The bye weeks have arrived and that means streaming and stashing is more important than ever. Every week, I’ll be bringing you an article answering two simple questions: who should I stream this week and who should I stash for the future?
To keep things simple, we’ll define a streamer as any player you wouldn’t usually start who is a viable option for this week. They may be on your bench or they may be on waivers, depending on your league. We’ll define a stash as any player you can potentially find on waivers that you should stash for the future, either because they have a favorable match-up coming up, or because they could become a future fantasy starter.
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QB Streamers:
Jared Goff (DET): Jared Goff has just one Top 20 finish so far this season, but he’s a strong start this week against the struggling Bengals. The Lions are projected to have the week’s highest score and Cincinnati is a Top 10 quarterback matchup. If you’re rostering Goff (and that’s a questionable choice at this stage), now is the time to start him.
Jaxson Dart (NYG): Last week, I recommended stashing Jaxson Dart in order to start him this week if his debut went well. The rookie showed a strong rushing floor in a surprise debut win against the unbeaten Chargers. This week, he goes up against the winless Saints and is a good chance of putting up a solid total, though there is always a risk the Giants just run out the game as they did last week against LA.
Deeper Streamers: Sam Darnold vs TB, Cooper Rush vs HOU
QB Stash:
Matthew Stafford (LAR): The Rams face a susceptible Ravens in Week 6 and Matthew Stafford is starting to hit his stride. The veteran was the QB2 last week against the Colts (when I listed him as a streamer) but this week I’m holding him for a rainy day (which could come soon if you’re relying on Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy or CJ Stroud, who are all at risk of missing Week 6).
RB Streamers:
Quinshon Judkins (CLE): The Browns have been giving rookie runner Quinshon Judkins all he can eat, with 45 involvements across the last two games. This week, they face a Vikings team who is best attacked on the ground. That has Judkins written all over it.
Woody Marks (HOU): Week 4 showed a clear changing of the guard, with Nick Chubb losing touches to one of my favorite pre-season rookies (and Week 3 stash), Woody Marks. And Marks did not disappoint, totally outplaying his veteran teammate. This week, he faces the league’s best RB matchup in the Ravens, meaning he’s a must-start if you’re struggling for a runner.
David Montgomery (DET): The Lions have significantly changed their running back usage this season, moving away from a true committee and leaning more heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs. But Week 3’s wild RB2 finish (which lost me a matchup by a point, I’m not bitter or anything), showed the bigger back can still have his good weeks in the right matchups. And this week, against the Bengals, is one of those. Detroit is a heavy favorite and the Bengals have conceded the second most points to RBs this season. Monty is a risky but feasible start.
Michael Carter (ARI): There’s a chance Trey Benson is out for Week 4. If that’s the case, Michael Carter becomes the backup you should start in Arizona. But only if badly hurting at the position.
RB Stashes:
Isaiah Davis (NYJ): Braelon Allen appears headed to injured reserve (though that’s unconfirmed at the time of writing), opening up an opportunity for Isaiah Davis to be the clear backup in New York. That makes Davis a desperation flex option and a strong handcuff to Breece Hall.
Running backs get injured more than any other player in fantasy, with the average Top 36 running back missing two games per season in fantasy. For that reason, your best bet in fantasy is to roster running backs who are an injury away from an every down role. Each week, I’ll be listing my favorite RB stashes, only including players you won’t be starting most weeks.
Top Handcuffs: Zach Charbonnet, Rachaad White, Blake Corum, Kendre Miller, Kareem Hunt, Brian Robinson, Ollie Gordon, DJ Giddens, RJ Harvey, Isaiah Davis, Bhayshul Tuten, Rico Dowdle, Ty Johnson
WR Streamers:
Michael Pittman (IND): It’s hard to trust in Colts receivers, but Michael Pittman gets a juicy Top 3 matchup against the Raiders this week. That’s enough for me to take a punt on starting him in Week 5, despite some inefficiency and inconsistency this season.
Jaylen Waddle (MIA): I’m normally against starting receivers against the Panthers about as much as I’m against starting Jaylen Waddle. But with Tyreek Hill out for the season and maybe more, Waddle becomes an every-week starter until future notice. Just know that he’s a risky one this week.
Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG): The devastating ACL injury to Malik Nabers opens up opportunities to the other Giants receivers. Wan’Dale Robinson is likely to be the main beneficiary, as his snaps jumped following the Nabers injury and he was already a target magnet before his teammate went down. He’s likely a solid PPR start most weeks now, but that’s especially the case against the mediocre Saints.
Tre Tucker (LV): I was against starting Tre Tucker last week but against the Colts, who are very susceptible to downfield threats, I’m all about taking a shot on the Raiders’ deep guy.
WR Stashes:
Darius Slayton (NYG): I’ve been around long enough to know you can’t trust Darius Slayton just because he’s high on the depth chart. After all, he was playing pretty much every snap even before the Malik Nabers injury. But he has gotten more involved over the last fortnight, so I’d like to snap him up just in case that grows into an actual role with Nabers out.
Isaiah Bond (CLE): Cedric Tillman’s trip to IR opens up an opportunity for controversial rookie receiver Isaiah Bond. He’s slowly risen up the depth chart this season and is likely now the WR2. Heck, he may even have been that without the Tillman injury. He’s a worthwhile pickup in deeper leagues as he has more upside than most on waivers in those leagues.
TE Streamers:
Brenton Strange (JAC): Evan Engram was an every-down tight end last season based on his volume. This year, it’s Brenton Strange getting the same treatment. He’s a viable PPR streamer most weeks but with Tucker Kraft and Kyle Pitts on bye, he increases in value in Week 5.
Darren Waller (MIA): When a player gets 16 snaps the week before, I’m wary of starting them. But Darren Waller parlayed that into a four target, three catch, two touchdown debut for a Dolphins team that now lacks target hog Tyreek Hill. He’s a viable start against a Panthers team that is a Top 6 TE matchup.
TE Stash:
Theo Johnson (NYG): The Malik Nabers injury will cause an adjustment in the Giants’ target distribution, but we don’t know yet who that will benefit. Theo Johnson is an every-down tight end who gets targeted at an alarmingly low rate. That could all change with the absence of his stud teammate though. I’m willing to stash him to find out.
K Streamers:
Spencer Shrader (IND): I’m back on the Spencer Shrader train! Hopefully you still have the season’s top scorer after last week’s article, because he’s in for a juicy kicker matchup against the Raiders in Week 5.
Jason Myers (SEA): Veteran Seahawks kicker Jason Myers is quietly the K3 on the season. This week, I’m expecting another good outing against the Buccaneers.
DST Streamers:
Lions DST (DET): When I suggested streaming the Lions DST last week, they were the 23rd highest scoring defense on the year. They’re now the DST4. And it only gets better with a great matchup against the insipid Bengals.
Browns DST (CLE): The Vikings/Browns game is expected to be an error-filled slugfest so I’ll be targeting both DSTs. Assuming the Vikings aren’t available in your league, the Browns are a viable substitute.
Please note: I won’t be listing kicker or DST stashes. You should never put kickers or DSTs on your bench in redraft leagues. There are practically no exceptions. Just please, don’t do it.
If you have questions on your leagues, make sure you hit me up on Instagram @TheFantasyFirstDown or on Twitter @FantasyFirstDwn. Also make sure you check out my dynasty and weekly rankings plus my Youtube. Lastly, make sure you check out all the amazing tools available on the Razzball website. They’re great for making start/sit decisions.
