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 10.
All streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues, unless stated otherwise. In-depth stats taken from Pro Football Reference.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI)
Sam Darnold is technically 50% rostered in Yahoo leagues, but that’s close enough to mention him here. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback has had only two sub-15-point fantasy weeks this year: the opening game of the season and his Week 7 matchup with the Houston Texans.
Darnold is the QB15 in fantasy points per game this season (17.8), tied with everybody’s second-favorite quarterback, Baker Mayfield. The MVP dark horse has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in four of his eight games, and in three of his last four.
This week, he faces a tricky matchup against an impressive Arizona Cardinals defense, but he has more than earned the trust of fantasy managers with his performances this season. If it’s a solid floor you’re looking for, Darnold remains one of the safest bets in the business.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons (at IND – Berlin Game)
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t earned nearly the same level of trust that Darnold has, but he is coming off his best fantasy performance since Week 1. The second-year quarterback tallied 22.7 fantasy points, with three touchdowns and no interceptions against one of the better defenses in the NFL, the New England Patriots.
All three of those touchdown passes went the way of Drake London, who could find himself in an intriguing battle with Sauce Gardner this weekend. The Falcons have been inconsistent this year, scoring 10 points or fewer in three of their games.
That being said, the Indianapolis Colts have topped 30 points in four of their last five games, and at least 38 in three of those. If we get a repeat performance from the Atlanta offense, this game carries significant shootout potential.
Darnold is the safe play this week, while Penix is a more boom/bust option for those who need to take a swing or two.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders (vs. DET)
For those in deeper leagues or potentially Superflex leagues, Marcus Mariota should be available with Jayden Daniels injured long-term. The Washington Commanders’ backup is more mobile than most and will probably need to be aggressive to keep up with the Detroit Lions offense on Sunday.
Mariota has been a top-20 fantasy quarterback in all three of his starts this season, including a QB6-overall finish against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. The Lions, meanwhile, have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks (19.1).
Dan Campbell’s men have allowed two touchdowns per game, 7th-most in the league, while Washington has allowed the 11th-most points per game (26.22). It won’t feel great, but Mariota is a viable QB2 option this weekend.
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears (vs. NYG)
I’ve been pushing Colston Loveland as a stash for weeks, and he even made this article last week before his explosive breakout game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Loveland stepped up in the wild Week 9 shootout, catching six of his seven targets for 1118 yards and two touchdowns.
The 6’6” pass catcher is a beast over the middle of the field, as shown by his broken tackle on his game-winning 58-yard touchdown. A highly drafted rookie playmaker is always a good bet in the second half of the season, and Loveland looks like a star in the making.
Unfortunately, due to his eruption on Sunday, he will cost you considerable FAAB budget this week, but given his long-term outlook, he is worth being aggressive for. This week, he faces a New York Giants defense that has allowed 232.1 passing yards per game, ninth-most in the NFL, and 15 passing touchdowns, tied for eighth-most.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns (at NYJ)
Harold Fannin Jr. is available on waivers after his Week 9 bye. The Cleveland Browns’ offense has been tame all season, ranking 32nd in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, but Fannin’s usage has been great for fantasy.
The rookie ranks 13th among all tight ends in fantasy points per game and is seventh at the position in targets (51) and receptions (38). This weekend, he faces a Jets defense that just lost its two best players, Gardner and Quinnen Williams, at the trade deadline.
Fresh off a bye, and with the Jets having waved the white flag on their season, the young Browns offense could be in for a great day. Fannin was targeted eight times in his last game, and is a high-ceiling volume play this weekend and beyond.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans (vs. JAX)
Backing Davis Mills to support the second or third target on the Houston Texans offense this weekend might be scary, but Dalton Schultz has been busy in recent weeks. Either side of Houston’s defensive domination of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, Schultz caught 15 of 18 targets for 175 yards in Weeks 7 and 9 combined.
He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, who just gave up four touchdown passes to Geno Smith in Week 9. Schultz is a solid volume option against a team that has given up 19.2 fantasy points per game to the tight end position, the second most in the NFL.
Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants (at CHI)
Elsewhere, Theo Johnson has been more touchdown-dependent this season, but fortunately, he has scored five times in his last six games. Johnson doesn’t get the target volume that Fannin and Schultz do, but he is tied for 15th in the NFL in red-zone targets, with 9.
This week, the Giants take on the Chicago Bears, who, despite winning their epic Week 9 battle with Cincinnati, gave up 42 points in that game. Jaxson Dart has proved himself capable of running an NFL offense, and the Bears should be able to score on the Giants, making this a high-potential game for fantasy points.
