Streaming has become an integral part of fantasy football over the last few years. Whether it be quarterbacks, tight ends, defenses, or heck, even running backs and wide receivers at times. If you don’t know what streaming means, it’s where you’ll play a different player at that position each and every week. While it may sound nuts, it works if you know how to approach the waiver wire.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team 
How many times have you watched your fantasy matchup on Sunday/Monday, only to go search the waiver wire for your streamer next week and see a player available who has a premier matchup that everyone will attempt to pick up? Not anymore. This article is designed to give you a leg-up on your competition. That’s right, we’ll be adding the players before they’re able to. With that being said, here’s the players you should be adding to your fantasy roster on Sunday morning. I’m going to be using Yahoo as the gauge for ownership, and we’ll stick to players who are less than 40 percent owned.
Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor (CLE)
When streaming, you just want someone who won’t blow it for you. Well, Taylor is your best option in Week 3 as he’ll play against the Jets. While the Jets looked really good on Monday night against the Lions, a lot of that was on Matthew Stafford. Regardless of that, the Jets allowed the third-most rushing yards to quarterbacks last year, including six quarterbacks who rushed for 30 yards or more, which is essentially another touchdown.
Nick Foles (PHI)
This one is tough, because we don’t know if Carson Wentz will come back next week. If he doesn’t, it’s the dream spot for Foles. At home, against one of the worst cornerback units in the league (Colts), and likely with Alshon Jeffery back in the lineup. The Colts pass-rush wouldn’t be able to penetrate the Eagles offensive line, and though I’d expect Jay Ajayi & Co. to have a good game, Foles should present a solid floor.
Jameis Winston (TB)
I’ve heard a lot of fantasy owners talking about snagging Winston after the Week 2 games in order to be sly with him coming back Week 4. By grabbing him one week early, they’ll be safe to land him. Nah, we don’t think so. What’s the difference between snagging him now or when waivers clear on Wednesday morning? Yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked good in the opener, but he’ll struggle this week against the Eagles, and Winston may have looked better than any quarterback this preseason.
Last ditch option: Ryan Tannehill (MIA) vs. OAK
Running Backs
Theo Riddick (DET)
I’m not sure if many realized, but Riddick is the clear-cut leader in the Lions backfield after he tallied 41 snaps, while no other running back on the team totaled more than 16 snaps. If that wasn’t enough, everyone can concede that he’s their receiving back, right? Going against the Patriots, the gamescript is likely going to be one of the games they’ll fall behind. The Patriots also happened to allow the third-most receiving yards to running backs last year.
Austin Ekeler (LAC)
I wasn’t someone who was running to the waiver wire to grab Ekeler after Week 1, as the gamescript was kind of ridiculous, and it’s unlikely we ever see Philip Rivers target his running backs 18 times again. With that, this matchup is one where he may want to get close, as the Rams bring a whole lot of pressure and have one of the best cornerback duos in football. It’s why we saw Jalen Richard rack up nine catches for 55 yards in the season-opener. If you’re looking for some flex production in a PPR format, Ekeler can help fill that void next week.
Nyheim Hines (IND)
Despite a horrible preseason, the Colts felt like Hines was ready for an expanded role in Week 1 versus the Bengals when he played 37 snaps, which was more than David Johnson, Tevin Coleman, LeSean McCoy, and Jay Ajayi played in their Week 1 games. Not to say they had much of a choice, but they’re not going to have one in their game against the Eagles, either. The Eagles allowed just 949 rushing yards to running backs last year, which was the lowest in the NFL (closest was Vikings with 1,095), but they allowed the 11th-most receptions to them and the second-most receiving touchdowns. He’s not going to have a breakout performance or anything, but he should provide somewhat of a floor in this matchup.
Wide Receivers
Devante Parker (MIA)
I’m not sure when it became the cool thing to hate Parker, but it’s a real thing. Even with Jarvis Landry on the roster, Parker averaged 11.4 PPR points per game by snagging 57.3 yards and 0.32 touchdowns with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback (only counting games with at least three targets) over his career, which would have been WR3 numbers last year. With Landry gone, the ceiling is there. You can say that you don’t believe, but he’s worth a speculative add prior due to a great matchup in Week 3 against the Raiders.
