Streaming Quarterbacks: Week 14 Targets

Dec 06, 2016

This is a difficult intro to write. This was a difficult Monday to welcome. After Sunday, it was tempting to slip into a depressive rejection of everything. Thankfully the streaming game isn’t dictated by one week, and this week’s games only counted for one win or loss, just the same as every other game so far this year. It just felt much more important, because playoffs were more clearly on the line.

This week, Colin Kaepernick and Matt Barkley destroyed me, and they likely crushed many of you as well. Snow does not typically impact the passing game the way wind does, but boy, it – or something – destroyed that game for both sides. Kaepernick was removed from the game after attempting only five passes; he had six rushing attempts at that point. Barkley stayed in the game, but he only threw 18 times. Both teams were content to run, run, and run again.

As for lessons, I remain concerned about recommending QBs with minimal track records, so I will be leaving Matt Barkley off this week’s list. He remains bad at football, and I can’t trust him even in this great matchup against Detroit. But as for Kaepernick, it would be easy to get angry or question the call, but I don’t think that’s right. He was averaging 25.2 fantasy points per game, which was good enough for QB4 on the season, and there was no indication the matchup was so bad that it would counteract his previous positivity. In fantasy football, we are playing a game of percentages, and sometimes the dice come up bad. All that said, we carry on.

On the season, our optimal streaming QB is scoring 22.2 points per game, good enough for QB11 overall. Our streaming choices have averaged 18.26 points through twelve weeks. That would be QB22.

As always, I focus on QB points per game and the Vegas implied team totals to determine good QB streamers, then I add in their matchup for the week. For opposing defenses, we utilize Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points allowed (aFPA).

Week 14 QB Streaming Targets

Trevor Siemian (DEN) @ TEN

Trevor Siemian missed Week 13 due to injury, but I like him if he’s healthy enough to start this Sunday. The Tians have become a fantastic target for streaming QBs -- the best matchup in the league, per aFPA -- and Siemian has himself averaged more than 17 fantasy points per game. The Broncos just sent Kapri Bibbs to the IR, and Devontae Booker has not been running effectively. I can easily see this game requiring Siemian to throw more than usual. I don’t love it, but everything is pointing Siemian’s way this week.

Siemian is available in 89.4% of ESPN public leagues, and he is my optimal QB streamer of the week.