For Week 4, I recommended Geno Smith at Detroit, Jared Goff against Seattle, and Marcus Mariota against Cleveland. Smith and Goff were week winners, finishing as the top two fantasy quarterbacks on the week. Unfortunately, Mariota disappointed with just three rushing yards on five carries and just 139 passing yards in a game where Arthur Smith called 35 rushing attempts compared to just 19 pass attempts.
Overall, Week 4 was a stunning success for fantasy GMs who eschewed drafting a quarterback early and have been streaming the position. If you drafted Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes early or managed to snag Kirk Cousins or Jared Goff later on in your drafts, this article probably isn’t for you. But if you’ve been streaming quarterbacks this season, here are some viable Week 5 quarterback streamers with good matchups to target.
Week 5 Quarterback Streamers
Check out our Week 5 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | PPR |
Note: The below quarterback streamers are the “best of the rest”, meaning that they’re generally rostered in less than about 50-60 percent of major fantasy football platforms at the time of this writing even after waivers have run on Wednesday.
Ryan Tannehill (15% ESPN, 20% Yahoo)
Outside of a brutal showing against an elite Bills defense in Week 2, Ryan Tannehill has averaged 17.5 fantasy points per game in his other three matchups, which would be good enough to be QB13 on the season. In fact, he’s led Tennessee’s passing offense to rank ninth in DVOA through four games, and Tannehill will get to face a Washington defense this week that hasn’t intercepted a pass since Week 1 while having allowed nine passing touchdowns against them over the last three games.
The Commanders have allowed opponents to score the fourth-most points in the league against them and have allowed the ninth-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks through four weeks. While there’s a risk that Derrick Henry could see a heavy workload if the Titans jump out to an early lead, Tannehill still has plenty of upside against this weak Washington defense, making him among the best quarterback streamers for Week 5.
Teddy Bridgewater (9% ESPN, 11% Yahoo)
With Tua Tagovailoa out for this game due to a concussion, Teddy Bridgewater will take the reins of this explosive Miami offense. Although Bridgewater isn’t exactly known for his downfield passing, he can rely on speedsters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to boost his passing stats. Hill ranks third among wide receivers in yards after the catch through four games, and Waddle isn’t far behind, coming in at sixth in yards after the catch thus far on the year.
It helps, too, that the Jets’ defense ranks just 29th against the pass, ranks 22nd in pass rush win rate, and has allowed opponents to score the eighth-most points against them through four weeks. While Bridgewater is a somewhat risky option considering his disappointing 2021 season, he has a fairly high fantasy floor and ceiling this week in a great matchup, which keeps him among the best quarterback streamers for Week 5.
Andy Dalton (1% ESPN, 1% Yahoo)
Another backup who could be serviceable among this week’s quarterback streamers is Andy Dalton. As of this writing on Wednesday, Jameis Winston still has not practiced, potentially paving the way for another start for Dalton this week. Dalton played well in London last week with 236 passing yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions against the Vikings, though he did lose a fumble, which hurt his fantasy production.
This week, he’ll get another shot to contribute to fantasy teams in a great matchup against the Seahawks, who have allowed the second-most points to opponents and the fifth-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks through four weeks. Seattle’s defense ranks dead last against the pass, and Dalton will now have had two weeks of practice reps with the first-team offense with Winston sidelined, not to mention a more normal gameday schedule with this game at home in New Orleans rather than across the pond.
Honorable Mentions
In deeper leagues, if none of the above-recommended quarterback streamers are available, Zach Wilson had a strong first game back from his preseason knee injury last week at Pittsburgh, and he could need to throw to keep up with Miami this week, whose defense ranks a dreadful 31st against the pass. And if you’re desperate, Carson Wentz has turned back into a pumpkin against tough Eagles and Cowboys defenses over the last couple of weeks, but he has some fantasy potential against a Titans defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards and seventh-most points to opponents thus far on the season.
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