Fantasy Football Draft Picks for Week 1 Streaming: Plan Ahead with Jared Goff, Hunter Henry, the Seahawks Defense and More
Players at QB, TE, K and DEF who have good Week 1 matchups and are good streaming draft picks.
Streaming is the heart of success in fantasy sports. Sometimes you get lucky and draft a star at every position; more often, though, injuries cut into your roster, guys miss a game here and there, or someone you have high hopes for either regresses or fails to take an expected jump.
Even if your team is stacked, bye weeks are still likely to cause instances where you are scrambling through the free agent group to fill a spot in your lineup. That starts as early as Week 1 for some.
My favorite fantasy football draft strategy is to load up on running backs and receivers for the first eight to 10 rounds; I wrote about it here (as well as an opposite strategy yesterday). That usually involves not grabbing a high-level quarterback or tight end and waiting until the very end for a defense and kicker.
It works when things break right, but it leaves your team at risk of being weak at several positions if you don’t put in work to find streamers or even a weekly answer in free agency (if you get lucky). You’ll probably know who has a good matchup in Week 4 by the end of Week 3, but have you researched the Week 1 matchups before your fantasy draft?
That’s why I’m here today, to look at some of the best streamer matchups in Week 1 for the most stream-able positions in fantasy football: quarterback, tight end, kicker and defense. I often draft a defense or kicker that I plan to drop after the first week or two. Without knowing who has the best matchup, I might draft a guy and immediately have to pivot to find a different option for Week 1; that’s counterintuitive.
The matchups below rely both on last season’s statistics and what we expect early this year. It’s far from an exact science, but there are players who can set us up for success right away in 2024. I’m using our FantasySP PPR rankings to help determine who will be available late in drafts at each position.
Quarterbacks
We’re looking for guys who either aren’t getting drafted or are going in the late rounds. There are a lot of good QBs later in drafts, so I highly recommend waiting this season and getting a guy like Washington rookie Jayden Daniels late.
If you miss every target and need a streamer, here are some good Week 1 bets:
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Commanders
Last season, Washington was last in passing yards allowed per game, 31st in passing yards allowed per attempt and last in passer rating allowed. They added a few new defensive backs and defensive linemen, but no one is likely to impact major change, and the bigger reinforcements were at the linebacker level. Washington is likely to be among the bottom in pass defense again this season.
Mayfield had maybe his best season as a pro with the Bucs last year and returns much of the same group. He finished the season with two big playoff games, combining for nearly 700 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. Those games came against Philadelphia and Detroit, two teams in the bottom half of the league in all three stats linked above.
Mayfield is the perfect encapsulation of a streamer. He can make plays down the field and has a star receiver in Mike Evans who is open even when he isn’t open. Mayfield shouldn’t be counted on every week, but he has a great chance at finishing as a top 10 quarterback in Week 1. He even faces the Lions again in Week 2, but Detroit has made bigger moves to reinforce the pass defense and might not be a team to target as much this season.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams
Speaking of those Lions, Goff has been a top 10 fantasy QB in each of the past two seasons. Most of his supporting cast is back, and there’s no reason to think Detroit won’t have an above-average offense again this year. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams; those are some of the names catching the ball from Goff.
The Rams were average or a little worse in each of the three stats linked in the Mayfield section, but they allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. They have had a lot of roster turnover on defense the last two seasons with the biggest blow coming this offseason when Aaron Donald retired. The team made moves to try to fill that hole, but nothing replaces a Hall-of-Fame player.
Two starting cornerbacks joined the team in the offseason, and while Darious Williams has stayed healthy and played well, Tre'Davious White has played just 10 games over the past two seasons and 11 the year before that. It’s impossible to play like a Pro Bowler when you’re not on the field, and White will have to show that he can do both to make this pass defense more formidable.
The Rams might not always be a team to always target, but Goff has a good chance at a top 10 performance to start the season.
Gardner Minshew/Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Jacoby Brissett/Drake Maye, New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
Russell Wilson/Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Atlanta Falcons
These last three are tough to gauge because we don’t know who will be out there to start the season, and you might not find out before your draft. These are mostly low-ceiling options where you can probably do better.
Justin Fields is intriguing if he wins the starting job, though. His running ability gives him fantasy potential that no other player here possesses. His new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, just came from the Falcons where he oversaw an offense that was in the bottom 10 in pass attempts per game and third in most rush attempts per game. A lot of that work will go to the backs (intriguing for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren), but Fields would surely be a part of that attack and able to take shots downfield off play action.
Everyone else here is a desperation streamer with a decent matchup. I’m sure you can find a better QB than the ones fighting for jobs in Las Vegas, New England and Pittsburgh, though they have a little value in Week 1.
Tight Ends
Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
Fant hasn’t hit 500 yards in either of his seasons with Seattle, scoring four touchdowns in 2022 but none last season. He’s off the fantasy radar for good reason; tight end is a deep position this season with no less than 12 decent options.
For anyone needing a streamer, though, Denver offers a good matchup entering the season. The Broncos allowed more fantasy points per game to tight ends than any other team last season, and they might have the worst roster in the league. Their listed starters at inside linebacker and safety are two veteran undrafted free agents and two former third-round picks; there’s not a lot of upside.
Fant can’t be expected to excel, but the good matchup at least makes him a feasible fantasy player if you’re without a good option in Week 1.
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I’m down on Ertz and probably out, too. The Commanders drafted Ben Sinnott in the second round, and while he’s unlikely to make a big fantasy impact, he could steal work from Ertz as the season goes along. The veteran has topped out at 11 games played since 2020 and hasn’t hit 600 yards in that time.
