Week 4 Streamers and Stashes

Week 3 was a good one for our streamers and stashes with the highest scoring WR and DST plus top ten QB, RB, TE and K all appearing in our article last week. So I hope it was a good week for you too. Also remember that bye weeks start in Week 5 so it’s a good time to get in early and make sure you have good cover for those key positions with our Week 4 stashes.

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 probably 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.

Please also check out my rankings at ffdfantasyfootball.com and you can find my long-form videos on the Fantasy First Down Youtube channel and my Slot/Wide analysis on the Razzball Fantasy Youtube channel. If you have any questions, throw them in the comments below.

I’ll also be reporting my streamer record from the season to date above each section, to give you an idea of what to expect. Strong finishes mean top third of starters at the position, moderate means the top half of starters and a bust is anyone else.

QB Streamers (Week 1: 4 strong, 1 moderate, 2 bust):

Caleb Williams (CHI v LAR): Caleb Williams finally looked like an NFL quarterback in Week 3 against a mediocre Colts defense. His 363 yards through the air more than doubled his passing through two weeks and he bagged his first two touchdowns. The possible return of Keenan Allen would also boost his value but the biggest streaming factor is his matchup. The banged-up Rams just allowed Brock Purdy to throw all over them meaning Williams should have a good chance of a strong Week 4 performance.

Justin Fields (PIT @ IND): Speaking of the Colts, they now face another struggling quarterback who had a Week 3 bounce back. It’s entirely possible Justin Fields can keep his roll going against the struggling Indy secondary and take the Steelers to a shock 4-0 record. Russ who?

QB Stash:

Jordan Love (GB v MIN): It will be difficult to start Jordan Love against the improved Vikings in his first week back, but in Week 5 he faces the aforementioned Rams making him a fantastic stash if his owner got impatient and dropped him.

RB Streamers (3 strong, 4 moderate, 4 bust):

Brian Robinson (WAS @ ARI): The matchup isn’t great but with Austin Ekeler likely out with a head injury, Brian Robinson becomes an absolute must-start this week. If Ekeler is good to go though, he goes back to being a matchup-dependent flex.

Zack Moss (CIN @ CAR): Another Monday night success story, Zack Moss heads to a Carolina defense that had been particularly susceptible to the run (until the Raiders arrived). I’d expect normality to return against a much stronger Bengals outfit. Chase Brown is also a low-end desperation option by the way.

Braelon Allen (NYJ v DEN): It’s hard to feel great about any back playing behind the stud that is Breece Hall, but Robert Saleh has clearly tried to ease the load on Hall in easier matchups and the Jets face the Broncos in Week 4. While Denver was impressive against the Buccaneers, they’re seven-point underdogs against the Jets which could mean a lot of Braelon Allen. He’s a low-end streaming option if you need one.

RB Stashes:

Rico Dowdle (DAL @ NYG): I was a serious Rico Dowdle truther throughout the pre-season and in Week 3 he became the clear Cowboys number one running back. The only problem is that his team can’t seem to find a way to get the lead early and run the ball. But their matchups get a whole lot easier in the second half of the season with the Panthers, Buccaneers and Eagles to cap things off in the playoffs. If Dowdle can gain a true workhorse role, which he’s trending towards, he becomes a viable starter.

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: Braelon Allen, Bucky Irving, Zach Charbonnet, Ty Chandler, Tyler Allgeier, Tank Bigsby, Ray Davis, Trey Sermon, Antonio Gibson, Chase Brown

WR Streamers (3 strong, 5 moderate, 1 bust):

Rome Odunze (CHI v LAR): I highlighted the Rams earlier in my Caleb Williams blurb but the same argument applies to rookie Rome Odunze too. Coming off his first touchdown and with Keenan Allen likely either limited or out, Odunze could have another big game.

Jauan Jennings (SF v NE): Jauan Jennings was one of my streamers last week and, unsurprisingly given his 52 PPR point explosion, he’s back! It’s not the greatest matchup but c’mon, did you see week 3?

