There are four positions in fantasy football where 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 4.
All streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (at ARI)
Sam Darnold’s Week 3 stat line is a difficult one to assess. On one hand, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback faced little resistance from the New Orleans Saints’ defense, as the NFC West contenders breezed to 2-1.
On the other hand, Darnold was the QB10 on the week despite attempting just 18 passes, having averaged 28 per game over Weeks 1 and 2. The Arizona Cardinals will put up a much better fight in Week 4, and Darnold should be far more active in the divisional matchup.
Darnold remains more of a Super Flex play than a 1QB option, but times are already desperate for some managers amid an early wave of quarterback injuries.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers (at NWE)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has top-10 potential at the quarterback position every week, but his 2025 campaign has, so far, been inconsistent. After a miserable Week 1, Young bounced back with a QB8 finish in Week 2, before slipping out of the top-25 in Week 3.
However, Young’s disappointing Week 3 performance had little to do with his performance and more to do with the Panthers’ 30-0 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons. Like Darnold, Young attempted far fewer passes in Week 3 due to a lack of necessity, and can be expected to be called upon much more in Week 4.
Young faces a New England Patriots defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL through three weeks (816). The Panthers’ star scored a rushing touchdown in Week 3 and will likely need to do far more to keep pace with Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, New York Jets (at MIA)
Justin Fields will have an extra day to prove his fitness ahead of the New York Jets’ Monday Night Football showdown with the Miami Dolphins. However, there is no guarantee he’ll be ready to go, and backup Tyrod Taylor could be in for a second straight start under center.
Taylor was the QB8 in Week 3, tied with Baker Mayfield, and showcased his dual-threat ability with an impressive performance. Taylor completed 26 of his 36 pass attempts for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick while adding 48 rushing yards on eight attempts.
The Dolphins looked much improved against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and will be looking to earn their first win of the season on Monday night. However, only four teams have allowed more passing touchdowns than Miami (six) so far, and the team has allowed an average of 26.3 fantasy points per game to QBs (per Pro Football Reference).
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (at SFO)
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange has enjoyed consistent usage this season as the heir to Evan Engram, now with the Denver Broncos. Liam Coen’s offense has struggled to get its electric wide receivers involved as much as he’d like to start the year, but Strange has been reasonably solid.
The former second-round pick out of Penn State has averaged over five targets a game, catching 13 of 16 on the season. So far, touchdowns have eluded him in 2025, but that shouldn’t last long given his evident importance to the team.
Strange faces off against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. The 49ers have allowed an average of 12.9 fantasy points per game to the tight-end position this season. That includes two touchdowns allowed to tight ends in the opening three weeks of the year; only three teams have allowed more.
Chig Okonkwo, TE, Tennessee Titans (at HOU)
The Tennessee Titans’ passing offense has improved each week of the 2025 season, as rookie quarterback Cam Ward settles into the NFL. Ward’s completion percentage, passing yards, and passing yards per attempt have increased with each game, while his sack percentage has decreased.
Chig Okonkwo’s receptions and receiving yards have increased alongside Ward’s passing efficiency, with the tight end catching five of six targets for 66 yards in Week 3. That stat line was enough to land Okonkwo eighth among all tight ends in fantasy, and there could be more to come.
Okonkwo now leads the Titans in receptions (12) through three weeks, despite being behind Calvin Ridey and Elic Ayomanor in targets. The Houston Texans will have Ridley locked up in Week 3, and possibly Ayomanor too, potentially leaving Okonkwo open for another impressive fantasy week.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears (at LVR)
Much like Taylor on the Jets, Cole Kmet’s fantasy outlook for Week 4 relies on a teammate’s injury status. Kmet scored his first touchdown of the season in the Chicago Bears’ demolition of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland was targeted three times in the contest before leaving with a hip injury, and Kmet’s lone target came in the end zone. If Loveland can’t go on Sunday, Kmet would be a great waiver add ahead of Chicago’s showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.
If there is positive news on Loveland’s injury throughout the week, the rookie is the perfect pivot and available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues. Loveland looks to be on the verge of a breakout in Chicago and could be a permanent feature of your lineup before long.
