Fantasy Football Week 3 Late-Week Streamers: Jauan Jennings, Cam Akers, Gardner Minshew and More

Players who might still be available on Saturday night or Sunday morning if you're desperate for a starter.

Injuries are already piling up. San Francisco is missing half a Pro Bowl team, and guys who were counted on to be fantasy superstars are expected to be out multiple weeks. That leaves fantasy owners searching for options, and that process can last as long as Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Late-week streamers are low-level fantasy players who are desperation plays as much as appealing options. Each guy listed below either has a good matchup or an expanded role which gives him fantasy value as a flex-level player.

Let’s look at some late-week streamers who are fantasy relevant in Week 3 and owned in less than 25% of leagues (in most cases). I used our FantasySP defensive rankings to help identify teams that have been susceptible to allowing fantasy points so far.

Quarterback

Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are bad…just…bad. They’ve lost their first two games by a combined score of 73-13 and just benched last year’s top overall pick, Bryce Young. If the offense improves under Andy Dalton, it will help the D, but there’s still plenty to like about facing Carolina.

Minshew has topped 250 yards in each game, averaging 7.5 yards per attempt with a completion percentage near 78%. It’s been more than an acceptable start: Minshew has excelled in a small sample.

This one is just a great streaming scenario. If you’re counting on Jordan Love and don’t have a Plan B right now, Minshew is a great pickup to grab and even maybe start over Love. Consider Minshew if you need quarterback help.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants

Watson is a streamer at best right now. He’ll likely never reach the heights of his Houston run, so it’s important to evaluate him as a guy who will struggle to throw consistently but has rushing ability to make him fantasy relevant some weeks.

This is likely one of those weeks. The Giants have some talent on both sides of the ball but fall short as a complete unit. That holds true on both offense and defense, where Washington rookie Jayden Daniels had a big day on the way to a Commanders win in Week 2.

Watson is a similar player to Daniels; they both run the ball better than they throw it right now in their careers and can excel with their feet. Watson can put up a day like Daniels had last week (226 passing yards, 44 rushing yards) and maybe find the end zone for a nice fantasy day.

Running Back

Cam Akers, Houston Texans @ Minnesota Vikings

Joe Mixon is listed as doubtful for this week, and Dameon Pierce has been out since after Week 1. There isn’t much competition for carries right now, leaving Akers a possible workhorse game against the team that traded for him last season.

Houston backs ran the ball 33 times in Week 1, feeding Mixon 30 carries. That number fell to 18 last week, likely in part because of the game and in part because Mixon wasn’t in the lineup. Akers can’t be expected to have a huge performance, but he is a flex option given the situation.

Minnesota held down Giants’ runners in Week 1 but allowed San Francisco’s Jordan Mason to run for 100 yards on 20 carries last week. Akers and the Texans don’t have the running game that the 49ers do (no one does), but they could still find a little success on the ground given the strength of the passing game.

Akers is a low-level streamer, but he’s worth picking up if you’re really struggling to fill an RB or flex spot.

D'Onta Foreman, Cleveland Browns vs. New York Giants

After Jerome Ford dominated the run share in Week 1, Foreman had twice as many carries in Week 2. Ford was much more efficient, but it’s telling that Foreman ran the ball so much in a game that was close throughout.

There’s no way to tell what to expect against the Giants. Ford is still owned in most leagues and Foreman hardly at all, so the latter is an option to pick up with hope that he overtakes the bulk of the work. He’s a very risky play and should only be used in the most desperate situations, but there is a little value in the Cleveland back.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons

Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons

KC’s running back rotation is a complete mystery with Isiah Pacheco out for a few months. Carson Steele has been working as the RB2 and was the most added player of the group in fantasy leagues. He has the best chance to grab the top role, but it’s far from a guarantee.

Perine has worked in passing situations but hasn’t been too involved, playing about 15% of the snaps each game. It’s possible he stays in the same role, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the veteran get more work without a workhorse back.

Hunt was signed to the practice squad, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him stay there until next week being he just got to town. It would be easy for him to play a small role with easy concepts he can work in after just a few days in the building, but I’m not counting on Hunt to contribute much this week.

Grabbing Hunt would be a long-term play, hoping he will be the lead back for most of the two months Pacheco misses. Perine is an option in deep PPR leagues with hope he will take on an expanded role, especially in the passing game. We investigated this further earlier in the week.

Wide Receiver

This group is all about receivers who are filling in for injured stars. A lot of targets go to guys like Puka Nacua and Deebo Samuel Sr., and with those players out, someone is going to have to catch passes. Injuries are part of the game; it’s how you react to them that dictates your fantasy ceiling.

Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

Tyler Johnson, Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

With Nacua and Cooper Kupp both out for the next few weeks, a huge void of usage has opened, allowing for someone to come through as the next good Rams fantasy receiver. Demarcus Robinson has rightly gotten love as the new WR1, but it will take more than one person to make up the difference.

Atwell and Johnson are next on the depth chart. Johnson has performed better so far (seven catches, 99 yards versus three and 48 for Atwell), but Atwell has a longer track record with Matthew Stafford.

Johnson seems like the better option, but it’s a near toss-up until we see them in action. Both Johnson and Atwell are potential WR3/4/flex options; they are also risky plays.

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams

I love Jennings as a WR3/4/flex type this week. Jennings has had moments of brilliance, including both catching and throwing a touchdown in last year’s Super Bowl. He signed a contract extension this offseason before Brandon Aiyuk, so he’s someone the 49ers believe can operate in their system.

Samuel will probably miss multiple games, meaning Aiyuk needs a running mate. With George Kittle also questionable, there will be plenty of targets to soak up in an efficient offense.

The Rams have also been in the top third of the league in allowing fantasy points to wide receivers, so the matchup complements the expanded role. Jennings is likely to be a good fantasy player this week.

Tight End

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Denver Broncos

This is about the matchup: Denver was the worst team against fantasy tight ends last season by a large margin, though stats have been modest in 2024. Otton has been on the field for most of the team’s offensive snaps, but he has only caught one pass for five yards.

Otton is a low-level, low-ceiling, low-floor streamer, but he’s an option for owners who are desperate due to the matchup.

Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Ravens

Jake Ferguson looks like he might play, and Schoonmaker would lose his fantasy value if that’s the case. If Ferguson does sit again, though, Schoonmaker would take on a high-value role in the Dallas offense.

He had a decent Week 2, pulling in six passes for 43 yards, and Schoonmaker should continue becoming more involved in the offense even when Ferguson is in the lineup, but Schoonmaker’s value this week is directly tied to his veteran teammate’s status.

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