Fantasy Football Streaming Options: A Good Week to Trust Baker Mayfield
Week 9’s stream produced two tight ends and two defenses in the top 14 at their position. This week there are four teams on bye—the Ravens, Vikings, Texans and Broncos—which should create a fair amount of holes in starting lineups. Whether you’re looking to replace Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, Kyle Rudolph or any of these strong defenses, the stream has you covered.
For streaming purposes, 4for4’s schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) is a metric we rely on heavily to determine weekly matchup strength. As the season progresses and more data is available, aFPA becomes more and more reliable, using rolling 10-week data. Targets and efficiency metrics are also considered when choosing weekly streamers.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Browns at Falcons
Despite a loss to the Chiefs in Week 9, Mayfield posted decent numbers, throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception. The rookie has averaged 17.63 fantasy points in his last three games, and has tossed two touchdown passes in each of them. Interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens emphasized the role of Duke Johnson, who caught nine passes for 78 yards and two scores. Mayfield gets a favorable matchup in Week 10, as Cleveland heads to Atlanta to battle a Falcons defense ranked 30th in quarterback aFPA.
Nick Mullens, 49ers vs. Giants
The Southern Miss product made quite the NFL debut in Week 9, completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, it was against the Raiders, but he showed legitimate talent, certainly legitimate enough to make him a worthy one-week replacement for Cousins or Watson considering the matchup with the Giants. Mullens could hold onto this gig for the rest of the season.
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Blake Bortles, Jaguars at Colts
It was tough to find a third palatable option at quarterback this week, so why not return to the patron saint of the stream. Bortles had a week to heal both his non-throwing shoulder and his mind with the Jaguars on bye in Week 9, plus he may have the luxury of Leonard Fournette in the backfield. The Jaguars’ signal caller has had the highest of highs and lowest of lows this season, with fantasy scores ranging from 32.54 points down to just 1.44 points. He’ll be fighting for his job in Week 10 and gets a favorable matchup, as Jacksonville faces a Colts defense that’s ranked 28th in quarterback aFPA.
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle, Colts vs. Jaguars
Doyle is right at the streaming cutoff across all sites, and that’s not going to last long. After sitting out five weeks with a hip issue, Andrew Luck’s trusty tight end returned in Week 8 to catch six passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. This week he gets the Jaguars at home, a team that has been stingy against tight ends, ranking sixth in positional aFPA to the position. Still, the only reason Doyle is available is because he was hurt for so long. If you can grab him now, you may not have to worry about streaming tight ends for the rest of the season.
Ricky-Seals Jones, Cardinals at Chiefs
Seals-Jones has largely been a non-factor this season, but he’s ranked 16th among tight ends in targets, and gets a matchup with the Chiefs, ranked 27th in tight end aFPA.. That’s enough to get him on the stream radar at fantasy’s thinnest position.
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Nick Vannett, Seahawks at Rams
Last week I suggested Ed Dickson as a streamer, but it turned out to be a Vannett week for the Seahawks. Let’s hope they stick with the hot hand for Week 10. Vannett posted TE6 numbers in Week 9, grabbing six of eight targets for 52 yards and a score in the loss to the Chargers. In Week 10, Seattle faces a Rams defense that has gone a good job limiting receivers and running backs—they’re 12th in aFPA against both positions—but has struggled against tight ends relative to those two spots, ranking 21st in positional aFPA.
Defenses
New York Jets vs. Bills
It’s the Jets' turn to face Buffalo’s struggling offense, which should have them at the top of not only the stream, but also the weekly leaderboard. The Jets have been a consistent unit for fantasy purposes totaling 21 sacks and 15 takeaways. The Bills, meanwhile, sit dead-last in defensive aFPA. This is a dream situation for fantasy owners who can grab the Jets’ defense off the waiver wire or the free agent scrap heap.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Jaguars
Fresh off their bye week, the Colts get a home contest against AFC South rival Jacksonville. It’s been a rough few weeks for the Jaguars offensively, which has them 31st in defensive aFPA, ahead of only the Bills. There are some holes in what the Colts do defensively, but they’re fifth in the league with 16 takeaways, and they’re favored by a field goal in this game.
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San Francisco 49ers vs. Giants
The 49ers have taken advantage of a couple of great matchups in a row, finishing in the top five in defense scoring against the Cardinals and Raiders the last two weeks. They get a third consecutive plus-matchup, facing the Giants on Monday night. The Giants are 29th in defensive aFPA, and Eli Manning can often be a giveaway waiting to happen. Give the 49ers some bonus points for playing this game at home and being three-point favorites, as well.
