Week 1 is finally here! Now we have to figure out, Who Should I Start? Every week we are going to give you fantasy football streaming options. Of course you are going to start Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes every week. But, if you quarterback has a bad matchup you may want to look for other options. We will also give you fantasy football advice for the tight end and defensive/special teams positions as well.
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Fantasy Football Streaming Guide: Best Week 1 Streaming Options
A lot of people tend to stream fantasy football defenses. Even the best defenses are tough to start against the top quarterbacks or offenses. Taking the Jets defense sounded great until you saw they faced San Francisco Week 1 and vice versa. If you not able to get one of the top tight ends, you might be streaming weekly. Every week we will put out a fantasy football stream guide.
QB, Will Levis – Tennessee Titans at CHI
Tennessee has done a great job supporting Will Levis this offseason. They invested heavily in the offensive line via free agency, the draft, and through coaching changes. Levis got a new play caller from the McVay coaching tree via Cincinnati. The team also added Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard in an aggressive free agency. All signs point up for Levis, who had flashes in 2023.
Last year Will Levis lead the NFL in air yards per attempt. We know he isn’t afraid to air it out. I also like his rushing ability. Chicago isn’t a great matchup, but they did allow the 13th most fantasy points to the Quarterback in 2023. Levis is a breakout candidate that could step in Week 1 if you aren’t confident in your starter.
QB, Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. WAS
Baker Mayfield had a comeback season in 2023 and he finished as the 10th best Quarterback in Fantasy Football. He got paid this offseason and the team also kept Mike Evans. The only concern for Mayfield would be the change at offensive coordinator. The team added Liam Coen who was the Rams Offensive Coordinator under Sean McVay in 2022. Last season he held the same position at the University of Kentucky.
Washington is a plus matchup, giving up the most points to the Quarterback position in 2023. They have made some improvements this offseason, but they have a long ways to go. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are both must starts this week. Baker should have a solid week as well if you are needing a pivot option.
QB, Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams at DET
Stafford scored 31 fantasy points in the playoffs last year against Detroit. This year he gets a healthy Cooper Kupp to take with him back to Detroit. This is another situation with two great options and a plus matchup. Detroit has a solid roster, but their secondary is still questionable. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are absolute must starts this week.
I will target the Detroit Lions secondary until proven otherwise. Stafford’s ranking in 6-point passing touchdown is higher than 4-point passing touchdown leagues. The lack of rushing upside can be a concern, but hard to ignore those weapons. Right now, the current ECR on FantasyPros has Stafford higher than both Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott.
TE, Taysom Hill – New Orleans Saints at CAR
Taysom Hill is the only tight end available that is really a running back on top of being a backup Quarterback. He offers week-winning upside and last year he offered pretty solid consistency. Carolina offers a solid matchup whether it is through the air or on the ground for Hill. We could see Hill more involved in the running game with the injury to Kendre Miller.
TE, Tyler Conklin – New York Jets at SF
The 49ers defense is really, really good. But, last year they were one of the top defenses to target against the tight end position. They funnel production to the middle of the field and tight end because of their pass rush. We know Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall will be the top targets in New York, but who is next? It could be Mike Williams who is coming off of an ACL injury. Could it be Rookie Malachi Corley? What if it is Tyler Conklin?
Last year Tyler Conklin was heavily involved in this offense. Not only from a targets standpoint, but from an air yards standpoint. Not only did he rank high on the team, but high at the position. We have seen Aaron Rodgers have success throwing to tight ends in the past as well. Conklin could be a sneaky play if you need a pinch hitter.
TE, Luke Musgrave – Green Bay Packers at PHI
The Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love surprised a lot of people last year. They had a great offense and the tight end position was very productive. Luke Musgrave was great the first half of the year before getting hurt. Tucker Kraft stepped right in and became a weekly play as well.
Not only do I like this offense, but I like the matchup. The Eagles linebackers really struggled in 2023 and Philadelphia’s defense took a big step back. This was a matchup to exploit last year, Musgrave is hoping that is still the same case.
D/ST – Minnesota Vikings at NYG
This is an interesting one, you could pick either team for a streaming option in this one. Both of these teams project to be bad offenses with bad offensive lines and Quarterbacks. We saw the Giants offensive line get decimated by the Cowboys to open the season in 2023. This could be a good starting matchup for a Vikings defense that improved under Brian Flores in 2023.
D/ST – New Orleans Saints at CAR
Carolina has invested a lot in the offensive line, we will see if it works. New Orleans has dominated and looks to have the advantage again. They were not drafted in most leagues, but they are ranked 2nd by the ECR Week 1. Carolina will be a matchup to target each week and New Orleans could be the top streaming option in Week 1.
D/ST – Cincinnati Bengals vs. NE
The New England Patriots offensive line already got Jacoby Brissett hurt in the preseason. They might be too afraid to put Drake Maye behind it. This is an offense you should target every single week. Always target bad offensive lines and bad quarterbacks. They check both boxes and on top of it, this offense has no weapons.
