Since Alex Gelhar already masterfully identified some of the top waiver wire targets ahead of Week 7, and Matt Harmon examined top deep league adds in his deep dive, it's my job to provide some streaming candidates at quarterback, tight end and defense for the upcoming slate of game. Keep in mind, most of these players/teams are bottom-of-the-barrel targets for deep leagues, and I'm not saying they're going to be top scorers at their position, but they should do enough to keep your team competitive in Week 7 if you need some assistance. So, let's get to it.
**Ownership percentage data from NFL.com fantasy leagues. *
QUARTERBACKS
Carson Palmer vs Rams (London) | 39.3 percent owned: Palmer was a weekly streaming option before the Adrian Peterson trade because of his high-volume of pass attempts which led to yardage totals setting up for safe weekly floors. Now, he should be even more coveted off the waiver wire as Peterson's presence in the backfield gives Arizona a more balanced attack in which Palmer thrived in Week 6. He set season highs in touchdown passes (three) and completion percentage (81.8) and although his volume came down (22 attempts) he was much more efficient with his throws. If Palmer is still available in your league, scoop him up now. Peterson is a game-changer for this Arizona offense.
Jared Goff vs Cardinals (London) | 11.2 percent owned:Jared Goff has had a slow few weeks with unfavorable matchups against the Seahawks and Jaguars in which he's logged a combined 17.58 fantasy points. But after a road win in Jacksonville despite his limited production, Goff now heads to London to face the Cardinals in Week 7 and there's reason to believe he can bounce back.
We know that Justin Bethel is one of the most beatable corners in the NFL this year as he's given up big games to just about every receiver he's covered, which continued in Week 6 as he allowed a 41-yard touchdown reception to Mike Evans. Shutdown corner Patrick Peterson left the game against the Bucs early with a groin injury. It's not serious, but there's a chance he's limited in Week 7 which could open the door for a much less intimidating matchup for Goff. Peterson has been a shutdown corner this season but because of deficiencies elsewhere in the Arizona secondary, the team is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks this season, with 13 passing touchdowns allowed.
Brett Hundley vs Saints | 0.1 percent owned: In a week where the quarterback streaming landscape is vastly desolate, Brett Hundley may provide some welcome relief for fantasy managers in need. In his first career start, Hundley gets the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau, so already you can see why it's a decent outlook. As Alex Gelhar pointed out in his breakdown of what Aaron Rodgers' injury means for fantasy football, Hundley has an impressive athletic profile and should look better than he did against the Vikings after a full week of first-team reps. The Saints defense, while seemingly improved this season, is still allowing 268 pass yards per game on average, fifth-worst in the league.
Josh McCown at Dolphins | 0.6 percent owned: Pegging Josh McCown as a decent streaming option in Week 6 against the Patriots was an easy call to make. This week against the Dolphins, it's a bit riskier. The Dolphins defense has been tough against opposing fantasy quarterbacks, allowing just six passing touchdowns through five games and an average of 14.10 fantasy points per game allowed which is a top-10 mark in the league. McCown has a 4-to-4 touchdown to interception ratio in his last two games and is always susceptible to turning the ball over. But in his favor is the fact that Miami's defense has just one pick all season. McCown comes with a lot of risk but has upside, too. That's the game you play when you're streaming.
C.J. Beathard vs Cowboys | 0.1 percent owned: **If you're desperate ... * Beathard became the fourth rookie quarterback to get on the regular season playing field on Sunday. He relieved Brian Hoyer about halfway through the second quarter and attempted 36 passes, completing 19 for 245 yards, one touchdown, and one pick. The third-round draft pick has a decent landing spot in what will be his first career start, at home against the Cowboys. Dallas has a beatable pass defense with several rookies playing in the secondary. The Cowboys have allowed 11 pass touchdowns this season, tied for fourth in the NFL and that includes a Week 6 bye. Even with just 11 pass attempts in Week 6, Hoyer sits among the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL in pass attempts, averaging 38.8 per game heading into Week 7. That kind of volume will likely continue when Beathard takes over as the 49ers defense continues to leak, which gives the rookie the same kind of high-volume floor we were getting out of Carson Palmer for the first five weeks. Obviously, it also leads to more opportunities to throw picks.
