Streamers are a mix of players who usually benefit from good matchups, injury circumstances, or both. As is the case seemingly every week, players who enter the week as under the radar flyers emerge to be difference makers both in real life and fantasy football. Below are some of the players I believe have the potential to follow a similar path this week. I have selected one such player at each position who I expect to exceed weekly expectations. Here are my Week 10 streamers.
Week 10 Streamers
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns v. Atlanta Falcons
Baker Mayfield has generally settled in as a QB2 in most weeks since taking over as the full-time starter in Week 4. He has finished in that range in five of his six starts. Truth be told, I expect him to finish in that range again this week. But the ceiling is considerably higher than that when he leads the Cleveland Browns against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10. Cleveland has not been shy about throwing their future franchise quarterback into the fire. Mayfield has attempted at least 34 passes in each of his starts, averaging 40.33 throws per game. Such volume buoys his fantasy numbers and keeps his floor relatively high. A matchup with the Falcons raises his ceiling quite a bit as well.
Atlanta has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers. Since Week 2, the Falcons have given up at least 300 passing in six of seven games. They have allowed at least three touchdown passes in five of those games. And they have permitted both in four of those games. In the Falcons’ last two games, Eli Manning and Alex Smith combined for 705 passing yards. If that isn’t a green light, I don’t know what is. Mayfield is still available in 34 percent of leagues and is only active in just under a quarter of leagues. He makes for an ideal fill-in for those who have Deshaun Watson or Kirk Cousins facing a Week 10 bye. Baker Mayfield has the combination of a high floor and a high ceiling that makes him a very appealing streamer this week.
Running Back
Mike Davis, Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams
We are right in the thick of the playoff chase in most fantasy football leagues. Most teams are jockeying for position and doing whatever they can to navigate around injuries and bye weeks and find any possible source of fantasy production available. And yet there is a likely Week 10 starting running back who has averaged 73.4 yards over his last five games who is available in over a third of leagues. He also faces a defense which has given up 4.65 yards per rush and seven rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs this season. I am talking, of course, about Mike Davis of the Seattle Seahawks.
Chris Carson left last week’s game with a thigh injury to add to a hip injury he entered action with. Carson has yet to practice this week. The tea leaves would seem to indicate that Davis will start against the Rams in a very nice matchup. Even if Carson were to find a way to play, he is likely to be severely limited. I expect Davis to get 10-12 touches at an absolute minimum if Carson plays. If Carson sits, that number will probably be doubled. Davis parlayed 14 touches into an RB2 performance in this same matchup in Week 5. I believe a similar output is in store this week. If Mike Davis is still available in your league, pick him up and plug him in. He is one of my favorite Week 10 streamers regardless of position.
Wide Receiver
Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
[Editor’s Note: Crowder has been downgraded to out for Week 10. If you need more help at the position check out our Week 10 WR sleepers. ]
Jamison Crowder has not played since Week 5 due to an ankle injury. However, he did return to a limited practice on Thursday. While his Week 10 availability is not yet certain, Crowder would make for an excellent streaming option this week if he were to suit up. His ownership percentage has understandably dipped during his absence as owners have grown impatient and other wide receivers throughout the league have emerged. Crowder is now owned in just 53 percent of leagues. If he does indeed return this week, he should be productive right away in a matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As we have seemingly discussed ad nauseum, Tampa Bay’s defense is terrible. This remains the case when defending slot receivers as well. Crowder runs a large majority of his routes on the interior and should be a frequent target in this game. That is especially true given the MASH unit that is Washington’s offensive line. Both of their starting guards have been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Left tackle Trent Williams is also out for this game. Tight end Vernon Davis may be called upon to block more. With running back Chris Thompson ruled out for this game and wideout Paul Richardson out for the year, there will be targets available. Alex Smith will be best served to use quick-hitting throws to maneuver around his piecemeal offensive line. If Jamison Crowder can get back into action, he will be the likely beneficiary.
Should Crowder not be able to make it back in time to suit up for this game, owners need not look far for a replacement. Maurice Harris has been filling in for Crowder and set new career-highs in last week’s loss to Atlanta. The third-year wideout had ten catches for 124 yards last week and was on the field for 87 percent of offensive snaps. Despite the effort, Harris is still owned in just 24 percent of leagues. He may continue to get some run even if Crowder plays, but he would be a more trusted streamer if Crowder sits for one more week.
