There are four positions in fantasy football where managers can manage without a weekly starter on their regular roster. QB, TE, Kicker, and Defense all lend themselves to streaming. Here are our top streaming options for Week 7.
All streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
In-depth stats taken from Pro Football Reference.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (vs. HOU)
Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks face a tough test against the Houston Texans’ vaunted defense in Week 7. However, the journeyman quarterback is the seventh-ranked quarterback in PFSN’s QB Impact metric this year and has become a difficult player to bet against.
Having joined Seattle with a point to prove, he has performed admirably for his new team, even though the offense underwent a significant makeover in the offseason. The former third-overall pick is the QB11 in fantasy, and the QB3 over the last two weeks.
Houston has allowed the fewest passing yards per game (175.2), the fewest passing touchdowns (three), and the lowest touchdown percentage (2.0%). That makes their matchup with Darnold one to watch, with the quarterback ranking fourth in both passing yards per game (256.8) and touchdown percentage (6.8%).
Houston is typically a defense to avoid in fantasy, but Darnold has more than earned the trust of fantasy managers this year.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (at CIN)
Aaron Rodgers is a far better real-life quarterback than a fantasy one, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Thursday night matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals has shootout potential. Of course, for the Bengals, no quarterback (besides Jameis Winston) would have seamlessly replaced Joe Burrow from a fantasy perspective.
However, Joe Flacco has enough experience and accuracy to get the ball to his elite receivers and should also do wonders for Chase Brown’s fantasy value. The Steelers have allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game (245), and will do well to keep Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins quiet.
Thankfully for Pittsburgh, the Bengals have given up the second-most passing yards per game (258.5) and the eighth-highest passing touchdown percentage (6.4%). Rodgers has thrown a touchdown on 7.2% of his pass attempts this year, the third-highest rate in the NFL.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers (at NYJ)
I stuck my neck out with Bryce Young last week, and he paid off with a QB10-overall performance against the Dallas Cowboys. Things looked shaky for the young quarterback early in the year, but he and his team have found a groove with back-to-back wins.
A confident Young is a fantasy-relevant one, and he should be more optimistic than ever on the back of two fourth-quarter comeback wins. He faces the New York Jets this weekend, who have lost six straight games to start the year and have struggled defensively throughout.
Aaron Glenn’s defense has allowed the 11th-most yards in the NFL (1,983) and the fifth-most points (170). They have allowed the fourth-highest passing touchdown percentage (7.1), and have recorded the third-fewest sacks (tied – eight).
The Jets have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this year (18.9), and I expect Young and the Panthers to capitalize on Sunday.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DET)
Cade Otton could be one of fantasy football’s most valuable tight ends over the next few weeks. With injuries ripping through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide-receiver room, Otton may find himself thrust into a key role in Baker Mayfield’s offense.
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin already sidelined, rookie Emeka Egbuka left Week 6 with a hamstring injury.
The team faced a similar situation in 2024 when Evans was injured early in Week 7, and Godwin was already out for the season. From Weeks 7 to 10, Otton was the TE1 overall in fantasy, catching 30 of 39 targets for 293 yards and three scores.
In that period, he was a whole point per game better than Travis Kelce, the TE2. Evans has a chance to return in Week 7 and is one to keep an eye on. If Evans plays, Otton is still a great streaming option this week; If he doesn’t, the tight end might be the highest-scoring player at the position.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns (vs. MIA)
Under challenging circumstances, rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. put up an impressive showing in fantasy in Week 6. Fannin caught seven of his 10 targets for 81 yards against Pittsburgh, accounting for 36.65% of Dillon Gabriel’s passing yards.
Fannin is the TE12 on the season, while his 38 targets rank fourth among all tight ends. In fact, he ranks ninth all-time in targets among rookie tight ends through the first six weeks of a season.
This week, he faces a Miami Dolphins defense that has given up over 400 total yards in three straight weeks. The Dolphins have allowed the highest completion percentage (74.9%) in the NFL and the ninth-highest passing touchdown percentage (6.3%).
Miami has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game (15.7) to the tight end position so far, making Fannin a great streaming option this week.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints (at CHI)
Versatile New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill is back, and one of the most fun players in fantasy football is available in 92% of Yahoo leagues. While yet to get back to his previous league-winning involvement, Hill’s snap share increased in his second game back from injury.
That won’t be enough to make a consistent difference in fantasy, but the upward trend is promising. Another good sign is that Hill’s touches have come as either a runner or passer, confirming that his Swiss-army-knife role has survived the team’s offseason coaching changes.
Hill needed just one carry to find the end zone against the New England Patriots in Week 6, and now faces one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Chicago Bears have allowed the sixth-most points per game (28.2) and the sixth-most yards per game (369.4) in the NFL this year.
