Jay Cutler has a favorable matchup against the Chiefs in Week 5

With more and more fantasy owners opting to wait on the quarterback and tight end positions in drafts, streaming each position has become a viable option. This is made easier by the fact that there are usually solid options on the waiver wire. Each week this column will scour the waiver wire and look for quarterbacks and tight ends who are less than 50% owned and could be worth starting for your fantasy team. All ownership percentages come from Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Quarterback

Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs (25% owned)
vs. Chicago Bears

Smith is coming off a career-best 386 passing yards against the Bengals in Week 4. Granted, he didn’t throw any touchdowns in the game, but he did add 25 rushing yards. He has an enticing Week 5 matchup against a Bears secondary that is allowing quarterbacks to average 20.2 fantasy points per game, eighth most in the league. Smith does tend to pick up double-digit rushing yards in most of his games, which will offer some cushion considering his low expected touchdown outlook from week-to-week.

Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears (25% owned)
@ Kansas City Chiefs

Cutler made his return from a hamstring injury and was able to pass for 281 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception against the Raiders. He gets the top matchup in the league for quarterbacks in Week 5, taking on a Chiefs secondary that has been getting picked apart by enemy signal callers. With Cutler you are almost assured of an interception or two, but his upside in this matchup outweighs any negative points you may incur. As an added bonus, star receiver Alshon Jeffery will likely be back this week after not playing since Week 1.

Tight End

Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers (42% owned)
@ New York Giants

This is a speculative play as Davis missed his Week 4 game against the Packers with a knee injury. Streaming Davis this week will require keeping an eye on injury reports to make sure he’s on track to play. He does have a prime matchup against a Giants defense that is giving up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends at 20.1. If Davis is unable to play, his backup Garrett Celek is also worth a look considering the matchup.

Gary Barnidge – Cleveland Browns (9% owned)
@ Baltimore Ravens

Barnidge’s usage over the last two weeks has been quite encouraging as he’s converted 16 targets into 10 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. A big target at 6-foot-5 and a load to bring down in the open field, Barnidge has become one of Josh McCown’s favorite targets in the passing game. The matchup against the Ravens is a tough one, but Barnidge is worth a pick up with an eye on the future in case he’s able to continue his current TE1 production going forward.

Matthew Terelle is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @supermt.