Last week was a pretty great one for the streamers last week as long if you ignore Dan Bailey. As you'll see below, I'm pretty OK ignoring that entire Vikings performance.
With the first of the bye weeks upon us there are more teams looking to stream, but thankfully there are three high-quality quarterback options. The same can't be said at the other streaming positions, with only two options at each I feel great about.
That means you may need to be a bit more aggressive if you're really weak at tight end, defense or kicker.
QB
At the beginning of this season I thought the Falcons would be the league's most improved defense. That was before their most valuable players were lost for the season. Now we're looking at a team that will likely be without four of its starters in Week 4, and Andy Dalton is primed to take advantage. Dalton has turned the ball over too much this year, but he's averaging 286 passing yards per game and already has eight touchdowns. As long as A.J. Green is healthy (he says he's fine), Dalton should be a top-eight quarterback in Week 4.
Don't get me wrong, I still don't think Eli Manning is a very good quarterback, but this spot is about as perfect as can be. Manning is at home against the Saints, who have given up more Fantasy points to quarterbacks than any team in the league. The Saints also have a prolific offense, which will keep Manning throwing. The one thing the Saints have done well is stop the run -- teams have averaged just 3.0 yards per carry against them. Manning should be top-10 based on volume alone this week.
Ryan Tannehill is currently the No. 12 quarterback in standard CBS leagues. He's thrown multiple touchdown passes in all three of his games and has added 74 yards on the ground. He's on the road as an underdog against a Patriots team looking to rebound. The problem for the Patriots is I'm not sure there's much hope of their defense rebounding. They're generating no pass rush and have injuries in the secondary. If this was any other game, I'd be worried Tannehill's Dolphins would be winning and run too much, but it's hard to believe Tom Brady will let that happen.
TE
Slowly but surely, Tyler Eifert seems to be regaining his role in the Bengals offense. In Week 3 he saw eight targets and turned them into six catches for 74 yards. The one thing he he hasn't done is a touchdown catch, but that will come. Eifert will be involved in a shootout in Week 4 against the Falcons, who have had mixed results against tight ends this season. He's a top-10 option for me this week.
It's had for anyone to get a look in this Saints offense with the way Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara are dominating targets, but Benjamin Watson has seen an average of five per game, and that should be enough against the Giants. Sure, the Giants haven't given up a ton of points to any one tight end this year, but in Week 3 they allowed Jordan Thomas, Ryan Griffin and Jordan Akins to top 100 yards against them. In Week 1 both Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Niles Paul came close to scoring. This is the week a tight end finally breaks through against the Giants.
Have you seen what tight ends have done against the Chiefs the past two weeks? In Week 2, Jesse James exploded for 138 yards and a touchdown. In Week 3, George Kittle caught five passes for 79 yards. Jake Butt will face them in Week 4 in a game where his team should be chasing points. I don't feel as confident about Butt as I do Eifert and Watson, but he's a fine streamer for those who miss out on the top-two options.
DST
Green Bay Packers vs. Buffalo Bills
Yes, the Bills were awesome last week against the Vikings. No, I don't think it tells us anything about the Bills moving forward. The Packers get a rookie quarterback on the road for a second straight week, surrounded by almost no talent. Don't let Week 3 deter you. Stream the Packers.
Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders
All the talk is about Baker Mayfield, and rightly so, but let's not overlook this Browns defense. It is currently the No. 4 DST for the season and has scored at least 11 Fantasy points all three weeks. That includes games against Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees. This defense is legit.
Dallas Cowboys or Detroit Lions
This is a game you're allowed to have conflicting opinions. The way I see it, Dallas just went into a tough environment and laid an egg, but it is in a good spot to bounce back at home against a Lions team coming off an emotional win. On the flip side, if you think the Lions performance Sunday night had more to do with them than the Patriots, you should absolutely stream the Lions against the Cowboys. My advice is to stream Dallas, but both are in play.
K
Brandon McManus vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Ka'imi Fairbairn at Indianapolis Colts
Josh Lambo vs. New York Jets
McManus and Fairbairn are heads and shoulders ahead of Lambo this week. I like both as top-six options. McManus should be in a high-scoring affair in the high altitude of Denver. Fairbairn is in a similar situation, but it is indoors instead of high-altitude. If you can't get either, I could see the Jaguars being conservative against the Jets and settling for field goals for Lambo.
So who should you sit and start? And what shocking QB could win you Week 4? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 12 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
