Despite me being odd, I sure am hating the odd weeks and loving the even ones. My Week 4 predictions were pretty much spot on. My quarterback streamer of the week, Baker Mayfield, was a Jarvis Landry passing touchdown away from a stellar day — instead, he just had a good one. He ended up with around 17 fantasy points. Minshew did even better by scoring almost 25. My trap was Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he ended up with 22 points, but only because he had 47 rushing yards and a touchdown. He still threw two picks and didn’t look very convincing.
My tight end streamer of the week, Dalton Schultz, came through. He is currently the fourth highest-scoring tight end for the week. He ended up with eight targets and four receptions, which he turned into 72 yards and a touchdown. My alternate, Eric Ebron, didn’t play because of COVID, while my trap, Jimmy Graham, was held without a reception after one half — but ended up with four receptions for 33 yards. Compared to last week, he was still a major disappointment.
So now it’s Week 5, which means it’s another odd week, so I’m already feeling sort of jinxed. But like all trends and cycles, they are eventually broken. Hopefully, this will be the week that my eccentricity is too powerful to defeat, so I can help you win your weekly match and overcome my aversion to odd numbers.
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Quarterback Streamer of the Week: Ryan Tannehill (TEN) vs. Buffalo Bills
I like many streamable quarterbacks this week, and honestly, I don’t know if that’s a good thing. That means I might be choosing the wrong one from an attractive pile. I’m picking Ryan Tannehill because he is the best quarterback left to stream. Many would argue that he has a tough matchup, but the Bills haven’t been the defense we expected in 2020. Buffalo is 13th worst against quarterbacks, which might not sound all that convincing, but they have faced mostly mediocre quarterbacks thus far.
Tannethrill will be their toughest to date. Buffalo has gone against Sam Darnold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jared Goff, and Derek Carr. Tennessee might be a little ‘off’ after a few players tested positive for Covid-19, but they have also had a buy week to prepare. Tannethrill has been dynamic, orchestrating two fourth-quarter comebacks as well as two game-winning final drives in only three games. Tennessee’s defense has been generous as well. This game should be high scoring as we see two under-appreciated quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Tanny facing off against each other. Hope for a great fantasy day from Tannethrill, and even if you can’t get what you hope for, expect at least a high floor result. He’s as safe as safe can get with the potential for huge numbers.
Alternative Streamer of the Week: Teddy Bridgewater (CAR) at Atlanta Falcons
I’ll go with Steady Eddy in Teddy Bridgewater. Atlanta is by far the worst team versus quarterbacks. They’ve allowed opposing quarterbacks to score an average of seven fantasy points more than Seattle, the second-worst in the NFL. Even if you are not a Teddy “B”eliever, he proved this past week that he can hang with the best of them. His connection with Robby Anderson has been one of the most prolific and surprising combos this season. D.J. Moore is ready to start ramping it up, and Ian Thomas is even starting to come alive.
And with Christian McCaffrey out for another week, look for Bridgewater to keep rolling as a quarterback who is playing much more like Dak Prescott rather than Alex Smith. This game should have one of the highest points totals for the week, which means a solid day from Teddy.
Dark Horse: Justin Herbert (LAC) at New Orleans Saints
Herbert has been better than anyone ever expected, and he has played against the Super Bowl champs and the quarterback who has won the most Super Bowls. The New Orleans Saints have been an uninspiring team on both sides of the ball since Michael Thomas‘ departure, and even if he does play, expect this game to be exciting. There’s a chance that Herbert underperforms due to the rookie flu, but so far, he’s looking like a future star quarterback. This is even more inspiring when so many wanted him to sit out the year because he wasn’t supposedly ready for the NFL. He’s sure shushed the doubters in a short amount of time.
Here are a few more quarterbacks that made the shortlist, but in the end, were left off and why:
Daniel Jones (NYG) vs. Dallas (34% rostered) — Dallas’ defense has been bad, but so has Jones. I’d rather give him another week to prove himself.
Gardner Minshew (JAC) vs. Houston (46% rostered) — Houston might be winless, but they have been middle of the pack against quarterbacks. They have already faced off against the best two in the fantasy game, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) vs. Miami (31% rostered) — Miami has given up the ninth-most points to quarterbacks, but expect some rust if Jimmy G plays.
Kirk Cousins (MIN) vs. Seattle (29% rostered) — Seattle has been the second-worst versus quarterbacks, but Cousins has paled in fantasy compared to his receivers.
Philip Rivers (IND) at Cleveland (21% rostered) — Cleveland is ranked 10th-worst against quarterbacks, but Rivers has just been uninspiring.
Derek Carr (LV) at KC (20% rostered) — Carr was in the running for my dark horse, but I have to keep reminding myself that Kansas City has been good against quarterbacks, and they’ve already faced Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson.
Tight End Pickup this Week: Robert Tonyan (GB)
Tonyan is coming off a monster game. We’re talking a Kelce/Kittle monster game. He’s athletic. He’s a favorite of Aaron Rodgers. His time has come. Unfortunately, he’s not streamable this week since he has a bye. But listen to me, and listen to me good: pick this guy up and don’t look back!
Tight End Streamer of the Week: Eric Ebron (PIT) at Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia has allowed at least a touchdown to tight ends in three out of four games. George Kittle had 15 receptions this past week for 183 yards and a touchdown. Eric Ebron is no George Kittle, but he is better than Logan Thomas, and he might be as good or better than Tyler Higbee. Even if Ebron is half the player Kittle is, it would mean 7.5 receptions for 91.5 yards and a half a touchdown. If that’s the case, he would get around 20 fantasy points this week, which would be about double we expect from any tight end streamer.
Alternate Tight End Streamer of the Week: Mo Alie-Cox (IND) at Cleveland Browns
The Eagles may be poor against tight ends, but Cleveland is no better. I’ve been staying clear of Mo Alie-Cox because I’ve wanted to see more out of him. I’ve seen enough now. Even with Jack Doyle in the mix and Trey Burton returning, Alie-Cox is the Colt’s most dynamic tight end to carve up the Browns. The Browns have allowed opposing tight ends to score in three out of their first four games as well. Mo’s floor can be on the lower side, but his ceiling is immense with a natural ability to find the end zone.
Dark Horse: Jordan Akins (HOU) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Three things are certain — death, taxes, and the Jacksonville Jaguars giving up 30 points a game. I have hated picking any Houston tight end for streaming in the past few years because none have really been a consistent, dependable option. Darren Fells was as close to being the surest thing in a while last year. However, Akins has seems to have separated himself from the rest now.
He comes with a caveat. He might not play because he suffered a concussion last week against the Minnesota Vikings. However, in just one half, he had three receptions for 46 yards. Do the math and you’ll get six receptions for 92 yards in a full game against the 12th-toughest defense against tight ends. Now Akins faces a team that has allowed about seven points more per game than the Vikings. That translates roughly to around a touchdown. I really like the ring to that!
Good luck this week, and fingers crossed that there are no mid-to-late week game changes due to the current pandemic. Always be flexible for that, though — always expect the worst but keep hoping for the best.
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Marc Mathyk is a featured writer at FantasyPros and is a member of The Undroppables. For more from Marc, check out his archive and follow him @Masterjune70.
