The fantasy football playoffs begin next week. That means our focus shifts from building rosters that can win in the long term to constructing lineups that can win the next matchup. If you are fortunate enough to have a bye, it’s time to start planning for the future. Here is your one-stop shop for quarterback, defense, and kicker streamers to stash for Weeks 16 and 17.
Week 16 Quarterbacks: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (vs. CIN)
Easily the top streamer for the fantasy semifinals, Tua Tagovailoa could hardly be in a better spot to propel your team into championship week.
Of course, streaming Tagovailoa is scary. He’s been nothing short of awful the entire season.
Since Week 6, the Miami Dolphins signal caller has had a mere two games with double-digit fantasy points. We want our streamers to have a shot at 16+ points. Tagovailoa hasn’t come close most weeks.
Despite his poor season, though, Tagovailoa hasn’t really had a great run of opponents. He flopped against a weak Washington Commanders pass defense in Week 11. Other than that, all of his opponents have been average at best and extremely difficult at worst. That all changes in Week 16.
The Cincinnati Bengals currently allow the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. And with Joe Burrow back, the offense is humming. This could be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate.
These are two mostly bad teams who will either be out of the playoff hunt or clinging to extremely small percentages of life. This game is ripe for a shootout.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (vs. TB)
Can you really trust Bryce Young with your playoff life on the line? Probably not. But the Week 16 streaming options aren’t great.
Young has flashed upside at times. He’s thrown for three touchdowns in four different games this season, one of which came against an elite Los Angeles Rams defense. That proves Young is capable of overcoming bad matchups. Fortunately, he won’t have to do anything of the sort in Week 16.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a mild pass funnel. They allow the ninth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. This is another game where we could see a lot of scoring, as both of these teams are fighting for the NFC South crown. Young is a viable, if a bit terrifying, streaming option.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs. ATL)
There are a couple of reasons Jacoby Brissett is last on this list. For starters, he’s rostered in 63% of Yahoo leagues. Given how incredible he’s been from a fantasy perspective, it’s more likely than not that he isn’t available.
Second, we’re talking two weeks from now. We know Kyler Murray isn’t returning in Week 14. But he could have his practice window opened ahead of Week 15 and play in Week 16, making this stash a waste.
With that said, if Brissett remains the starter, he’s proven to be matchup-proof. Since taking over for an injured Murray in Week 6, Brissett has hit 18+ fantasy points in every single game. He is the only quarterback in fantasy to do that.
Brissett has had a good run of pass defenses overall. But he’s also beaten the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. We’ll see if he can do it this Sunday against a tough Rams defense.
The Atlanta Falcons have been an average matchup against quarterbacks, which is plenty enough reason to trust Brissett. If someone in your league dropped him because of the bad matchup this week and you need a QB, scoop him up.
Week 17 Quarterbacks: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (at IND)
It’s an interesting time to recommend Trevor Lawrence as a QB stash for Week 17, since he is playing this opponent in Week 14. We will get a preview of what he might be able to do in this matchup.
The Indianapolis Colts have been average against quarterbacks, but they are in the bottom five against wide receivers and tight ends. Those positions don’t score fantasy points unless they take their quarterback with them.
We know the Colts’ offense is capable of scoring points, which could push this game into shootout territory. For all of Lawrence’s struggles, and there are many, he’s posted usable fantasy numbers in eight starts this season. You can certainly do worse if you need a streamer.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (vs. TB)
Tua Tagovailoa is a great stash option because he is startable in both Weeks 16 and 17. After getting a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals for the fantasy semifinals, Tua gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final.
Of course, streaming Tagovailoa is scary. He’s been nothing short of awful the entire season.
Since Week 6, the Miami Dolphins signal caller has had a mere two games with double-digit fantasy points. We want our streamers to have a shot at 16+ points. Tagovailoa hasn’t come close most weeks.
Despite his poor season, though, Tagovailoa hasn’t really had a great run of opponents. He flopped against a weak Washington Commanders pass defense in Week 11. Other than that, all of his opponents have been average at best and extremely difficult at worst. That all changes in Weeks 16 and 17.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a mild pass funnel. They allow the ninth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. This is another game where we could see a lot of scoring.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. NYG)
Hopefully, you can do better than Geno Smith if you make the fantasy championship. His usable weeks have been few and far between this year.
