Week 8 Streamers and Stashes

I went all in on the Buccs this season, so you can imagine my excitement when Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield had fantastic starts to the season. Then MNF happened. If you’re a Godwin, Evans or Brandon Aiyuk owner, you’re going to need to nail your streamers and stashes to save your season. Luckily, you’re in the right place!

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.

Be sure to check out the latest tools on Razzball.com: Slot vs. Wide PPG Allowed | WR Slot vs. Wide| DEF Targets Allowed | Home vs. Away | Wins vs. Losses | TD Tool

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 (8 strong, 3 moderate, 4 bust):

• Player: Caleb Williams
• Matchup: Commanders

Caleb Williams was my QB stash last week for a reason. Now is the time to start him. The rookie has had three great finishes in the last four weeks and takes on an improved but still middling Commanders defense. With Keenan Allen back, Williams will have plenty of receiving options and a week of preparation to get ready for an important matchup.

• Player: Kirk Cousins
• Matchup: Buccaneers

Three weeks ago, Kirk Cousins put 500 yards on the Buccaneers in a shootout of epic proportions. Return fixtures rarely follow the same script but it’s hard to deny the upside here. I’m giving the veteran one more chance to get things right after a disappointing fortnight in good matchups.

QB Stash:

• Player: Jameis Winston
• Matchup: Ravens

Jameis Winston has been a fantasy gun for the better part of the last decade. His issue has never been fantasy production, it’s been eating Ws. His inconsistent play has lead to regular benchings and going into this week, he was the Browns’ QB3 after falling behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson. But DTR looked awful deputising for Deshaun Watson, then injured his hand, handing Winston the starting role. He’s worth stashing in deeper leagues on the off chance he starts, as he always brings mammoth upside in the right matchups.

 

RB Streamers (12 strong, 5 moderate, 6 bust):

• Player: Javonte Williams
• Matchup: Panthers

At the risk of repeating myself: start your running backs, kickers and DSTs against the Panthers. This week, Javonte Williams gets the Carolina treatment. With over 100 yards and two touchdowns last week, Williams has major upside in Week 8.

• Player: Rachaad White
• Matchup: Falcons

There are very few good running back matchups this week so I’m digging a little deeper. The Buccaneers leant heavily on their runners once Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were out against the Ravens. The Falcons are a tough RB matchup but the Ravens were tougher and Rachaad White still had a mammoth week. I think heavy usage is very possible for White as he remains the primary Tampa Bay receiving back. There’s sneaky upside here.

• Player: Raheem Mostert
• Matchup: Cardinals

This is very much a desperation option. De’Von Achane remains the clear lead back in Miami but Raheem Mostert is still getting plenty of touches. The Cardinals are a good running back matchup and the return of Tua Tagovailoa should mean a more functional offense. If you’re looking for a bottom-of-the-barrel option, Mostert is available in a surprising amount of leagues.

RB Stashes:

• Player: Alexander Mattison
• Matchup: Chiefs

I was shocked to see Alexander Mattison retain his lead back role upon the return of Zamir White. Mattison lost his job to Ameer Abdullah only a fortnight ago so this made no sense. But Mattison somehow then looked fantastic against the Rams. He gets a tough matchup against the Chiefs but he profiles as a solid bye week filler in the coming weeks if he can keep the lead job.

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, Zach Charbonnet, Tyler Allgeier, Blake Corum, Ray Davis, Tank Bigsby, Tyrone Tracy, Kimani Vidal, Antonio Gibson, Ty Chandler, Dameon Pierce, Roschon Johnson, Justice Hill, Trey Benson

WR Streamers (3 strong, 10 moderate, 8 bust):

• Player: Jaylen Waddle
• Matchup: Cardinals

This should be more of a public service announcement: Tua Tagovailoa is back! Yet I’m still having people ask me if they should drop Jaylen Waddle. No! Why would you do that? This guy put up 100 yards in Week 1 with Tua and has three 1000+ yard seasons on his resumè. He should return to WR2 status with the lefty back under center.