Jahan Dotson (PHI @ TB): I don’t love this option, but Jahan Dotson is available in most leagues and is the Eagles WR1, assuming Devonta Smith’s concussion keeps him out for Week 4. Unfortunately, Dotson has only four targets on 151 snaps and faces the improved Buccaneers secondary. He’s a mediocre play but I like to include at least one player accessible in most leagues. Just note that if AJ Brown or Devonta Smith plays, I wouldn’t consider Dotson.

WR Stashes:

Keon Coleman (BUF @ MIN): Seeing Keon Coleman miss the whole first quarter and receive only one reception (admittedly a touchdown) across the last two weeks is hardly a reason for excitement. But he’s still by far the most talented receiver on this roster and we know his limited snaps in Week 3 were at least in part a punishment rather than a strategic decision. There are few players with more upside on waivers so Coleman is worth a pickup and stash.

Darnell Mooney (ATL v NO): Darnell Mooney has 15 targets across the last fortnight but he gets a tough matchup against the Saints this week. He’s well worth picking up for the impending bye weeks though.

TE Streamers (1 strong, 1 moderate, 4 bust):

I can’t even deal with the tight ends this season. It’s an absolute nightmare. The top target earners in Week 3 were Dallas Goedert (no surprise), Jake Ferguson (as expected), Cole Kmet (what?), Cade Otton (why?), Jordan Akins (who?), Tyler Conklin (how?) and Noah Fant (when?) So it seems like all analysis is irrelevant with tight ends at the moment and we’re just throwing darts. So, start your studs and if that doesn’t work, here’s some options:

Cole Kmet (CHI v LAR): Cole Kmet has consistently played behind Gerald Everett then randomly, this week, he ran 40 routes for 10 receptions, 97 yards and a touchdown. The Rams have conceded the fourth most points to tight ends this season so this should be a good matchup but with Keenan Allen potentially returning and this tight end room highly unpredictable, I just don’t know!

Pat Freiermuth (PIT @ IND): In general, I have little interest in Pat Freiermuth. He runs only 20-odd routes a game and isn’t the team’s number one target. But the tight end landscape is sparse to put it lightly. Freiermuth gets a Colts side that has been generous to tight ends each of the last two seasons so the ‘Muth becomes a viable streaming option.

TE Stash:

Dalton Schultz (HOU v JAC): The ACL injury to Brevin Jordan has led to a significant increase in routes for Dalton Schultz. The Texans tight end played all but three snaps in Week 3, a significant increase on the first two weeks when he missed 16 and 18 snaps respectively. That ultra-high snap rate is unlikely to continue but Schultz is worth a stash just to see what impact the Jordan injury has on his usage.

K Streamers (3 strong, 2 moderate, 1 bust):

Blake Grupe (NO @ ATL): Blake Grupe is the K6 through three weeks and he faces the Falcons this week. The Falcons have conceded 15.3 fantasy points to kickers per game, 20% more than any other team. There’s plenty of variability in kicking statistics so I wouldn’t read too much into those stats, but Grupe is still a good kicking option.

Evan McPherson (CIN @ CAR): That’s right, I’m going back to the well! The Panthers may have fluked a big win over the Raiders, but their defense is still mediocre and Vegas projects the Bengals to be one of the league’s highest scoring teams in Week 4. That should mean a good floor for Evan McPherson.

DST Streamers (3 strong and 3 bust):

Titans DST (TEN @ MIA): The Titans have massively improved their secondary and provide solid sack production. With Skylar Thompson making the Packers the DST1 last weekend, there’s a solid chance Tennessee can take advantage of an ailing Dolphins offense in Week 4.

Cowboys DST (DAL @ NYG): The Cowboys DST has had consecutive bad weeks meaning they’ll end up on waivers in a lot of leagues. This week though, they face a Giants defense that has conceded the fifth most points to DSTs this season. Sure, Dallas looked bad defensively in Week 3, but this is still the DST that has finished top two each of the last three seasons.

Please note I won’t be listing any kicker or DST stashes as you should never roster more than one of either of these positions.