Daniel Carlson, K, Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
The Las Vegas Raiders offense looked significantly better in Week 9, with star tight end Brock Bowers back from injury. Their overtime loss to Jacksonville will sting, but it was a significant improvement over their previous performances.
Unfortunately, things don’t get easier this week, and they won’t be handed any favors by a Denver Broncos defense that ranks fourth in points allowed per game (18.44). Denver has the best red-zone defense in the league, allowing a touchdown on only 34.8% of their opponents’ trips inside their 20-yard line.
That’s good news, in theory, for Daniel Carlson, who should have plenty of opportunities to finish drives with his leg, and for three points, rather than one. Kickers can be a lottery in fantasy, but that’s as much logical reasoning as you could ask for when picking a guy this weekend.
Will Reichard, K, Minnesota Vikings (vs. BAL)
However, if you’re reading this after Thursday, or you just prefer to pick a kicker who’s playing indoors, Will Reichard is a statistically great option this weekend. Reichard is up against the Baltimore Ravens, who have faced an average of 2.75 field-goal attempts per game this year, tied for the most in the league.
Because of this, five of the eight kickers who have faced Baltimore this year have been top-12 fantasy kickers that week. Of the three that finished outside the top 12, two missed out due to a missed field goal, rather than a lack of opportunities.
Among all kickers this season, Reichard is tied for 12th in fantasy points per game, and of the 11 in front of him, three aren’t scheduled to play this weekend.
Jason Myers, K, Seattle Seahawks (vs. ARI)
Jason Myers is tied for the eighth-most fantasy points per game among kickers this season (10.3) and is a good bet this weekend against the Cardinals. Arizona has allowed a touchdown on only 57.1% of opposition red-zone trips this season, which is the 12th-best rate in the league.
The Seahawks have more than enough to get the ball downfield, but so did the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. Dallas had five offensive drives of over 40 yards, but scored only one touchdown.
On the other four, they kicked two field goals, making one, and turned the ball over twice, once on downs, and once via a fumble. If the Cardinals can defend their end zone the way they did on Monday night, Myers could be a busy man.
Buffalo Bills DEF (at MIA)
The Buffalo Bills defense hasn’t produced much for fantasy this season, recording only two top-12 weeks on the year. However, since their Week 7 bye, Buffalo has amassed 10 sacks and four turnovers, and is the second-best defense in fantasy over those two weeks.
This Sunday, the Bills travel south for a divisional matchup with the hapless Miami Dolphins, who just committed three offensive turnovers in Week 9. Miami has become an incredibly predictable offense, and the Bills should be able to pressure Tua Tagovailoa throughout Sunday’s game.
The Dolphins lead the NFL in turnovers this season, with 15, and things likely won’t get much better against Buffalo this weekend.
Carolina Panthers DEF (vs. NOR)
The Carolina Panthers’ inclusion on this list might raise eyebrows, but the plucky NFC South outfit has performed well on the defensive side of the ball this year. Carolina has four turnovers and two top-six fantasy finishes over the last three weeks, despite being blown out by the Bills with Andy Dalton starting in Week 8.
Carolina just held the Green Bay Packers to 13 points on Sunday, and faces a far friendlier task this weekend. In Tyler Shough’s debut start at the weekend, the New Orleans Saints were in possession for a total of 16 minutes and seven seconds. That’s the 18th-lowest recorded time in possession in NFL history.
The Saints still managed to commit two turnovers in that game, a Shough interception and a fumble by Alvin Kamara. The Panthers won’t be many people’s first choice defense this week, but they are in a great spot.
Chicago Bears DEF (vs. NYG)
They may have given up 42 points to Joe Flacco and the Bengals in Week 9, but the Bears also forced three turnovers. That has been the story of the season for the Chicago defense, which has allowed the fourth-most points per game (28.38), despite leading the NFL in takeaways (19).
Chicago has been a top-12 fantasy defense in five of its eight active weeks this year and has also tallied three or more turnovers on five separate occasions. The Bears face the Giants this week, who have been safe with the ball for the most part, but showed their turnover potential with five against the Saints in Week 5.
Baltimore Ravens DEF (at MIN)
Finally, the Ravens defense has looked much better in recent weeks, having looked like a shell of its former self in the early weeks of the year. Having given up 37 or more points in four of its first five games this season, Baltimore has allowed no more than 17 in any of its last three.
J.J. McCarthy also looked significantly better in Week 9 than he had before, but still has four interceptions to his name in just three games. Minnesota has turned the ball over at least once in all but one of its games, and at least twice in four of them.
The Ravens defense ranked fourth among all defenses in fantasy in Week 9 (15 points), and now faces a young quarterback who still has a lot to prove.