One lesson I hope you take from this is that you do not have to draft to fill your starting lineup for the season. That may sound strange because you need to fill out your starting lineup but stay with me for a second. You might need to draft a quarterback in Round 8 because you have already filled your other seven starting spots, even if there are running backs and wide receivers you like more. Often there is value at running back or wide receiver that is going to help you more later in the year, while that quarterback may put up very similar numbers (or worse!) than someone you can find in the double-digit rounds. The starting lineup you draft is unlikely to look very much like your starting lineup in the Fantasy playoffs.
Regardless of the reason, it is an important truth to understand: The only week you're almost certain to start the guys you draft as starters is Week 1, and even that is not entirely certain. In other words, it may make more sense if you're waiting on a position to draft for Week 1 as opposed to the full season. This becomes even more useful if there is an ill-advised run on a position like everyone drafting a QB in the first three rounds or multiple teams drafting defenses and/or kickers in the single-digit rounds. You do not need to chase after the leftovers, you can wait until the late rounds and find quality early-season options, counting on the waiver wire and trades to help you out later. But remember, just because you stream to start the season does not mean you have to stream the entire season. Some players below may start hot and keep it going, greatly outperforming their ADP and delivering unexpected stability to your lineup. While it's impossible to guess exactly how your draft will go, all of these players are ranked outside the top 12 at their positions by consensus rankings, so at least two of them should be available late in most drafts. Just don't try to stream too many positions because that can become a real problem when it's time to go to the waiver wire and replace them.
Quarterback
Jared Goff vs LAR vs TB at ARI vs SEA
Goff could be one of those guys who you draft as a streamer and he finished top 12. He was in this article last year and finished top 12. But it's not quite that simple. Goff is a superstar at home, really good indoors, and has had some problems otherwise. Well, he opens the season with three of his four games at home and his only road game is at Arizona. That makes him the perfect late-round pick as a streamer and also my favorite quarterback to pair with Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams. You can start Goff for the first month while you get a look at the rookie.
Baker Mayfield vs Was at Det vs Den
Like Goff, Mayfield finished top-10 last year and isn't being drafted anywhere. In the first three weeks of the season, he faces what we expect to be bad defenses in Washington and Denver at home and his only road game should be a shootout at Detroit. I'm not quite as comfortable calling him a set-it-and-forget-it QB1 during that stretch, but he's not far off.
Matthew Stafford at DET at ARI
So yeah, it's a little weird that all three QBs either play for the Lions or play at the Lions the first three weeks of the season, and no it's not just because I love revenge games, though I do. Including the playoffs, the Lions played 10 games at home last year and those games had an average total points scored of 51.8. You should be targeting streamers in this building all season. Well, not defenses.
D/ST
Seahawks vs DEN at NE
Seattle starts with a pair of teams that, as of the time of publishing, we have no idea who will be starting at QB. That's not a bad thing at all. Last year the Patriots gave up the most points to opposing DSTs and the Broncos were top 10. I don't expect Bo Nix or Drake Maye to fix that in the first two weeks of the season if they're even starting.
Bengals vs NE
Did you read above about who gave up the most Fantasy points to DSTs last year? Unfortunately, Cincinnati is at Kansas City Week 2, so they are a true one-week streamer.
Buccaneers vs WAS
I am just a little bit less certain about the Buccaneers as a streaming option against Jayden Daniels because rushing success is far more common for a rookie QB than passing success. Daniels could give them problems. But, the Buccaneers may just be a better DST, as they certainly were in 2023, outsourcing both units by more than a Fantasy point per game.
Tight End
Pat Freiermuth at ATL
Freiermuth is the only tight end in this piece that I believe could just be a starter all year. Diontae Johnson is gone and Arthur Smith's Falcons led the NFL in tight end target rate last year. I'm not sure how good the Falcons will be against tight ends this year, but I don't project them as particularly great at anything, and Freiermuth should be pretty clearly second on the Steelers in targets.
Zach Ertz at TB
Before he got hurt last year, Ertz was averaging 6.5 targets per game. In his final season with Kliff Kingsbury, he averaged 7.6 targets per game before getting hurt. We expect him to be healthy in Week 1 and the Buccaneers gave up the third-most Fantasy points to tight ends last season.
Hunter Henry vs CIN
New offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt comes from the land of tight end screens, Kevin Stefanski's Cleveland Browns. Their offense has historically targeted tight ends at a 24% rate or higher and there's no number one wide receiver in New England to change that. Also, the Bengals gave up the fifth-most Fantasy points to tight ends last season.
Kicker
Chris Boswell at ATL
Boswell is indoors against what we expect to be a mediocre-at-best defense. He has made more than 90% of his field goals in four of his last five seasons, including 93.% last year. If the offense is competent, he may be a starter all season.
Ka'imi Fairbairn at IND vs CHI at MIN vs JAC vs BUF
Fairbairn has only missed three field goals in the past two seasons combined. He's also kicking indoors in each of his first five contests this season. Like Boswell, he may just be ranked too low. Fairbairn was top five per game last season.
Blake Grupe vs CAR at DAL vs PHI at ATL
Grupe was a top-10 kicker last year and begins the year as a home favorite indoors. The presence of these three kickers helps sell the fact that you shouldn't draft any kicker before the penultimate round of Fantasy drafts. Grupe will kick under controlled conditions in all but one game before November.