TIGHT ENDS
Disclaimer: Two tight ends that are still available in a fair amount of NFL.com leagues that are pretty much must-owns at this point: Evan Engram and Tyler Kroft. Engram is benefiting from an injury-plagued Giants receiving corps. His seven targets in Week 6 doubled the next-closest pass catcher, and he presents a mismatch to linebackers due to his exceptional speed. Kroft will slide into the TE1 role for the rest of the year in Cincinnati as Tyler Eifert is on the shelf due to season-ending back surgery. Kroft has logged 13 catches on 16 targets for 134 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games.
Zach Miller vs Panthers | 6.1 percent owned: Through rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's first two starts, he hasn't attempted a ton of passes. But of the 41 he has attempted, Zach Miller has seen the most targets of any Bears player, 10, in that span. Miller has also scored a touchdown in each of the last two games, though his Week 6 score was thrown by running back Tarik Cohen on a trick play, not Trubisky. Miller is playing on about 65 percent of Chicago's snaps and he'll be a decent streaming option when the Bears return to Soldier Field to play the Panthers in Week 7. Carolina's defense is coming off a game in which they allowed Zach Ertz to post two touchdowns, and the unit is tied with the fourth-most touchdowns allowed to the position, four, this season.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins vs Dolphins | 15.6 percent owned: Since Austin Seferian-Jenkins returned from a suspension in Week 3, his 29 targets are tied for the team lead along with wideout Robby Anderson. ASJ leads the Jets with 23 receptions in that four-game span, and leads the team in red zone targets (four), red zone receptions (three) and red zone touchdowns (two). He'll face the Dolphins in Week 7. In five games played through six weeks, Miami is allowing the fourth-most receptions to tight ends (35) this season.
George Kittle vs Cowboys | 1.5 percent owned: The rookie tight end is trending up. George Kittle has target totals of nine and eight for 17 combined in the last two games, seven of which have been in the red zone. He's second on the 49ers in targets behind only Pierre Garcon in that span and has logged 129 receiving yards and a touchdown. San Francisco named rookie C.J. Beathard their starting signal caller heading into Week 7, and as my colleague Matt Harmon pointed out, Beathard and Kittle were college teammates at Iowa which bodes well for Kittle's outlook going forward. As mentioned above in the quarterback section, Beathard should be throwing frequently as San Francisco has been all year, which only means more opportunities for the team's pass-catchers like Kittle.
Jonnu Smith at Browns | 0.3 percent owned: This one is a longshot, but I can't leave a tight end facing the Browns off the list. Obviously, Delanie Walker's ownership is too high to consider a streamer, so I'm going deep with rookie tight end Jonnu Smith. Heading into Week 6's Monday Night Football contest, Smith leads Tennessee with two receiving touchdowns this season. He's averaging about 33 snaps per game, which equates to approximately a 55 percent share, which is not ideal. He only has 11 targets on the season too, so like I said, it's a long shot. But his athletic profile is off the charts, and one of his scores this season was a 32-yard catch and run in which he displayed that athletic ability. The matchup is juicy too, against a Cleveland defense allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to tight ends (11.9) and the most receptions (42) to the position.
TE HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Broncos TEs: With Emmanuel Sanders due to miss time with an ankle injury, the Broncos tight ends become more intriguing as fantasy streamers against the Chargers for Week 7. Tread with caution here though, as the Chargers are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends. Plus, Denver tight end production has been extremely varied over their first five games of the year:
The guy playing the most snaps: Virgil Green
The guy with the most receptions: A.J. Derby
The guy who scored a TD last: Jeff Heuerman
Good luck figuring out which one to use.