The last time Smith was a viable fantasy starter was back in Week 9 when he posted 27.2 fantasy points against the Jaguars. Other than that, his only other usable weeks were Weeks 1 and 3.
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The concern with this game is that, despite the favorable matchup, the New York Giants are unlikely to force the Las Vegas Raiders into negative game script. Smith has done his best when forced to air it out against bad pass defenses.
The Giants allow the fifth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Unfortunately, they are even more generous to running backs. This is very likely to be a heavy Ashton Jeanty game.
Nevertheless, the matchup is not difficult, and we know Brock Bowers is a menace near the goal line. The hope is that the Raiders can score at least three touchdowns in this one, with Smith accounting for two.
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (at CIN)
There are a couple of reasons Jacoby Brissett is last on this list. For starters, he’s rostered in 63% of Yahoo leagues. Given how incredible he’s been from a fantasy perspective, it’s more likely than not that he isn’t available.
Second, we’re talking three weeks from now. We know Kyler Murray isn’t returning in Week 14. But he could have his practice window opened ahead of Week 15 and play in Week 16, making this stash a waste.
With that said, if Brissett remains the starter, he’s proven to be matchup-proof. Since taking over for an injured Murray in Week 6, Brissett has hit 18+ fantasy points in every single game. He is the only quarterback in fantasy to do that.
Brissett has had a good run of pass defenses overall. But he’s also beaten the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. We’ll see if he can do it this Sunday against a tough Rams defense.
The Bengals currently allow the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. And with Joe Burrow back, the offense is humming. This could be one of the highest-scoring games on the slate.
These are two mostly bad teams who will be out of the playoff hunt or, for the Bengals, perhaps clinging to an extremely small percentage of life. This is another game that could see a lot of points.
Week 16 Defenses: Kansas City Chiefs (at TEN)
This isn’t the dominant Chiefs team or defense from previous seasons. They’ve struggled in games they typically control and dropped contests they usually win. Regression has appeared on both sides of the ball, creating legitimate questions about its reliability.
However, we’ve witnessed the Chiefs elevate their play around December in recent years, demonstrating their capability to reach another level. For the first time during this era, we’ll see how they respond when desperation enters the equation.
We’ve been attacking Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans’ offense all season. Why stop now?
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, facing a rookie quarterback with limited weapons, feels like a potential explosion spot during championship week. The Titans allow the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to defenses. They will undoubtedly be a top-five option for the week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at CAR)
This one is not quite as good. Ironically, the Bucs defense is a streamer while Young is also a QB streamer. It’s a situation where we could see this game go either way. Unfortunately, the Week 16 options aren’t great.
The Panthers allow the 10th-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to defenses. They’ve been mostly a favorable matchup. Although the fact that the Bucs do not have a particularly good defense certainly doesn’t help.
The return of Jamel Dean would significantly bolster this unit. If the offense can escape its recent struggles and put opponents in difficult situations, Tampa Bay becomes a much more dangerous fantasy option. The hope here is that they force the Panthers into a negative game script, creating opportunities for sacks and turnovers.
New York Giants (vs. MIN)
The Giants also get the Raiders in Week 17, making them potentially usable both weeks. In the interest of not being repetitive, their full write-up will be here.
Make no mistake, this defense has been bad. One of the worst in the league, to be exact. It would take nearly perfect opponent matchups to consider starting the Giants with your season at stake, but that’s precisely what they have.
Week 16 brings J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings at home. Then, they get the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17.
It’s somewhat cruel that such an underwhelming defense receives this gift schedule, but fantasy managers must make the difficult call on whether to deploy it.
The Giants are worth a stash if you have roster space. They’d be a viable play against the Vikings even if you avoid them against the Raiders. McCarthy has been the worst quarterback in NFL history through his first six starts.
While this matchup could be what McCarthy needs, he may simply not be good enough to play in the NFL. Give any NFL defense a quarterback that doesn’t belong, and it favors the defense.
Week 17 Defenses: Detroit Lions (at MIN)
If you just read the write-up on the Giants above, you know where this is going. In fact, this is even stronger because of what happened the last time these teams met. Somehow, the Detroit Lions lost to McCarthy in Detroit. Even though McCarthy threw for a mere 143 yards, it was enough as the Lions sputtered.
