Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books. Last week’s streamers were a massive success. Jared Goff had a massive performance against the Carolina Panthers, throwing for 355 passing yards and three touchdowns, totaling 25.7 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Taylor Heinicke struggled against the San Francisco 49ers. He had only 10.2 fantasy points in the game before getting benched for Carson Wentz. Whether Heinicke or Wentz starts in Week 17, neither quarterback is an ideal streamer against the Cleveland Browns.
However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming options for Week 17.
All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in superflex leagues.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues
Russell Wilson (DEN) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (40.8% Rostered)
Letting Russ cook has been awful this season. On Sunday, the veteran quarterback had a season-low 8.3 fantasy points against the Los Angeles Rams. However, the matchup wasn’t ideal, and Wilson was coming off a concussion. Meanwhile, the former Seattle Seahawk star had his best performance of the year in Week 14 against the Chiefs. Wilson had 247 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 25.6 fantasy points before leaving the game with a concussion. Furthermore, backup Brett Rypien entered the game and had nearly 200 passing yards and a touchdown against Kansas City.
Last week, the Chiefs held Geno Smith to only 215 passing yards, one touchdown, and 12.2 fantasy points. However, the veteran quarterback was without arguably his best weapon, Tyler Lockett. Over the previous three games, the Chiefs gave up 2.7 passing touchdowns and 26.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, giving up 20 or more fantasy points in every contest. Furthermore, Kansas City has surrendered two or more passing touchdowns in 80% of their games this season. Meanwhile, the Broncos fired head coach Nathaniel Hackett on Monday. Don’t be surprised if Wilson and the offense have their best performance of the year in Week 17.
Brock Purdy (SF) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (28.6% Rostered)
Since taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy has played well. He has two passing touchdowns in the past four games. Furthermore, the rookie quarterback has averaged 18.1 fantasy points per game as a starter, scoring 16 or more fantasy points in every contest. Last week he faced a red-hot Washington Commanders defense. Despite the return of Chase Young, Purdy had 234 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 16 fantasy points in the win. Meanwhile, his matchup this week is fantasy-friendly.
The Raiders have been awful this season despite high expectations. Defensively, they’ve struggled to slow down opposing passing attacks. Las Vegas has surrendered 255.5 passing yards and 18.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, two of the higher averages in the NFL. Furthermore, the Raiders have given up 1.5 passing touchdowns per game to quarterbacks this season, surrendering two or more passing touchdowns in 40% of their games. With George Kittle playing at an elite level, Purdy could have the first three passing touchdown performance of his career against the Raiders.
Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues
Mike White (NYJ) vs. Seattle Seahawks (12.8% Rostered)
White suffered a rib injury against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 which forced the quarterback to miss the past two games. However, yesterday the doctors cleared White to play and he will start this week against the Seahawks. In his three starts this season, White has averaged 317.3 passing yards and 17.7 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the veteran scored 17.5 or more fantasy points twice this season. While he struggled against the Bills, scoring only 10.7 fantasy points, White has an excellent matchup this weekend.
Detroit has been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning six of their past seven games before losing to the Panthers last week. However, their defense has been awful all season. They have surrendered 22.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year, the most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Lions have given up 19.4 or more fantasy points to quarterbacks in 66.7% of the games this season, including six of their past seven contests. Assuming White is healthy, he will pick apart the Detroit secondary.
Sam Darnold (CAR) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2.9% Rostered)
Despite starting three different quarterbacks this season, the Panthers have a chance to make the playoffs. They have won three of the past four games. After missing the first 11 games this season, Darnold has started the past four contests, averaging 15.9 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the former USC star has played well this season, totaling six touchdowns and zero turnovers. Darnold is also coming off his best performance this year, totaling 250 passing yards, two total touchdowns, and 21.9 fantasy points against the Lions. The 21.9 fantasy points scored were the most by the quarterback since Week 4 last season.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have surrendered 15.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, around the league average. Last week they held Trace McSorley to only 217 passing yards and 4.1 fantasy points. However, he was making his career start. Over the previous five games, Tampa Bay surrendered two passing touchdowns and 18.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Furthermore, the Buccaneers surrendered six passing touchdowns and 23.6 fantasy points to the position over their previous two games before facing McSorley. In the Week 7 matchup against the Buccaneers, PJ Walker had two passing touchdowns and 15.1 fantasy points. Darnold should have a similar fantasy performance in the rematch.
Streamer to Avoid
Malik Willis (TEN) vs. Dallas Cowboys (1.3% Rostered)
Typically streaming articles tell you which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback each week that you should avoid.
Unfortunately, Ryan Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The veteran quarterback won’t play this week against the Cowboys and likely is out the rest of the season. Replacing him is the rookie, Willis. Last week the former Liberty quarterback had only 99 passing yards and 10.3 fantasy points against the Houston Texans. Furthermore, he has struggled when on the field. Willis has averaged only 6.3 fantasy points per game in his three starts this season. The rookie has thrown under 100 yards in all three starts and has zero touchdowns. While he might turn into a starting quarterback at some point, Willis has struggled as a rookie.
More importantly, he has an awful matchup this week. The Cowboys have surrendered only 14.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, one of the lower averages this season. Furthermore, they had held quarterbacks to fewer than 14.6 fantasy points in 60% of the games this year, including four of the past six contests. While Dallas has struggled the past two weeks, giving up six passing touchdowns and 49.5 fantasy points to Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew, that won’t be the case this week. Willis doesn’t have the weapons needed to take advantage of the Dallas defense. Fantasy players desperate for a streaming option need to avoid the rookie quarterback.
Beyond our daily fantasy football content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Football Tools. From our Lineup Optimizer – which allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
