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 5.
All streamers are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants (at NOR)
Jaxson Dart’s debut start in the NFL could hardly have gone better. The rookie led the New York Giants to a 21-18 win over the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers, displaying impressive poise and leadership.
Dart completed 13 of 20 attempts for 111 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, and added 54 yards and a further score on the ground. Dart’s ability to take off and gain valuable yardage when there was no one to throw to was a game-changer for the Giants, who even gave the rookie some designed runs.
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Dart’s performance saw him finish as the QB11 overall in Week 4, despite having played one of the league’s better defenses. He will be up against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, who have allowed the third-most points (121) in the NFL so far.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks (vs. TB)
Sam Darnold faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. The Buccaneers have a bottom-half defense in points allowed (97). However, the Buccaneers have an impressive run defense and a loaded offense that could push the score against any defense, including the Seattle Seahawks.
Darnold will need to throw against Tampa Bay, and currently boasts the seventh-highest completion percentage in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks (70%). The team’s new-look offense has taken shape after an offseason of upheaval, with several offensive weapons contributing in recent weeks.
There are no signs that Darnold is set to take off in fantasy and become a weekly starter at the position. However, with so many quarterbacks already hit by injuries, and with bye weeks now upon us, last season’s QB9 overall is a solid rental.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (vs. SFO)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off a stellar performance in Week 4. Stafford topped 27 fantasy points for only the second time since 2021, in a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, finishing as the QB2 on the week.
Stafford completed 29 of his 41 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in the win, his most passing yards since 2020. He now heads into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, an opponent he has struggled against since his move to the West Coast.
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Since joining the Rams, Stafford has lost five of his eight games against the 49ers, and he threw just one touchdown in two games against them in 2024. Nevertheless, the veteran is second only to Dak Prescott in passing yards (1,114) in 2025, and his eight passing touchdowns are tied for third in the NFL.
Mason Taylor, TE, New York Jets (vs. DAL)
Mason Taylor was getting plenty of buzz ahead of the season, with many expecting the rookie tight end to establish himself as a key target for Justin Fields quickly. An ankle injury prevented Taylor from hitting the ground running for the New York Jets, but the rookie has taken a step forward in two straight weeks.
Having been targeted six times against the Buccaneers in Week 3, Taylor added production to his volume in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Taylor caught five of his seven targets for 65 yards and was the TE11 overall on the week.
Thirteen targets in two games is very encouraging, and the rookie looks set to make good on his preseason promise. The Jets face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5; the Cowboys have allowed over 30 points in three straight games, including 40 to the Green Bay Packers in their last outing.
Tommy Tremble, TE, Carolina Panthers (vs. MIA)
The 2025 season has been relatively disappointing for the Carolina Panthers so far, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found in the team’s floundering offense. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young continues to pepper the tight end position with targets, even with first choice Ja’Tavion Sanders sidelined.
Before being injured in Week 3, Sanders was targeted nine times in Week 2, catching seven for 54 yards and ranking sixth among all tight ends in fantasy that week. In Week 4, Tommy Tremble inherited Sanders’s workload, catching five of eight targets for 42 yards and a touchdown, and was also the TE6 on the week.
Young should continue to target his tight end against Miami in Week 5, and with Sanders expected to miss more time, Tremble should be busy again.
Theo Johnson, TE, New York Giants (at NOR)
Theo Johnson caught his first touchdown of the season in the Giants’ surprise win over the Chargers, and could be in for significantly more work moving forward. The Giants will be without star receiver Malik Nabers for the rest of the season, after the electric playmaker tore his ACL in the win.
Darius Slayton will be the priority waiver add in the aftermath of Nabers’s injury, but Johnson had already established his relevance in the Giants’ offense. The second-year tight end was targeted five times against Los Angeles, and that number could quickly rise to six or seven targets a week with Nabers sidelined.
While there may still be more intriguing long-term targets at tight end, Johnson faces the Saints in Week 5, a massive opportunity for huge fantasy production.
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins (at CAR)
Fantasy managers can be forgiven for not rushing to the waiver wire to add Darren Waller ahead of his two-touchdown game against the Jets on Monday night. However, given his remarkable impact and the devastating knee injury suffered by star receiver Tyreek Hill, there is significant reason to take notice of him now.
Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington will be the favorites to step up in Hill’s absence. However, we are less than a year removed from watching Jonnu Smith take off in this offense at the expense of the team’s speedier playmakers.