Matt Prater, K, Buffalo Bills (vs. NOR)
Matt Prater is still available in over half of Yahoo leagues, despite being the kicker for the Buffalo Bills, whose offense is among the best in the NFL. Buffalo is one of only four teams to have topped 100 points over the season’s first three weeks, and Prater has played his part.
The veteran is the fourth-best kicker in fantasy football this year, tied with Jason Myers (Seahawks), whose five extra points helped him to 17 points in Week 3 (tied-second among kickers).
This week, Prater faces the same New Orleans team that gave up all those points to Myers in Week 3. The Bills might not have an easier game all season than this one, and Prater is good enough to remain your kicker until Buffalo’s Week 7 bye.
Spencer Shrader, K, Indianapolis Colts (at LAR)
Spencer Shrader was the K1 after the first week of the season, and he remains so after three games. The Indianapolis Colts continue to impress, and the sample size is growing with every week that passes.
Of course, things could go south at any moment, but Daniel Jones is now rostered in over 70% of Yahoo leagues, so the belief is growing. If fantasy managers are willing to trust Jones in their lineups, why not Shrader, who is in a position with far lower risk?
The Colts face the Rams in Week 4, which is likely enough to make you hesitate, but the Colts’ kicker is tied for the most field goal attempts in the league so far. The Indianapolis offense is stacked with weapons, including star running back Jonathan Taylor, and Shrader should continue to benefit.
Brandon McManus, K, Green Bay Packers (at DAL)
Brandon McManus feels like an odd recommendation here, having missed a field goal in each of his last two games. However, Sunday’s blocked attempt against the Cleveland Browns was hardly a miss, and he has earned the benefit of the doubt since joining the Green Bay Packers last season.
This week, the Packers face the Dallas Cowboys, who were just blown away by the Chicago Bears’ offense. Four different players caught touchdown passes. The Cowboys have now allowed 92 points through three weeks, the fifth-most of any team in the NFL.
The Packers haven’t been as impressive on offense as the Bears were in Week 3, but have played far better defenses than Dallas’. McManus should be busy in Week 4 and is available almost everywhere.
Washington Commanders DEF (at ATL)
This one is easy; the Washington Commanders face the Falcons this week, who scored exactly zero points against the Panthers last time out. That’s the same Panthers who gave up the most points in NFL history last year.
Carolina was the second-best fantasy defense in Week 3, and the Commanders should feel confident of bettering their NFC South opponents this weekend. Washington was the 11th-best defense in fantasy football in Week 3 and is the 13th-best on the year.
Atlanta won’t be shut out two weeks in a row, but the jury remains out on quarterback Michael Penix, with HC Raheem Morris fielding questions about Kirk Cousins this week. The Commanders have nine sacks on the year; only five teams have more, while Atlanta turned the ball over three times against Carolina.
Jacksonville Jaguars DEF (at SFO)
The Jaguars lead the NFL in interceptions (seven) and have the third-best defense in fantasy football this year. Brock Purdy will be evaluated throughout the week to see if he can suit up against Jacksonville; if not, Mac Jones will face off against his former team.
The potential return of Purdy might seem like bad timing for Jaguars fans, but the former Mr. Irrelevant threw two interceptions in his only game of the year so far. Jones has thrown just one interception over his two starts this year, but threw eight picks in seven starts for the Jaguars last year.
The Jaguars’ defense has surprised to start the campaign, and has started the season with three-straight top-10 fantasy finishes.
Chicago Bears DEF (at LVR)
The Chicago Bears’ defense has registered two top-10 fantasy weeks over the first three weeks of the year, albeit either side of a last-placed finish in Week 2. The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t the Detroit Lions, though, and have struggled to a 0-3 start to the season.
So far, two of the Raiders’ three opponents have been a top-10 defense in fantasy that week, with the Patriots’ defense finishing 13th (tied) in Week 1. The Bears are a far better defensive unit than the Patriots, and arguably the Commanders, whose defense finished 10th in fantasy against the Raiders in Week 3.
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has the third-highest interception percentage (3.8%) of all NFL quarterbacks through three weeks. The Bears should be able to take advantage of Smith’s generosity in Week 4, with only two defenses tallying more interceptions than Chicago’s (four) this year.
