For Week 16, I recommended Daniel Jones at Minnesota, Zach Wilson against Jacksonville, and Kenny Pickett against Las Vegas. Jones had a strong showing, finishing as the QB9 in fantasy on the week, and Pickett had a passable QB15 fantasy finish. Unfortunately, Wilson missed the mark and regressed even against a beatable Jaguars secondary and was benched for the second time this season.
Overall, Week 16 was hit or miss 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 17 quarterback streamers with good matchups to target. Best of luck in the fantasy championship week!
Week 17 Quarterback Streamers
Check out our Week 17 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.
Jared Goff (59% ESPN, 80% Yahoo)
Jared Goff has now finished as a top-12 fantasy quarterback in three of his last four games, and he’s the top option among this week’s quarterback streamers. Yes, those games have all been against bottom-10 pass defenses, but Goff will once again have an excellent matchup this week at home in the dome against a Bears defense that ranks 29th in DVOA against the pass. With Detroit’s own defense ranking just 28th against the pass, this game projects to be a shootout. Vegas agrees, as this matchup currently has an over/under of 52 total points scored, the highest of any game in Week 17.
While Goff only threw for one touchdown the last time these two teams met in Week 10, it’s worth noting that game was outdoors at Chicago versus this week’s matchup indoors at Detroit, where Goff has been more efficient as a passer. Additionally, the Seahawks have now dropped three games in a row, which keeps the Lions’ playoff hopes alive this week with a win despite their loss to the Panthers last week. Goff has a fairly high floor even if Detroit were to run for touchdowns in the red zone, and he has a week-winning ceiling if the Bears can keep this game competitive.
Brock Purdy (31% ESPN, 40% Yahoo)
In his three starts since taking over after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s injury, Brock Purdy has been the QB10 in fantasy points per game. This week, Purdy will be facing a Las Vegas defense that ranks dead last in the league against the pass. In fact, the Raiders have allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks and the 10th most points per game to opponents through 16 weeks. An added bonus is that Deebo Samuel could potentially return from his sprained ankle, though the 49ers offense has been plenty explosive even in his absence.
The biggest risk with Purdy this week is that the Raiders have benched Derek Carr. With Jarrett Stidham slated to start in this game, there is a possibility that San Francisco could build a large lead by halftime, resulting in a lot of carries for Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason with no need for Purdy to pass the ball much in the second half. Still, facing the league’s worst pass defense, Purdy could easily throw for multiple touchdowns in what should be a blowout win over the Raiders. Although the floor could be a bit lower this week, Purdy still has week-winning upside if the 49ers score through the air, placing him among the best quarterback streamers for the fantasy championship week.
Mike White (14% ESPN, 20% Yahoo)
Prior to getting injured against the Bills in Week 14, Mike White was the QB7 in fantasy in his two starts in Weeks 12 and 13. Yes, those two games came against the Bears and Vikings, both bottom-10 pass defenses, but White’s matchup this week at Seattle isn’t far off with the Seahawks ranking 21st against the pass thus far on the season. In fact, Seattle has allowed the fourth-most points per game to opponents this year, and they’ve allowed three quarterbacks to pass for over 200 yards and multiple touchdowns against them in the five games since their bye, with only John Wolford and Sam Darnold failing to reach those marks.
Moreover, White has been efficient when not pressured, as he boasts a 68 percent completion rate from a clean pocket. Luckily for him, the Seahawks rank just 31st in pass rush win rate this year, which should set White up for another efficient performance, even on the road. There’s some risk that White might not yet be back to 100 percent health coming back from fractured ribs, but his track record and the matchup both mitigate this concern. White has a solid floor and a fair ceiling, making him one of the best quarterback streamers for Week 17.
Honorable Mentions
In deeper leagues, if none of the above-recommended quarterback streamers are available, Russell Wilson had one of his best fantasy performances of the season the last time he played against the Chiefs in Week 14. His floor remains dangerously low, but Wilson could have a resurgent game with Nathaniel Hackett fired. We’ll find out soon enough whether Wilson or Hackett was more to blame for the offense’s struggles thus far. And if you’re desperate, back from the concussion, Colt McCoy has an excellent matchup this week on the road facing an Atlanta defense that ranks third-worst in the league against the pass.
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