Why Streaming QBs Is A Viable Fantasy Strategy — Especially In 2020

Why Streaming QBs Is A Viable Fantasy Strategy — Especially In 2020 article feature image
Credit:

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. Pictured: Jimmy Garoppolo

Streaming quarterbacks is one of the most viable fantasy football strategies — no matter the season.

It's a simple concept: Whether you choose to forego drafting a QB altogether — which I am, in certain cases this season — or you find yourself in need of a fill-in, streaming means simply claiming a QB off the waiver wire for a given week.

Over the course of 2019, I was able to stream what was equivalent to season-long QB6 production by adding whoever was the top QB in my rankings and was available in at least 50% of leagues.

It's relatively easy to get QB1 value out of streaming because the position is so loaded. Any given week there's typically at least one QB who draws a favorable enough matchup to catapult him inside the top-12 weekly rankings and is available in at least 50% of leagues. That's why there are weeks when a QB like Jimmy Garoppolo, who is relatively low in my season-long rankings, may be ranked ahead of a higher-ranked season-long QB like Carson Wentz.

You won't see that combination of boosted rankings based on matchups and widespread availability with other positions such as running back or wide receiver.

It's also worth pointing out that streaming QB could provide even more of an edge in 2020 than in any other season. There will be players who test positive for COVID, forcing them to miss time. That means the ability to keep your roster as flexible as possible will be critical, and streaming QB will help you do just that.

Of course, streaming is only viable in 1QB leagues — if you play in any 2QB or Superflex leagues, every starting QB is in-play. That's where the full version of my QB tiers will come into play so you know when to draft certain QBs.

[Read Koerner's QB Tiers Now]

About the Author
Sean is The Action Network's Director of Predictive Analytics. He was named the No. 1 fantasy football draft ranker of 2019 by FantasyPros, where he's also finished as the top in-season ranker in three of the past five seasons

Follow Sean Koerner @The_Oddsmaker on Twitter/X.

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