Ed Dickson is playing 90 percent of Carolina's snaps with Greg Olsen out. He has four, five and eight targets last three games with 273 yards on 12 receptions. Dickson's production is going to be volatile, which we've already seen evidence of, but he's getting the looks and can win after contact. He faces a Bears defense that has allowed 321 receiving yards to tight ends this year which ranks in the bottom half of the league.
Benjamin Watson leads the Ravens in targets and is second on the team with 176 receiving yards. With Jeremy Maclin (hand) inactive and Breshad Perriman's injury in Week 6, Watson was Joe Flacco's favorite target (eight). He only converted those looks into 28 receiving yards, but the volume is there if that's what you're searching for.
Nick O'Leary saw six targets and played 84 percent of Buffalo's snaps after Charles Clay went out with a knee injury in Week 5. The Bills severely lack pass-catchers, so it's not out of the question for O'Leary to see some volume against the Buccaneers.
DEFENSES (D/STs)
New Orleans Saints D/ST at Packers | 2.4 percent owned: A week ago, this would have been out of the question. But a few things have contributed to the Saints being a viable streaming D/ST against the Packers for Week 7. First, the season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers has a lot to do with it. Green Bay is giving the aforementioned Brett Hundley the first start of his career. And while it'd be nice to see Hundley play well, there's also a good chance he makes a few mistakes. Now, the Saints are still allowing a lot of yards to opposing offenses, and have given up over 30 points in two of their last three games. But the New Orleans D/ST unit has been a beast for fantasy football purposes, with three-straight games of 14 points or more. The unit has logged 13 sacks, seven interceptions, two fumble recoveries and scored three defensive touchdowns in that span. Most of that was done against the Lions last week, but still, the Saints defense is officially a streaming option.
Chicago Bears D/ST at vs Panthers | 2.5 percent owned: I listed the Bears in this space last week as sort of a longshot to put up a nice fantasy total against the Ravens. The unit ended up posting 15 fantasy points thanks to two interceptions (one pick-six), a fumble recovery and three sacks against the Ravens struggling offense. After six weeks, Chicago is allowing the eighth-fewest passing yards per game (198.3) and the sixth-fewest total yards per game (302.7) allowed to opposing offenses. It's understandable if you're wary of Cam Newton and the Carolina offense, which has turned things up in recent weeks. But the Panthers run game is anemic right now. Over the last two games, Carolina's running backs have combined for just 29 rushing yards on 34 carries for a 0.9 yards per rush average. The Bears are a solid deep league streamer at home, if you're in need.
Tennessee Titans D/ST at Browns | 22.1 percent owned: This has more to do with the matchup against the Browns than anything else. Cleveland is in the midst of yet another quarterback experiment. The latest victim, Kevin Hogan, threw three picks in Week 6, as the Houston Texans posted 22 fantasy points. Tennessee's D/ST has two games with at least nine fantasy points (vs JAX, MIA), but that's their highest mark heading into Sunday night. There's some risk involved, but Cleveland has committed 14 interceptions through six games, so it's hard to shy away from a matchup this good.
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST at Broncos | 2.5 percent owned: Denver shockingly failed to do much offensively against the Giants in Week 6 in what resulted in a 23-10 loss at home to a previously winless team. Trevor Siemian left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury, but returned in the second half and is reportedly still set to start Week 7. But with Emmanuel Sanders suffering an ankle injury that will lead to at least one missed game, the Broncos' offense is in rough shape. You would think that Denver could get it done on the ground against the Chargers league-worst run defense with C.J. Anderson, Jamaal Charles and Devontae Booker. But Week 6 set up nicely for the Broncos running backs too, against a Giants team that was allowing 139 rush yards per game. Alas, the Denver backs combined for just 38 rush yards as they were scripted out early on. The Chargers defense has logged six sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery in their last two games as the team continues to trend up. Los Angeles also boasts an intimidating duo of pass-rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, and it's difficult to imagine Denver finding a legitimate way to produce against them in Week 7.
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