For Week 15, I recommended Mike White against the Lions, Daniel Jones against the Commanders, and Tyler Huntley against the Browns. White missed the game due to injury, although Zach Wilson ended up with a strong QB9 fantasy finish in his stead in the good matchup. Jones and Huntley, unfortunately, missed the mark, as both struggled to produce in their respective matchups and finished outside of the top 20 quarterbacks for the week.
Overall, Week 15 was lackluster 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 Justin Fields later on in your drafts, this article probably isn’t for you. But if you’ve been streaming quarterbacks this season or lost Jalen Hurts to the shoulder injury, here are some viable Week 16 quarterback streamers with good matchups to target.
Week 16 Quarterback Streamers
Check out our Week 16 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.
Daniel Jones (61% ESPN, 61% Yahoo)
Despite a disappointing fantasy performance in their win over the Giants last week, Daniel Jones still has a strong floor and high ceiling due to his rushing potential, keeping him among the top quarterback streamers for Week 16. Thus far on the season, Jones ranks fifth among quarterbacks in rushing attempts, fifth in rushing yards, and fourth in rushing touchdowns. In fact, Jones quietly ranks as the QB11 in fantasy points through 14 weeks and the QB16 in fantasy points per game in large part due to his rushing production.
Jones also has an excellent passing matchup this week against a Minnesota defense that ranks 27th in DVOA against the pass. The Vikings have also allowed the second-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks and the fifth-most points per game to opponents through 15 weeks. With the current over/under of 48 total points projected, the third-highest of any game this week, Jones has week-winning potential in what could be a shootout. He’s the top option among this week’s quarterback streamers even after a down game last week.
Zach Wilson (9% ESPN, 9% Yahoo)
Even though Zach Wilson was benched after struggling earlier this season, it’s worth noting that his two worst outings came against Buffalo and New England, both top-10 pass defenses. Wilson actually had a decent performance last week against a Detroit defense that ranks 22nd against the pass on the season, and he has another good matchup this week against a Jacksonville defense that ranks just dead last in the league through 15 weeks. Wilson is a risky option given his tumultuous track record, but he has a fair floor and ceiling in this game.
In fact, the Jaguars have allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks this year, and they’ve allowed over 250 passing yards and 17 fantasy points to every quarterback since their Week 11 bye. Although his inaccuracy makes him an iffy option among the Week 16 quarterback streamers, it’s worth noting that the early matchup on Thursday night makes this one of the few games not being played in sub-zero temperatures this week across the league. It’s enough to break a few ties in favor of Wilson this week.
Kenny Pickett (8% ESPN, 12% Yahoo)
Kenny Pickett has yet to reach 20 fantasy points in any of his games this season, but he has a decent shot to have a career-high fantasy outing this week at home against the Raiders. Las Vegas’s defense ranks second-worst against the pass, and the Raiders have allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks and the 10th most points per game to opponents thus far on the season. The matchup is the main reason Pickett ranks among the top quarterback streamers for this week.
Last week, Mac Jones was the first quarterback all year to fail to throw for 200 yards against the Raiders, and Las Vegas has forced just four interceptions on the season, tied for second-fewest in the league. Coming back from the concussion, Pickett should have an excellent opportunity to attack a struggling Raiders secondary that hasn’t logged an interception since Week 12. While the floor is still somewhat risky for Pickett, he has enough upside to be worth a look in a week where most quarterbacks with good matchups are already rostered.
Honorable Mentions
In deeper leagues, if none of the above-recommended quarterback streamers are available, Tyler Huntley could get another start with Lamar Jackson still not practicing as of Wednesday. Huntley clearly has a low floor, but the ceiling remains high facing an Atlanta defense that ranks just 29th against the pass this year. And if you’re desperate, Brock Purdy has played well since taking over in San Francisco, and while the Commanders rank about average against the pass, Purdy has enough yards after the catch weapons around him to still have a fair floor and ceiling in fantasy.
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