Chris Godwin (TB)
It was somewhat shocking to see Godwin under 40 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, as he was second among Bucs wide receivers in snaps (46) last week. Yes, he played well-ahead of DeSean Jackson, who had played just 20 snaps before getting concussed in the fourth quarter. The Bucs will be at home in Week 3 against the Steelers, who play a lot of zone coverage, and they’ll also likely tilt that coverage towards Mike Evans. Even if you don’t need to play him in Week 3, grab him for the long run.
Dante Pettis (SF)
This is a move for two reasons, as Pettis could be a much hotter commodity after Week 2 against the Lions now that Marquise Goodwin has been ruled out for the game. Pettis looked fantastic last week and I’m not just talking about his touchdown catch. He was running crisp routes, creating separation, and most importantly, he offers versatility where the 49ers can play him on the field. He’s the only wide receiver over 6-feet-tall, and George Kittle can’t see all the red zone targets. Playing against the Chiefs weak secondary in Week 3 will be a positive matchup for him as well, but this move could be bigger than “just” a streaming play.
Mohamed Sanu (ATL)
Knowing that the Falcons defense will be in disarray after the losses of Keanu Neal and Deion Jones, the Falcons offense will be throwing the ball much more going forward. They’ll certainly be doing that against the Saints in Week 3, making Sanu an appealing streamer. There’s been just six games that Sanu has played with Ryan where he’s thrown the ball more than 38 times, and in those games, he’s averaged 4.2 receptions for 50.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns. He provides a stable floor with a little upside for those looking for a streaming wideout.
Others to consider snagging: Anthony Miller (CHI), Josh Doctson (WAS), Michael Gallup (DAL)
Tight Ends
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (JAX)
It’s no secret – the Jaguars don’t have the prototypical No. 1 wide receiver. Because of that, matchups like this one should benefit Seferian-Jenkins. The Titans have both Adoree Jackson and Malcolm Butler covering the perimeter, who should be able to handle the combination of Keelan Cole and Donte Moncrief, while Seferian-Jenkins will match-up with Kenny Vaccaro in the slot. Vaccaro has allowed a 75 percent catch-rate in his coverage over the last three years and is quite a bit smaller than Seferian-Jenkins. He’ll be one of the better streaming options in Week 3.
Ryan Griffin (HOU) vs. NYG
Most may want to blame Griffin for his big fat zero in Week 1, but it wasn’t really his fault, as Deshaun Watson just struggled with his accuracy. While we don’t know if that’ll get better by Week 3, streaming options are extremely limited at tight end this week. Griffin did run 31 routes in Week 1, which was top-18 among tight ends, and his five targets ranked 12th, so the opportunity is there. The Giants tied for the league-lead in TE1 performances allowed last year with 11 of them, including seven games of more than 15 PPR points.
Other desperation options to consider: Mike Gesicki (MIA), Antonio Gates (LAC)
D/ST
Cleveland Browns
After having to play against Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees in the first two games, of course the Browns defense won’t look to be a great streaming defense, but rest assured, they are. They’ll be on the road, but against rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. While the Lions couldn’t get to the rookie, Myles Garrett and company won’t have that issue. The Jets will have Kelvin Beachum matched-up against Garrett, which means all sorts of issues for Darnold’s blindside. There’s going to be multiple sacks and likely turnovers in this game.
Arizona Cardinals
After an embarrassing performance during their Week 1 home game, expect Arizona to come back to try and earn the respect of their fans. The Bears have a very young team, as we saw their inexperience exposed versus the Packers on Monday night. The Packers were able to sack Mitch Trubisky four times in that game, though there were no turnovers. I’m simply betting on them getting better under Steve Wilks in their second home game.
Others to consider: New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants
Subscribe: iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