Tight End
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s face it – once you get into streaming territory, tight ends, in particular, are largely a hit or miss proposition. There often is not a ton of middle ground. The player I am highlighting this week, Ricky Seals-Jones of the Arizona Cardinals, is no exception. Seals-Jones enters Week 10 as the overall TE27 in fantasy. But his weekly finishes are all over the map. He has finished inside the top-20 three times but has also finished outside the top-30 three times. Such is life for tight end streamers. I believe the Cardinals’ tight end will trend towards the good when faced with a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are favored to win this game by 17 points. There are likely going to be a high number of passing attempts for rookie quarterback Josh Rosen. This potential for high volume increases Seals-Jones’ potential. The second-year pro also ran a season-high 37 routes last week, so he is an important member of the passing game. Kansas City has allowed just over 72 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends. That number is one of the highest in football. All of these factors mean that Ricky Seals-Jones is someone worth consideration this week. The floor is quite low, but he does have the potential to produce a solid fantasy effort given this matchup. Seals-Jones is rostered in only 38 percent of leagues.
Kicker
Michael Badgley, Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders
When the ineffective Caleb Sturgis missed Week 6 with an injury, undrafted rookie free agent Michael Badgley replaced Sturgis and made his lone field goal attempt, as well as all five extra points. The performance was such a contrast to Sturgis’ struggles that head coach Anthony Lynn, in his postgame press conference, pointedly remarked, “Well, we made all our damn kicks.” Badgley went on to repeat the feat in Week 7, nailing both of his extra points and both of his field goal attempts. Following the Chargers’ Week 8 bye, they inexplicably returned to Sturgis, and the results were almost disastrous. Sturgis missed his lone field goal attempt along with two of his three extra points. Having finally seen enough, Los Angeles replaced Sturgis with Badgley on Monday, this time on a permanent basis.
The Los Angeles Chargers boast one of the league’s best offenses. They have attempted 22 extra points and 16 field goals on the year. Those are the exact same totals as the Denver Broncos. Their kicker, Brandon McManus, enters Week 10 as the overall K13 on the year. Considering Denver has not yet had their bye, Badgley’s ceiling is a bit higher going forward. For this week, he is in a prime position as far as Week 10 streamers are concerned. The Oakland Raiders cede the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing kickers. Los Angeles also checks in with an implied team total of 30 points, third-highest in the NFL. Michael Badgley is owned in a minuscule nine percent of leagues. He makes for an excellent addition for those looking for a quick fix this week, and he also should maintain value going forward as well.
Defense
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
I targeted the New York Jets in this space a week ago, and it led to the Miami Dolphins posting the second-most fantasy points of any defense in Week 9. This is once again a matchup to target. Buffalo’s defense is often overlooked because of how historically inept their offense has been, but this is a matchup Buffalo can take advantage of. The Jets rank 30th in the NFL in offensive DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) according to Football Outsiders. the Bills’ defense ranks second in the same metric.
New York is going to start Josh McCown in place of Sam Darnold at quarterback this week. The veteran is less likely to make some of the mistakes the rookie has made recently, but McCown is not exactly known for protecting the football either. Since 2014, McCown has turned the ball over 51 times in just 37 games. Incredibly, he has fumbled 37 times in that span, losing 16. I think Buffalo will be able to make McCown uncomfortable and force him to make mistakes. Buffalo’s D/ST unit is owned in just 45 percent of leagues, and are currently active in just 36 percent. For my money, the Buffalo Bills are the premier defense for those seeking Week 10 streamers.
Extra Point
Kapri Bibbs, Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As I mentioned earlier when discussing Jamison Crowder and Maurice Harris, Washington is painfully thin when it comes to pass-catchers. They are even thinner along the offensive front. I believe this will result in tight end Vernon Davis becoming more of an inline blocker in this game. As bad as Tampa Bay is defensively, they are fairly competent up front. They rank fifth in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards metric and second in run stuff percentage. If Washington wants to play keep-away with Adrian Peterson, I think Davis will have to help along the line. If Davis helps out to block, that is one less option in the passing game that will be at Alex Smith’s disposal. Pass-catching running back Chris Thompson has already been ruled out for this game. This makes Kapri Bibbs an interesting player to monitor this week.
Bibbs is not someone who by any stretch has a safe floor or a guaranteed workload. He has yet to see more than six touches in any game this season. However, he has finished two of the past three games as a top-20 fantasy running back and has three touchdowns on just 19 touches on the year. That rate, while unsustainable, highlights that Washington trusts Bibbs in scoring territory. There is certainly the possibility that Bibbs can once again find the end zone against a Tampa Bay team allowing nearly 35 points per game. Bibbs is presently active on just four percent of teams and is only rostered in 14 percent of leagues overall. Based on the matchup and the surrounding circumstances, Kapri Bibbs is someone who may stand to benefit and end up being a solid streamer this week.
Like Mick’s Week 10 streamers? You should probably check out our sleepers for the week as well: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He has also written for Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick was the Overall Champion of both the 2016 Football Challenge – Roto and 2017 Play 3 Football contests hosted by CDM Sports. Mick was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York and currently resides in New London, Connecticut.
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