If you ended up streaming Matthew Stafford last week, it's going to be incredibly tough to drop him after he dropped 385 yards and three touchdowns on the Cardinals.
It was more than just taking advantage of the poor Arizona defense — he has arguably the best set of weapons he's had at his disposal since the Calvin Johnson era.
Here's how all four of our Week 1 streaming picks did:
- Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: 27.6 points (QB3)
- Jimmy Graham, TE, Packers: 10.5 points in half PPR (TE9)
- Matt Prater, K, Lions: 11 points (K8)
- Jets' Defense: 18 points (DEF3)
As great as Stafford was, the life of a streamer is cold and calculating, so I'll be swapping him out for another quarterback this week. Let's dig into my top fantasy streaming options at QB, tight end, kicker and defense for Week 2.
Best Fantasy Streaming Options: Week 2
QB: Josh Allen, Bills
Matchup: at Giants
Ownership: 32%
Allen has seen an upgrade in surrounding pass catchers as free-agent signings — John Brown and Cole Beasley — led the Bills in receiving in Week 1. We also saw Allen's continued rushing upside with a 10/38/1 line on the ground.
Now Allen gets a Giants defense that Dak Prescott just dropped 405 passing yards on.
Most weeks Allen will have too much of a high-ceiling, low-floor outlook for my liking. But for Week 2, it's much more of a high-ceiling, high-floor combo we need to take advantage of.
TE: T.J. Hockenson, Lions
Matchup: vs. Chargers
Ownership: 52%
Hockenson is still available in nearly half of Yahoo leagues.
Not only should he be added as a Week 2 streamer, he has the upside to become a permanent fixture in your lineup — depending on how the Lions offense looks against non-Cardinals opponents.
Hockenson dropped a 6/131/1 in his debut and looked every bit as good as that line indicates. It typically takes tight ends a season to adjust to the game, but Hockenson could be the rare exception.
On paper, he draws a tough matchup against the Chargers, who are tough against opposing TEs. They managed to hold Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle to a combined 2/28/0 line, but I should note that Ebron nearly had a touchdown that he juggled on the way to the ground.
I'd think the Chargers will regress a bit in TE coverage with Derwin James on injured reserve, so I'm willing to roll the dice on Hockenson this week as a Week 2 streamer and potential long-term solution at TE.
Kicker: Joey Slye, Panthers
Matchup: vs. Buccaneers (Thursday Night Football)
Ownership: 2%
Slye is my sixth-ranked kicker for Week 2 as of writing and is available in most leagues. He's the top K streamer this week and has already flashed his potential on long field goals.
He made three 50-plus yarders — including a long of 59 — in the preseason, and in Week 1 he drilled 46- and 52-yard FGs that looked like they would have been good from 60 or more yards out. He missed a 53-yarder just a bit right, but it’s clear that Ron Rivera trusts Slye, who could potentially be their kicker even if/when Graham Gano is healthy again.
The Panthers face the Bucs on TNF, so it'll be key to lock him up for the early game this week.
Defense: Houston Texans
Matchup: vs. Jaguars
Ownership: 50%
The Texans are lightly owned due to their brutal Week 1 matchup against the Saints, and partially due to losing Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks.
Not only are they the top streaming option for Week 2, but they're my No. 1 overall defense. They get to face the Gardner Minshew-led Jaguars at home and are three-plus projected points above my fourth-ranked defense this week, which isn’t a common occurrence if I’m being honest.
The Texans are only going to be a one-week rental as they face the Chargers in Week 3 in Los Angeles.
Don't spend a ton of your free agent acquisition budget or burn a No. 1 waiver on the Texans, but locking them in for a couple bucks of your FAAB bucks could be worth it.
