How many times have you heard someone telling you to “stream” a position? Whether it be quarterback, tight end, or defense, the idea of streaming is great, provided you get the players you want off the waiver wire. The issue with streaming week-to-week is that everyone knows who you’ll be targeting in those good matchups and you might have that player swiped from underneath you, or even worse, your opponent that week may snag a player just to ensure you don’t get them.
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We started this article so you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Each Saturday morning, you’ll head over to your waiver wire and snag the players who are lined up for good matchups the following week. They may have a brutal matchup for that current week. Great, even better. That just means they’re more likely to be available for you. By snagging them a week prior, you eliminate the need to spend a lot of FAAB dollars on the top tier defense that everyone is chasing. Here are the players who have solid Week 12 matchups on tap and are less than 40 percent owned.
Quarterbacks
Jacoby Brissett (IND) at HOU
His sprained MCL should be fine for this game, as he’s on track to play in Week 11’s game against the Jaguars. We’ve watched the Texans secondary crumble before the loss of J.J. Watt, which surely won’t help matters. Through nine games, they’ve allowed seven quarterbacks to finish with a minimum of 18.1 fantasy points, including Brissett’s best fantasy finish of the year. He tallied 326 yards and four touchdowns against them in that game and was the No. 4 quarterback on the week. The Colts might get T.Y. Hilton back for this game as well.
Mitch Trubisky (CHI) vs NYG
His performance in Week 10 was a step in the right direction, as he’s at least taken advantage of the good matchups on his schedule. He totaled 231/3 against the Redskins and 173/3 against the Lions last week. The Giants have allowed a massive 8.80 yards per attempt this year, which ranks as the second-worst mark only to the Bengals. If we know anything about Matt Nagy, it’s that he’d like to give Trubisky a confidence boost when he can; this game presents the opportunity.
Viable alternate: Sam Darnold (NYJ) vs OAK
Running Backs
Ty Johnson (DET) at WAS
It seems like the Lions aren’t going to add another running back, which means Johnson should be back from his concussion soon. Some believe that J.D. McKissic is the lead back, but he’s someone who totaled more than seven carries for the first time in his NFL career last week. It seemed like the Lions would surely snag a free agent off the street, but that hasn’t happened. Running backs have averaged an NFL-high 33.6 touches per game against the Redskins, which should put Johnson in a great place to net 15 touches and deliver solid streaming value.
Raheem Mostert (SF) vs GB
If he hasn’t been snagged yet, Mostert could be one of the sneaky pickups of the week. He’s going to be ranked inside the top-36 running backs for Week 11 with Matt Breida out, and if the 49ers play it safe with him, he may miss Week 12 as well. The Packers are a team that’s struggled against the run this year, allowing a massive 4.93 yards per carry. The 49ers running backs have racked up at least 32 touches in every single game this year, which allows for multiple running backs to be relevant. Mostert has also been the most efficient running back on the team while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
In dire emergency: Frank Gore (BUF) vs DEN
Wide Receivers
Demaryius Thomas (NYJ) vs OAK
Inside The Primer this week, I highlighted the fact that Thomas has caught at least five passes in two of the last three games, something that Robby Anderson has done just three times since the start of the 2018 season. He’s averaged 6.5 targets per game since joining the team, including nine targets last week. In a matchup against the Raiders, who’ve allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per target this year and have continually watched the injuries pile up on their defense.
Russell Gage (ATL) vs TB
Since the Falcons traded away Mohamed Sanu, Gage walked into their slot role, which is going to be more important than ever with the injury to Austin Hooper. In those two games, he’s racked up 14 targets, 11 receptions, and 81 yards. While those aren’t massive numbers, they’re solid for a streamer, particularly in PPR formats. The Bucs cut Vernon Hargreaves this week and moved on to M.J. Stewart, who’s allowed a 78 percent catch-rate in his young career, including seven touchdowns on just 82 targets.
Taylor Gabriel (CHI) vs NYG
If we consider Trubisky a solid streamer, what about his receivers? Gabriel is the No. 2 in this offense behind Allen Robinson and has seen at least five targets in 4-of-7 games. We are likely to see Janoris Jenkins shadow Robinson, which would leave Gabriel with the rookie DeAndre Baker, who’s allowed 18.0 yards per reception and six touchdowns on 51 targets in his coverage this year.
Tight Ends
David Njoku (CLE) vs MIA
This is not so much for streaming usage, but for a potential rest of the season starter. Njoku is eligible to come back in Week 12, and based on what we’ve heard, he feels good and ready to go. If he’s available on your waiver wire (available in 82 percent of Yahoo leagues), snag him now.
Dallas Goedert (PHI) vs SEA
He’s seen 22 targets over his last four games, which ranked fifth in the NFL during that time behind only Hunter Henry, Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle. With the Eagles struggling with injuries to pass-catchers, Goedert has become involved out of necessity. The Seahawks have also allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to the tight end position. He’s streamable even with Zach Ertz on the field, but if Ertz were forced to miss time for any reason, Goedert is suddenly a league-winner.
Mike Gesicki (MIA) at CLE
Everyone knows that we target the Cardinals with tight ends, right? What if I told you the Browns were nearly as bad, but just haven’t faced the volume the Cardinals have? The Browns have allowed a massive 2.26 PPR points per target to the tight end position this year, which ranks as the second-most in the league, behind the Cardinals, who’ve allowed 2.37 points per target. No other team in the NFL has allowed more than 2.06 points per target. Gesicki has averaged 5.2 targets per game since their bye week, making him an ideal streaming target.
Desperation option: Ryan Griffin (NYJ) vs OAK
D/STs
Denver Broncos at BUF
Not many realize that the Broncos are one of the best defenses in the league. They’ve allowed just 18.9 points per game, which ranks as the sixth lowest mark in the NFL. After failing to generate a sack or turnover in the first three games, they’ve racked up 19 sacks and seven turnovers over their last six games. Now on to play the Bills, who’ve allowed four-plus sacks in three of their last six games. Josh Allen has done a good job minimizing the turnovers, but they’ve also failed to score more than 14 points in four of their last six games.
Tennessee Titans vs Jacksonville Jaguars
This is a divisional game where the Titans will be at home against immobile Nick Foles. While Gardner Minshew was able to evade some pass-rush, that didn’t stop teams from sacking him 22 times over nine games. Meanwhile, the Titans rank eighth in the league in sacks with 27 of them through nine games. Their defense has also generated at least one turnover in 8-of-9 games, with multiple turnovers in two of them.
Viable alternative: Oakland Raiders at NYJ
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.