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Waller won’t score two touchdowns every week, but he offers the team something different in the red zone and could realistically have an important role moving forward. Those who are covered at tight end should still consider stashing Waller for a rainy day, or for future trade capital, but those in need can take a shot on him this weekend.
Spencer Shrader, K, Indianapolis Colts (vs. LVR)
Another week gone, and Spencer Shrader remains the leading kicker in fantasy football this season. The Colts’ kicker has only missed one of his 14 field goal attempts in 2025 and has made all 12 of his extra points.
This weekend, Indianapolis hosts the Las Vegas Raiders, who have given up 66 points in their last two games. The Colts suffered their first loss of the season against the Rams on Sunday, turning the ball over three times, having not done so once in their opening three games.
They should have better luck against the Raiders, and Shrader will be in line to benefit once more. The Chicago Bears faced the Raiders in Week 4, with Bears kicker Cairo Santos claiming the top spot at the position in fantasy.
Chad Ryland, K, Arizona Cardinals (vs. TEN)
Chad Ryland is currently the 13th-best kicker on the year in fantasy football, tied with Joshua Karty of the Rams. Ryland was tied for the ninth-best fantasy finish among kickers in Week 4, his second top-12 week of the season.
Two top-12 finishes in four weeks isn’t the kind of form that screams “can’t-miss fantasy streamer,” but the Arizona Cardinals man should be in for a productive Week 5. The Cardinals host the Tennessee Titans, who have yet to win a game this year, and have allowed the fourth-most points in the NFL (tied-120).
The Titans have given up two top-12 fantasy weeks to kickers in their last two games, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ryland make it three on the bounce.
Jude McAtamney, K, New York Giants (at NOR)
Northern Irish kicker Jude McAtamney stepped in for the Giants in Week 4 after an injury sidelined veteran Graham Gano. The former Rutgers kicker made both of his field goal attempts and converted his only extra point.
As a reward for his efforts, McAtamney takes a trip to New Orleans this weekend, where he will look to continue his fine form on the field. The Saints have allowed the third-most points (121) in the NFL this season, and the Giants are buoyant after their Week 4 win over the Chargers.
The Saints’ offense put up a fight against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, and continued improvement would only serve to push the score up. The Giants will be confident of another strong week with Dart under center, and McAtamney should benefit from that in a dome.
Miami Dolphins DEF (at CAR)
In three of the first four weeks of the season, the defense facing Carolina has finished in the top six in fantasy. This week, that defense will be the Dolphins, fresh off their first win of what has been an incredibly disappointing season so far.
The Panthers have turned the ball over on 12.8% of offensive drives, the ninth-highest rate in the league. Miami may have lost its star receiver in Week 4, but it looks like a team on the up after three miserable weeks to start the year.
The Jets scored two touchdowns against Miami in Week 4, one of which was a 43-yard scramble from Justin Fields, who did well to avoid a sack. Bryce Young can run but doesn’t possess anything close to Fields’s athleticism, and ranks 33rd in PFSN’s QB Impact metric.
The Dolphins should be able to get pressure on Young, and could feast on a struggling Panthers offense in Week 5.
Indianapolis Colts DEF (vs. LVR)
The Colts’ defense was grossly underestimated heading into the season, but has impressed to start the year. Indianapolis is tied for the seventh-most turnovers forced (six) in the NFL this year, four of which have been interceptions (tied-fifth).
On the other hand, the Raiders’ offense has surrendered the ball a league-high (tied) eight times so far this year. Veteran quarterback Geno Smith leads the league in interceptions, with seven, including five in his last two games. The Raiders rank 27th in PFSN’s Offense Impact metric this season, while Smith ranks 24th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric.
This week, the Colts will be confident of returning to winning ways, having had two touchdowns chalked off due to errors from receiver Adonai Mitchell in Week 4. The Raiders, meanwhile, have lost three games in a row and have looked uninspiring in the process.
Los Angeles Rams DEF (vs. SFO)
The Rams’ defense is currently ranked 10th on the season in fantasy, with three top-12 finishes in four weeks. This week, the team faces the 49ers on Thursday Night Football and will be confident of another productive defensive display.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense faced Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense in Week 4 and ranked second among all defenses in fantasy. The 49ers are tied with the Raiders for the most turnovers so far this season (eight), and their 18.6% turnover rate is the worst in the NFL.
Only the Denver Broncos (15) have recorded more sacks than the Rams (14) in 2025. Purdy is elusive in the pocket and can avoid sacks better than many quarterbacks. However, the added pressure from the Rams’ pass rush and multiple health concerns surrounding his top receivers could make things incredibly difficult on Thursday night.
