Streaming Quarterbacks: Week 16 Fantasy Football Targets

Dec 19, 2017

Steve Andress

I have a lot of confidence in making the following statement.

Many fantasy teams advanced to championships this past week by streaming a quarterback. The most likely case was Nick Foles getting the start for owners who lost Carson Wentz. He was our bonus QB streamer, mentioned in last week’s episode of the The 4for4 Fantasy Football Show. Foles crushed with 25.5 fantasy points and a QB4 finish in Week 15.

The rest of the picks in our column also did fantastic:

Blake Bortles (QB6) - 25 FP

Joe Flacco (QB9) - 21.8 FP

Jimmy Garoppolo (QB10) - 19.6 FP

Honestly, it’s just been an incredible season to use QB streaming as a strategy.

We continue to increase our top pick average in 2017. For the season, our top streaming picks are now averaging 24.4 fantasy points per game. That’s ahead of what DeShaun Watson averaged as QB1 in fantasy points per game and more overall points than Russell Wilson has as the top healthy fantasy quarterback! The average of all of our streaming picks (17.1 FP/G) multiplied by 15 weeks is more than what Kirk Cousins has scored as QB6 in total points.

Our standard for this exercise will always be to select only quarterbacks owned in 40 percent or fewer of Yahoo! leagues. We will use that standard as not to be accused of stretching the definition of “streamer” (plus, we like a challenge). It will also allow for similar potential on other sites.

We’ll focus on factors such as QB points per game, the opponent’s schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (aFPA), and the Vegas implied team totals.

Let’s win a fantasy championship. Here are those options for Week 16:

*Note: Blake Bortles is now owned in 54% of Yahoo! leagues, but if he’s available, he would be a definite streaming option again this week against the 49ers.

Joe Flacco (BAL) vs. IND

Flacco is back-o (I’ll show myself out). But before I do, look at what Flacco has done in the past three weeks, feasting on inferior defenses. He is averaging 19.1 FP in that span. The matchup is again a plus one this week against the Colts at home. The Colts are just 25th this season in overall fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks and just gave up 26.1 to the combination of Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler in Lucas Oil Stadium last Thursday night. Indianapolis is also just 19th in aFPA, and the Ravens have the fifth-highest implied team total this week at 27.5 points.

Flacco is owned in 18% of Yahoo! leagues.