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Planning on streaming quarterback this season in Fantasy Football? Good for you! But are you really planning for it? Or are you just taking whoever you think is the best season-long option left at the end of the draft? Because that's not planning.
In-season it's a well-established practice to scout the upcoming schedule and make acquisitions based on the strength of opponent. I even write a weekly column about it. But too often we don't put the same effort into Week 1.
Lucky for you, I've done the research for you. Below are the top four Week 1 streamers at quarterback. These guys have the right combination of opportunity and matchup in the opening week of the season to get your team off to a fast start.
Week 1
I almost overlooked Philip Rivers for this exercise because I had no idea he'd be drafted this late. But his ADP is currently in the 12th round as the 17th quarterback off the board, so he definitely qualifies. Personally, I'd be fine with Rivers as my starter for most of the year, but obviously most of you don't agree. So let's just talk about Week 1.
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Rivers will face the Chiefs at home to start the season. While the Chiefs haven't traditionally been a cake matchup, there is plenty of reason to question their secondary without Marcus Peters. If Kendall Fuller can move outside they may be serviceable, but it's likely they're going to have at least once gaping hole. Even with Peters in 2017, quarterbacks averaged 19.5 Fantasy points per game against the Chiefs, the eighth most in the league.
Rivers averaged 300 passing yards per game at home in 2017 and had a quarterback rating of 108.4. Against a below average defense in the home opener I'd expect he'll be spectacular. Start him with confidence.
I've said throughout the offseason that if I could get a guarantee Tyrod Taylor is starting 16 games this year, I'd have a hard time keeping him out of my top-12 quarterbacks. I feel comfortable enough he'll start Week 1 for the Browns, and he should start for your Fantasy team as well.
Taylor has a loaded arsenal of weapons in the passing game with Josh Gordon, Jarvis Landry, Duke Johnson and David Njoku. He has an offensive coordinator in Todd Haley, who gets months to develop a game plan for a defense he saw every week last year. The Steelers added Morgan Burnett and Jon Bostic in the offseason and lost Mike Mitchell, William Gay and Robert Golden. They aren't a dream matchup, but they aren't going to be one to avoid either.
Unlike most of the streamers in this piece, this is less about matchup and more about talent. Taylor is a good quarterback with a great supporting cast. At home in Week 1 he'll be a worthy starter, and he's available at the very end of most drafts. The only thing that could derail this pick is if Gordon isn't available Week 1.
The Bengals won't face a division opponent in Week 1, and they won't be playing in prime time. So you should be fine starting Andy Dalton. All jokes aside, this is a matchup that's even better than it looks. Sure, the Colts actually gave up less Fantasy points per game than the Chiefs and were only below average, not terrible against the position. But a lot of that has to do with Andrew Luck missing last year.
Teams attempted 3.3 fewer passes against the Colts than they did against the Chiefs but scored nearly as many Fantasy points. In fact, the Colts gave up the fifth-most Fantasy points per pass attempt in the league. Rest assured, this is a very good matchup that will be even better with Luck playing quarterback.
As for Dalton, I expect a bounce-back year for him with an improved offensive line. Maybe Tyler Eifert will even make it to Week 1 without getting hurt again.
Who would have ever thought we'd be actively trying to stream a quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks? Then again, who would have thought a team would actively pursue Case Keenum as its starting quarterback? A lot has changed in the last 12 months.
Keenum parlayed a fantastic 2017 season into a starting role in Denver, where he'll work with another talented wide receiver duo. The Seahawks meanwhile have lost most of the Legion of Boom and nearly all of their defensive swagger. Even when they were a great defense, they weren't nearly as good on the road, which is where they'll be in Week 1.
Unlike Taylor, who you could conceivably start until he's replaced, Keenum is a two-week option at best. In Week 3, the Broncos travel to Baltimore, and you'll be looking for a new quarterback.