The fantasy football season is finally here as managers are trying their best to field the best lineup for Week 1. While most invested during the draft at the quarterback position, there are still those that will be implementing the streaming method.
Given the fantasy landscape among quarterbacks in which the QB5–QB15 will give similar production on any given week, streaming quarterbacks is becoming a popular method of setting a lineup. To be eligible as a streamer, a player must be rostered in fewer than 40% of leagues.
Here are three quarterbacks to stream in Week 1 for fantasy football:
Josh Allen — Buffalo Bills — 28.7% rostered (ESPN)
My stream of the week, it amazes me that Allen wasn’t drafted more than he was. There are legitimate concerns about his accuracy as a passer and his volatility with turnovers, but there are more reasons to buy into his fantasy football outlook.
When Allen returned from an elbow injury in Week 12, he finished the season as THE QB1 in fantasy football over the final five games of the season. In that span, he averaged 24.2 standard fantasy points per game thanks mostly to his outstanding ability as a rusher.
Entering Year 2 and with more weapons around him, Allen is a high-upside quarterback to place on your team. And while the New York Jets have an emerging defense, the unit is still young and could be susceptible to allowing fantasy points in Week 1.
Jimmy Garoppolo — San Francisco 49ers — 28.7% rostered (ESPN)
Though his outlook is murky for the entire season, Garoppolo could have plenty of upside in a Kyle Shanahan offense that should be a high-tempo unit. Garoppolo had a rough preseason, but the offensive scheme and the multitude of weapons around him makes him a viable streamer in Week 1.
Fully back from his torn ACL, Garoppolo starts the season off on the road taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a defensive unit that just lost its best pass rusher in the form of Gerald McCoy. Though Shanahan is going to lean on the run, Garoppolo should have plenty of volume as a passer with weapons like George Kittle, Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis—among others.
Though it can be difficult to judge year by year, the Buccaneers defense allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to the quarterback position in 2018, allowing 20.9 points per game.
Matthew Stafford — Detriot Lions — 16.3% rostered (ESPN)
Implementing Stafford into your fantasy lineup will make you queasy. I get it. But there is a possibility he can be a viable streaming option in Week 1—even on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.
Typically a consistent back-end QB1 in fantasy, Stafford’s fantasy value plummeted in 2018. The trade of Golden Tate was very harmful to Stafford’s fantasy production, and there is also the nature of a fractured back that could have impacted his consistency as a passer.
However, the Cardinals defense could be in trouble Week 1, especially without starting cornerback Patrick Peterson. Though the Lions will try to run the ball more, Stafford still has plenty of weapons around him in Marvin Jones Jr, Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola and first-round tight end T.J. Hockenson. Stafford could be in line for a solid fantasy day in Week 1.
