Here are our top streaming options for Week 16.
All streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues, unless otherwise stated. In-depth stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders (vs. PHI)
If you lost Patrick Mahomes at the weekend, the idea of replacing him with Marcus Mariota might feel like a last resort. Well, it’s Week 16, and all the good quarterbacks have been taken, so while you still have options, Mariota is one of your best for Weeks 16 and 17.
The Washington Commanders’ backup is set to take over for the rest of the season and has produced solid fantasy numbers this year when called upon. His QB3 finish against an elite Denver Broncos defense in Week 13 is still fresh in the memory, while his floor is a lot higher than alternative options like Bryce Young and Kirk Cousins.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys could both realistically put up massive numbers against Washington’s miserable defense. If that’s the case, Mariota will have ample opportunity to put up fantasy points in pass-friendly game scripts.
Dallas has also allowed the most passing yards per game this season (254.8), giving Mariota a perfect matchup for championship week.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings (at NYG)
However, if you need more ceiling than floor from your QB this week and would prefer to ride the hot hand, J.J. McCarthy is undoubtedly your best bet. McCarthy has been atrocious so far this season, but has turned things around against poor pass defenses in the last two weeks.
The New York Giants aren’t giving up as many passing yards per game as either the Cowboys or the Commanders (McCarthy’s last two opponents), but it’s still a good matchup. After back-to-back top-10 fantasy finishes, “Nine” is impossible to ignore as a high-upside play in Week 16.
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins (vs. CIN)
When healthy, Darren Waller has been surprisingly productive for fantasy this season. The veteran has six touchdowns in seven games, despite leaving early in one of them. In Week 15, Waller found the end zone for the first and second time since missing five weeks through injury.
This week, he faces a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has given up at least 307 more yards to tight ends than any other team in the NFL this season. In fact, the gap between the Bengals and the Miami Dolphins (second-most) in that stat is bigger than the gap between the Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs (12th-fewest).
Waller caught seven of eight targets for 66 yards and two scores against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, and all arrows point to another big game this week.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears (vs. GB)
Colston Loveland’s range of outcomes in Week 16 is vast, but his upside makes him well worth picking up on the waiver wire. Both Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III missed practice to start the week, and if both are sidelined against the Packers on Saturday, Loveland will likely be in for a very busy evening.
The Green Bay Packers just lost Micah Parsons, and the Chicago Bears have one of the better offensive lines in football. Caleb Williams should have plenty of time to find targets downfield, and Loveland has already shown what a devastating big-play threat he can be.
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Los Angeles Chargers (at DAL)
Oronde Gadsden II carries far more risk than Waller and Loveland, as his floor has been proven to be crushing for fantasy in recent weeks. However, having caught four of his five targets for 61 yards on Sunday, the rookie is back in contention this weekend.
As mentioned, the Cowboys have given up a league-high 254.8 passing yards per game and have plenty of offensive firepower to create a shootout scenario. Gadsden shouldn’t be your first choice on this list, but he stands out as a high-upside swing for those who are unable to get their hands on Waller or Loveland.
Eddy Pineiro, K, San Francisco 49ers (at IND)
Eddy Piñeiro has been phenomenal this season, but is still available after recently missing multiple weeks through injury. The San Francisco 49ers kicker ranks 12th at his position in fantasy this season, despite playing fewer games than anyone else in the top 23.
Piñeiro has registered a top-eight fantasy finish in seven of his 11 games this season and is playing indoors in Indianapolis, away from the December elements.
Blake Grupe, K, Indianapolis Colts (vs. SF)
Also playing inside in Indianapolis is the new Indianapolis Colts kicker, Blake Grupe. Grupe has settled perfectly into life in blue after being cut by the New Orleans Saints earlier in the year.
In his two games since signing, Grupe has made all seven of his kicks, including five field goals. Most notably, he hit from 60 yards with the game on the line against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
New Orleans Saints DEF (vs. NYJ)
The Saints haven’t been good this year, but their defense hasn’t performed as badly as their offense. The Saints’ defense has created six turnovers in its last five games and ranks in the top half in quarterback pressure rate this season (23%).
Facing that pressure this weekend will be rookie New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook, who has thrown one touchdown to five interceptions in two games.
Buffalo Bills DEF (at CLE)
Finally, the Buffalo Bills’ defense makes sense this week, in a great matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Buffalo’s defense put up just four fantasy points in a shootout with the New England Patriots on Sunday, but totaled 25 points over the two weeks before that.
This week, they face a Browns offense that has committed nine turnovers in its last four games. The Browns’ usually stout defense has given up 31 points in two consecutive games, including a Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans, who rank 31st in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric.
The Bills are more than capable of running up the score on Cleveland, and under pressure to keep up, Shedeur Sanders will have no choice but to take even more risks than usual.
