Streaming Quarterbacks: Week 5 Targets

Oct 06, 2015

Andy Dalton did well as our optimal streaming QB last week, putting up 18.44 fantasy points. This week, however, he takes his first big-boy steps, moving outside our streaming criteria. Dalton, Tyrod Taylor, and Marcus Mariota are all owned in more than 60% of leagues after last week’s round of waivers, so none of the three qualifies for this article. If any of those three are still available in your league, they are worth adding.

With those three streaming favorites graduating, we now have to look deeper, finding lesser-known and less-heralded quarterbacks to stream each week. The names might be frightening, but stay strong. Don’t mortgage your team’s future by trading away a strong position player for a middling QB. With diligent study and a bit of luck, you should be able to get 70-80% of QB1 production from streaming-caliber QBs.

Through four weeks, our optimal streamer is averaging 16.44 points, and our streaming QBs are averaging 15.23 points combined. That would rank them QB15 and QB19, which is far from where we want, but still not far off QB1 numbers in pure points. Now that aFPA is live and providing more reliable data on defenses, expect results to improve.

Week 5 QB Streaming Targets

Alex Smith (KC) vs. Chicago Bears

Alex Smith ranks in the middle of the pack at 18th in fantasy points per attempt among QBs this year. He’s been hot and cold this season, but Alex Smith gets to face the Bears defense at home in Week 5. The Bears are a scary 26th in aFPA, but they have given up the most passing TDs/attempt and second-most TDs/game. If there’s a reason to hope for passing touchdowns from Kansas City, this looks like it, even if Smith struggles a bit more than usual. My numbers have Smith very close to Jay Cutler this week, and the slight edge goes to Smith because his team is playing at home and heavily favored by Vegas.

Smith is available in 75% of Yahoo public leagues, and he is my optimal streaming QB of the week.