Hill won’t be a weekly option unless he can regain his previous snap share and goal-line opportunities, but he is always a high-potential play if you need something special.
Andre Szmyt, K, Cleveland Browns (vs. MIA)
As previously mentioned, the Dolphins’ defense is one of the worst in football right now, and the Browns should be able to put up some points this Sunday. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is a must-start, and kicker Andre Szmyt should also be a safe bet.
Szmyt was the ninth-best kicker in fantasy in Week 6, scoring all nine of Cleveland’s points against the Steelers, including a 53-yard kick. The first-year starter has made nine of his 11 field-goal tries this season and hasn’t missed from inside 50 yards since Week 1.
The last three kickers to face Miami have all finished as a top-eight kicker in fantasy that week, while Spencer Shrader was the K1 against the Dolphins in Week 1. That’s four out of six kickers recording top-eight finishes against Miami, and I’m confident of Szmyt making it five out of seven this weekend.
Eddy Pineiro, K, San Francisco 49ers (vs. ATL)
Eddy Pineiro made this list last week and returned 18 points, leading all kickers in fantasy. That makes it two straight top-two fantasy weeks for the San Francisco 49ers kicker, and there’s no reason to doubt him this weekend either.
The 49ers’ offense continues to struggle with injuries, with question marks surrounding Brock Purdy and four of his preferred pass-catching options. The 49ers have a 49.2% red zone conversion rate, scoring a touchdown on just nine of their 21 red-zone trips this season.
That’s the fifth-lowest conversion rate in the NFL, and their continued health struggles increase the chance of another big game for Pineiro. Kickers are as volatile as any position in fantasy, but Pineiro is the obvious bet for Week 6.
Ryan Fitzgerald, K, Carolina Panthers (at NYJ)
Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald enters Week 7 on the back of two straight top-eight finishes in fantasy. The Panthers are a team in form, having won back-to-back games, and now face a floundering Jets defense.
The six kickers to have faced the Jets this season have averaged 12.5 fantasy points in those games. That would have returned a seventh-placed finish each week, on average, and it would be no surprise to see that trend continue this week.
If you had played whichever kicker was facing the Jets each week, you would have gotten 75 fantasy points so far this year. That’s 10 points more than Brandon Aubrey, the leading kicker in fantasy this season.
Things aren’t that simple in fantasy, but only one kicker has finished outside the top-13 in fantasy when facing New York this season.
Seattle Seahawks DEF (vs. HOU)
The Seattle Seahawks are the No. 1 defense in fantasy football, but are only rostered in 49% of leagues. It’s not like they’ve been quietly good; everybody is fully aware of how good the Seahawks’ defense is, but negative points in Week 5 saw them mercilessly dropped in many leagues.
Seattle has been a top-five defense four times this season, and only dropped out of the top-11 once. This week, they face a Texans offense that has struggled to start the year, only topping 20 points against the miserable defenses of the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens in recent weeks.
Houston has averaged only 2.2 red-zone trips per game this season, fourth-fewest in the NFL, while its 35% third-down conversion rate is seventh-worst. Things are unlikely to get better against an elite Seahawks defense, which should be added wherever available and held through their Week 7 bye.
Chicago Bears DEF (vs. NOR)
Another top fantasy defense that is surprisingly still available after their Week 5 bye is the Bears. Chicago is ranked in the top-12 defenses in fantasy points per game this season, having been almost ever-present in the top-12 throughout the year.
Aside from an outlier hammering at the hands of the Detroit Lions in Week 2, the Bears have been a top-12 defense every game they’ve played. They face the Saints this weekend, in what is currently forecasted to be a windy, rainy affair at Soldier Field.
The Bears have forced 11 turnovers in their last three games and have ended 21.8% of opposing drives with a turnover this season, the highest rate in the league. On a wet and windy afternoon in Chicago, there could easily be a few more on Sunday.
Miami Dolphins DEF (at CLE)
Finally, the Dolphins’ defense has been atrocious recently, but that hasn’t always translated to fantasy. Miami tallied back-to-back top-12 fantasy weeks before their disappointing performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
At the time of writing, Cleveland is forecast to have a 60% chance of rain and 18 MPH winds on Sunday, which is excellent news for both defenses. Miami has had three top-12 fantasy weeks this year against the Patriots, Panthers, and Jets, but struggled against the more talented Chargers, Buffalo Bills, and Indianapolis Colts.
The Browns are definitely closer to the first group than the second, and Miami should be a serviceable defense in Week 6. The Seahawks and Bears are the priority adds out of these three defenses, in that order, but Miami should be playable if neither is available.