He could have a few usable weeks, though, especially early in the season before wear-and-tear adds up. Tampa allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends last season. Ertz is a low-end streamer, but there are worse options in Week 1.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati was one spot worse than Tampa Bay last year, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Cincinnati ended up as one of the worst pass defenses in the league in 2023, and it will likely take them some time to improve greatly.
Henry isn’t exciting, but he might be the most sure-handed pass catcher in New England. The team has a receiving corps of young and/or non-impactful players, so either the rookie Maye or non-explosive Brissett will probably be looking for their veteran tight end when in need.
Kickers
Fantasy kickers are so random. My favorite strategy is to choose a player on a team that scores a lot and/or to target a bad defense. Here are the 10 teams who allowed the most fantasy points to kickers last season:
- Tennessee Titans
- Washington Commanders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Indianapolis Colts
- Minnesota Vikings
- New York Jets
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Denver Broncos
- Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona Cardinals
Simply using those teams and their opponents, four kickers have good matchups in each of the first two weeks: New England’s Joey Slye/Chad Ryland, New York Giants’ Graham Gano, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell and San Francisco’s Jake Moody.
Moody is my favorite of the group simply because of his team: San Fran might have the best offense in football. Moody is going late in most fantasy drafts and able to be grabbed if you’re a little proactive. The others above mostly aren’t drafted and would be able to be selected with your last pick.
The New England situation is the stickiest both because we don’t know who will win job and because the offense isn’t good. That’s a group I am avoiding. The Giants have a lot of questions as well; their defense has some high-level talent, but Daniel Jones is back at quarterback, and rookie Malik Nabers might be their only skill player with any real potential.
Boswell looks like a good option. The Steelers are a little bit questionable, but they match up with the Falcons and Broncos to start the season, followed by the Chargers. That looks like three teams Pittsburgh should be able to move the ball against, and Boswell will likely be in scoring range enough to have decent fantasy performances.
One other option is Anders Carlson from the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has good kicker matchups (based on last year’s finishes) in Weeks 2-4 (Colts, Titans and Vikings), and they face the Eagles Week 1. Philly’s defense has the pieces to be formidable, but they struggled allowing points last season.
Maybe most importantly, Green Bay has a good offense with a seemingly budding quarterback. Carlson is likely to be put in position to score in many weeks and might be the best low-level kicker based on rankings.
I like the listed kickers in this order:
- Jake Moody, SF
- Anders Carlson, GB
- Chris Boswell, PIT
- Graham Gano, NYG
- New England Kickers
Defenses
Defense can be as random as kicker at times. It’s easier to project who will have the most sacks and sometimes interceptions, but touchdowns are impossible to predict, and a team that goes on a run of takeaways is often one of the best squads. That also changes year to year, and team rankings in defensive fantasy points shift accordingly.
Bad offenses often make the best defenses in fantasy football. Especially when quarterbacks go down with injury throughout the year, ineffective offenses give opponents the best chance at sacks, turnovers and low point totals. It’s harder to find that level of ineptitude early in the season, but let’s try.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots
The Patriots make this an attractive Week 1 option. New England doesn’t have any high-level skill players and will either start Brissett or Maye. It’s likely to be a rough year for the Pats and Cincy could be the beneficiaries to start the season.
With the New England quarterbacks and Henry listed as possible streamers, you’d have to decide which you think will happen: The Pats finding success despite their lack of talent or the Bengals stepping up their game to hold down a weak offense. It’s a 50/50 proposition entering the season.
New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Giants added pash rusher Brian Burns in the offseason, their best chance at a leap forward. Their D-line is strong with Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux rushing the passer and Dexter Lawrence on the inside. This team is likely to get after the quarterback.
The Vikings will either be starting Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy in Week 1. Darnold seems like the favorite, which should worry Minnesota fans hoping for a competitive season. New York has a good chance to score among the top half of the league in defensive fantasy points beginning right away.
Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans
Let’s go back to quarterback play: Will Levis started with a bang before playing like a below-average QB for most of his rookie season. While I was expecting the Titans to have a bit of a teardown while Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and others left the team, they went the other way and made moves to surround their young quarterback with better talent to help him develop and maybe compete for the playoffs in the meantime.
Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd are a good set of skill players, but they’re far from 49er-levels. I liked the pick of left tackle JC Latham in the first round (I’m big on offensive line play and love early picks on supposed impact players up front), but even the best offensive tackles tend to struggle as rookies before eventually improving to an above-average level.
Chicago finished on a defensive heater, helping push the team toward .500 and probably saving the coaching staff’s jobs. It was driven by a big positive turnover differential that is unlikely to continue, so it’s important to temper expectations.
With a star in place at each level of the defense, though, they can be consistently successful, and a likely middling Tennessee offense might give the ball away a few times if their second-year quarterback continues to struggle.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
I can’t talk about poor QBs without hitting on Denver. They did well to cut the cord on Russell Wilson and reset; they did NOT do well by choosing the sixth-best quarterback of the 2024 draft with the 12th pick.
Bo Nix feels like this year’s Bryce Young: The rookie quarterback who doesn’t find any success because the team around him is inept of talent. Sean Payton is there, but he’s only ever won big with Drew Brees. I’m not counting on him to be able to magically turn Nix into Brees 2.0.
If veteran Jarrett Stidham starts, there’s an even lower ceiling, even if the floor is a little higher. I think we’re going to be targeting Denver with fantasy defenses all season.
Seattle has some very good defensive pieces, led by cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. The pass rush could be upgraded, but the Seahawks have done well before with a dominant group of defensive backs.
I’ll rank these streamer defenses like this for Week 1:
- Seattle Seahawks
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- New York Giants
