The Stream Option is a weekly article where The Undroppables explore the best options at Quarterback, Defense, and Tight End that should be available in most leagues.
Quarterbacks
Gardner Minshew – IND @ JAX
Colts @ Jaguars has a middling over/under at 45.5, but the Colts are favored by a large margin of eight points. If the Colts do take a large lead, expect a lot of garbage time passing volume for Gardner Minshew. Last year, the Colts gave up the tenth-most passing yards per game at 248.9. Their defensive personnel likely improved over the offseason by adding DeForest Buckner and replacing Pierre Desir with the hit-or-miss Xavier Rhodes. However, the passing volume for Minshew should be enough to make him a viable stream option at QB Week 1 if he can limit his turnovers.
Derek Carr – LV @ CAR
The over/under line on this Raiders @ Panthers game is an above-average 48, and I think both quarterbacks could see solid games. The Panthers were middle of the pack in passing yards given up per game last season at 20th. However, this Panthers defense lost defensive superstar Luke Kuechly to retirement as well as moving on from Eric Reid, James Bradberry, Bruce Irvin and Mario Addison. This is a very young defense, which will likely play two or three rookies on a regular basis, with a new system as well due to coaching turnover.
On the other side, Derek Carr should benefit from a new stable of receivers compared to last season, as the Raiders added Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards on draft day. Alongside them, the Raiders boast a hyper-athletic Tight End in Darren Waller, an emerging slot Wide Receiver in Hunter Renfrow, and two solid pass-catchers out of the backfield in Josh Jacobs and Jalen Richard. While Derek Carr has not been an attractive option at Quarterback in fantasy in recent years, it should be noted that Carr only had a 37.5% bust rate, meaning he scored less than 14 PPR points in a week 37.5% of the time. This bust rate was the same as Kyler Murray last season and shows that Carr is a much safer option than the other low-tier quarterbacks that he’s often grouped alongside.
Teddy Bridgewater – LV @ CAR
On the opposite side of this matchup, there is another quarterback that should have a solid game. The Raiders secondary in 2019 gave up the eighth-most passing yards per game last season. They worked to amend this issue over the offseason by adding solid cover linebackers in Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski along with drafting Damon Arnette and returning Jonathan Abram from injury. However, they will still likely be in the bottom half of defenses against the pass.
On the offensive side, Teddy Bridgewater is getting another chance to lead an offense, and he’s inheriting some pretty great weapons. Obviously, Christian McCaffrey is an elite running back and one of his best abilities is his pass-catching, but the Panthers WR corps is one of the better groups in the league. They have standout WR D.J. Moore to lead the group along with two great deep-threats in Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson. While the Panthers’ coaching turnover likely hurt their defense, I do think that it aided their offensive woes. Their new offensive coordinator, Joe Brady, was last seen leading the prolific LSU offense through the college ranks to a national championship and multiple offensive records. This passing attack should vastly improve in scheme from last year, and that starts with you living the stream with Bridgewater in Week 1.
Defenses
Buffalo Bills D/ST vs. NYJ
Opposite of quarterbacks, we want to see low over/unders for when we stream defenses. Jets @ Bills has the lowest over/under of the week at 39 total points. While the Bills defense should and likely will be rostered in all leagues (99.5% rostership on ESPN), if they are available they are a no-brainer. The Jets were dead-last in yards per game and second-to-last in points per game last season, while the Bills boast an impressive defense starring elite CB Tre’Davious White, which gave up the second fewest points per game last season and returns most of their starters.
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST @ CIN
While the Chargers lost Derwin James for the season, they still have one of the best secondaries in the NFL boasting Casey Hayward, Chris Harris, and Desmond King. The Chargers defense allowed 21.6 points per game in 2019, but only 313 total yards per game, good for sixth best in the NFL. They open Week 1 against a rookie QB in a shortened offseason in an offensive system that wasn’t particularly good last year. While I think Joe Burrow is a good player, I also think he will likely start out slow with not much practice time and even less practice time with A.J. Green specifically. The Chargers defense should be much more widely available, with only a 39% rostered rate on ESPN.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST @ WAS
The Eagles had a solid defense last season, allowing the 10th fewest total yards per game and the 15th fewest points per game. While being just an average defense, they still have a great matchup Week 1 against the Washington Football Team. Washington has a young QB in Dwayne Haskins and a new coach in Ron Rivera during a shortened offseason. Last season, this offensive unit ranked last in points per game, and while the new system is likely better it likely isn’t completely put into place. The Eagles Defense is only rostered in 40.4% of ESPN leagues, so they should be available to stream.
Tennessee Titans D/ST @ DEN
The Titans Defense is coming off a top-12 finish at the position and added prolific edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney while not losing many pieces apart from Logan Ryan. They play the last game of Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, who are led by second-year Quarterback Drew Lock. While Lock showed flashes at the end of last season, he only scored seven touchdowns over his five starts and only passed 200 yards twice over those 5 games. On top of that, recent news indicates a possible injury to the Broncos’ standout wide receiver, Courtland Sutton. Without Sutton, the Broncos will likely lean on their run game against a Titans defense that was 12th best against the run last season, only allowing 104.5 rushing yards per game in 2019. The Titans defense is only rostered in 19.9% of ESPN leagues and should be a good stream for Week 1.
Tight Ends
The worst five defenses against the Tight End position last season are all playing against Tight Ends with over 80% rostership. While highly unlikely, if George Kittle, Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, Zach Ertz or Noah Fant is available in your league, pick them up and start them.
Jack Doyle – IND vs. JAX
The Colts open up against the Jaguars, who ranked 13th worst against the Tight End position in fantasy football last season. While Doyle is the clear-cut starter in Indianapolis, Trey Burton was pushing towards a bit of a snap share and possibly taking a couple of Doyle’s targets. However, Burton is now starting the season on IR and will not play Week 1. New Colts QB Philip Rivers threw 16.7% of his passes last season to the Tight End position. Jack Doyle is only rostered in 39.7% of ESPN leagues, so it’s likely that he’s available. You can read more about why Jack Doyle should be on your roster in Randal Kennedy’s article Jack Doyle Rules.
Eric Ebron – PIT @ NYG
The Steelers open up the season with a matchup against the New York Giants, who ranked 10th worst against the Tight End position in fantasy last season. Eric Ebron is the new starter in Pittsburgh, and while Roethlisberger hasn’t provided his Tight End with many targets in the past, Ebron may be one of the best Tight Ends he’s played with. Ebron is only rostered in 33.6% of ESPN leagues, so he’s almost certainly available as a stream option. Personally, I think Ebron fits the bill for having a great season and he should be rostered for the entire season rather than just Week 1.