• Player: Jauan Jennings
• Matchup: Cowboys

At the time of writing, it appears Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season and Deebo Samuel is battling pneumonia. This opens up an opportunity for Jauan Jennings to shine. We saw what that could look like in Week 3, when he put up 175 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jennings is far less of a guarantee than many believe, but he’s still a very solid streamer for Week 8.

• Player: Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman
• Matchup: Ravens

If you missed my blurb on Jameis Winston, check out the QB Stash section. He will be a massive boon for the fantasy prospects of all Browns pass catchers. They’re risky, but against the generous Ravens secondary, Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman both have plenty of upside if Winston starts. If it’s DTR, they’re more desperation options.

WR Stashes:

• Player: Ricky Pearsall
• Matchup: Cowboys

Until we know what this 49ers receiver room will look like in the wake of Brandon Aiyuk’s injury, I’m not willing to start Ricky Pearsall. But the rookie 1^st rounder is a fantastic stash as he could easily become a top pass-catching option in San Fran, especially if Deebo Samuel also struggles to return quickly.

• Player: Jalen McMillan
• Matchup: Falcons

I have a feeling the Buccaneers passing game might be all-around terrible without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. After all, being a WR3 given a WR1 opportunity doesn’t always pan out (see Tre Tucker for reference). But sometimes it does (see Jauan Jennings for reference). So stash Jalen McMillan and see what happens. Sterling Shepard is also a lower-end option.

• Player: Rashod Bateman
• Matchup: Browns

Rashod Bateman was the WR2 last week and is the WR22 on the season. That seems surprising but remember he was looking pretty good midway through his sophomore season before injury hit. He’s very boom-bust but for a bye-week filler, he has mammoth upside.

TE Streamers (3 strong, 2 moderate, 8 bust):

• Player: David Njoku
• Matchup: Ravens

I suggested last week that we should wait on David Njoku just to see how he goes without Amari Cooper. He had 14 targets. Given how often I mentioned Njoku this season, hopefully you rostered him. If you did, you can officially begin starting him.

• Player: Cade Otton
• Matchup: Falcons

With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out, Baker Mayfield turned to his running backs and Cade Otton. Otton’s always run a lot of routes but this week he turned them into 10 targets and 100 yards. He’s a great streaming option until Evans (hopefully) returns.

TE Stash:

• Player: Taysom Hill
• Matchup: Chargers

The Saints badly lack weapons and Taysom Hill is likely returning from injury. He’s worth stashing just to see what his role looks like moving forward, especially if Derek Carr remains out.

K Streamers (8 strong, 4 moderate, 2 bust):

• Player: Wil Lutz
• Matchup: Panthers

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, start kickers facing the Panthers. As a bonus, Wil Lutz is the K5 on the season.

• Player: Will Reichard
• Matchup: Rams

Vikings rookie Will Reichard has been tremendously accurate, as he’s yet to miss any of his 12 field goals or 18 extra points. He gets a good matchup against the Rams and should be a solid performer moving forward.

DST Streamers (10 strong and 4 bust):

• Player: Kansas City Chiefs DST
• Matchup: Raiders

Apparently, I’m really good at streaming kickers and DSTs. But if you don’t trust me, here’s my reasoning behind the Chiefs. They have an elite defense and they take on ‘backup’ Gardner Minshew and a Raiders offense that has conceded the second most DST points this season.

• Player: Green Bay Packers DST
• Matchup: Jaguars

The Packers have been the defensive surprise packet of the season, making up for some very inconsistent offensive play by Jordan Love. The Green Bay DST is 3^rd on the season and gets the Jaguars this week. Oddly, this isn’t the greatest matchup (despite Jacksonville’s poor record) based on previous DST performances but I like the Packers DST’s chances of performing this week regardless. In their few tough games, the Jags offense has struggled but it’s been buoyed by weak opponents like the Patriots and Colts. So I’m taking a shot.

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.