Detroit is very likely to find itself in a situation where it needs this game to keep its playoff hopes alive. And you know they want to avenge their loss earlier in the season.
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Thanks in large part to Max Brosmer, the Vikings have overtaken the Titans as the most generous offense to opposing defenses. They allow the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game. The Lions will be a top defense in Week 17.
New Orleans Saints (at TEN)
If you skipped over the write-up on the Chiefs above, I would encourage you to read it. That’s pretty much the crux of the argument in favor of the New Orleans Saints.
This isn’t about the Saints. It’s about a Titans offense allowing the fourth-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to defenses.
New Orleans has shown an ability to exploit bad offenses before, most notably in Week 5 against the Giants and Week 10 against the Panthers. Cam Ward will easily be the worst quarterback they’ve faced all season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE)
It’s actually difficult to assess this matchup because we don’t know who will start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Currently, Shedeur Sanders is the guy. However, another bad outing could compel the team to turn back to Dillon Gabriel to see what he has to offer.
Another wrinkle is that the Browns opened Deshaun Watson’s practice window ahead of Week 14. He will either be activated by Week 17 or revert to IR, and his season will be over. Perhaps they want to see if he has anything left to offer over the final two games of the season.
Regardless of who starts, the Steelers will be in a good spot. There’s a reason the Browns don’t know who their quarterback is.
Cleveland allows the second-most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to defenses. Pittsburgh will likely need this game to keep its playoff hopes alive. They are a top defense to stash if you can.
Week 16 Kickers: Jake Bates, Detroit Lions
It’s fine if you want a safe and sound kicker instead of aiming for significant upside. The Lions have a lot going for them here, but they do stay pretty aggressive on 4th down. Against the Steelers, they may be willing to take the points if they jump out to an early lead.
This is a home game in a dome for the Lions, who still boast an efficient offense. Jake Bates has been money from within 50 yards this season, but has struggled with his deep shots.
He remains a strong Week 17 play as well, facing the Vikings in their dome and the 3rd ranked redzone defense.
Eddy Pineiro, San Francisco 49ers
Eddy Money has been a boon for the 49ers since they’ve moved on from Jake Moody earlier this season. Pineiro was money for fantasy managers, too, before hurting his hamstring and missing time. He’s expected back this week or next, but his missed time should make him available on most waivers.
A Week 16 matchup against the Colts in their dome should see plenty of points come through. The 49ers have moved the ball pretty well, and Indy’s 9th in red zone percentage allowed, holding teams to a near 50/50 split between touchdowns and field goals. Assuming Eddy Pineiro is back and healthy, he’s set up for a strong championship start.
Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals
We’re taking a chance here and hoping the weather in Miami is tame enough when they play Cincinnati. You wouldn’t guess so, but the Dolphins’ defense stiffens up in the red zone, 5th in the league at allowing a touchdown just 52% of the time.
The Bengals, with a healthy Joe Burrow, move the ball far more efficiently, and Zac Taylor is a pretty conservative coach. Evan McPherson is 100% on the year under 50 yards and still historically capable from deep.
Week 17 Kickers: Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders
We’re projecting a slight improvement from this Raiders squad as we head into the winner-takes-all week. The Raiders come home for a dome game against the Giants for what should be a competitive enough match that’ll give Daniel Carlson an opportunity.
While the Giants aren’t a good red-zone defense, the Raiders are equally as bad at scoring from up close. We’re taking a chance that the Raiders will move the ball just well enough to give Carlson a big game.
Harrison Mevis, Los Angeles Rams
Harrison Mevis is a projection as he’s only had two career field goals in the NFL, but at least he’s batting 100.
The Thiccer Kicker is in a good spot with one of the league’s best offenses. The Rams do tend to finish drives, but the Falcons have been above average in the red zone and are pressuring opposing QBs effectively. Playing on the road in Atlanta’s dome makes for ideal conditions.
Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars
We know Cam Little has a cannon from out deep, so hopefully he gets a few 50+ opportunities against the Colts. Thankfully, he plays in their dome and not the potentially treacherous wet weather of Jacksonville.
This game could decide the division by this point, so I’d expect the Jaguars to play it relatively safe and take points when given. You can move the ball on the Colts, but, as mentioned before, they have a good red-zone defense to keep offenses out.
