Since Alex Gelhar already masterfully identified some of the top waiver wire targets ahead of Week 12, Matt Harmon examined top deep league adds in his deep dive, and Marcas Grant supplied you with some players that can safely be dropped, it's my job to provide some streaming candidates at quarterback, tight end and defense for the upcoming slate of games. 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 12 if you need some assistance. So, let's get to it.
*Ownership percentage data from NFL.com fantasy leagues.
QUARTERBACKS
Case Keenum at Lions (Thanksgiving) | 9.3 percent owned: The Vikings offense is rolling, and much of their success in recent weeks has to do with stellar quarterback play from Case Keenum. Since coming off a Week 9 bye, he's posted a completion percentage of over 70 in each of his last two contests. Keenum also has thrown for a minimum of 280 yards in three straight outings with seven touchdown passes and an average of 19.59 fantasy points per game, finishing no worse than QB12 during that three-game span. On Thanksgiving Day, Keenum will face a Lions defense that has surrendered an average of 18.48 fantasy points per game to a trio of quarterbacks consisting of Brett Hundley, DeShone Kizer and Mitchell Trubisky the last three weeks. With weapons in the passing game like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and Jerick McKinnon, who are all capable of gaining big chunks of yardage after the catch, Keenum should be your top quarterback streaming option for Week 12, hands down.
Jacoby Brissett vs Titans | 4.9 percent owned: Following a Week 11 bye, Jacoby Brissett gets a soft landing spot at home against a Titans defense that has not fared well against opposing quarterbacks all season. Most recently, Tennesee gave up 399 yards and four passing touchdowns to Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. On the season, the Titans have given up 21 pass touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, which ties the unit for second-most in the league. And Brissett has done well this season in favorable matchups. He posted 27.7 points against Cleveland in Week 3, 17.9 points versus the 49ers in Week 5 and 19.5 points against the lowly Texans pass defense in Week 9. Brissett has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of his last three games with a 6:2 TD:INT ratio during that span. His health is something to monitor as the week develops as he was placed in the league's concussion protocol after Week 10. But his coach, Chuck Pagano, said Brissett should be good to go for Sunday's game, which is a positive sign. In a game featuring two of the worst defenses in the league, and two offenses completely capable of putting up points, it's an ideal Brissett streaming spot.
Eli Manning at Redskins (Thanksgiving) | 26.2 percent owned:Eli Manning completed just 54.3 percent of his passes in Week 11 going 19 of 35 for 205 yards and zero touchdowns with zero picks. That equated to just 8.7 fantasy points against one of the softer pass defenses in the league, the Chiefs. But there's reason to think he can bounce back in Week 12. First, Manning was without his top receiver, Sterling Shepard, who was out due to migraines. Tight end Evan Engram became the predicted focal point of the passing game, but he had just one catch for nine yards on six targets, and Manning was forcing the ball to guys like Roger Lewis and Tavarres King. The weather also played a role, as heavy winds negatively affected the aerial attack for both offenses. Hopefully both of these things, Shepard's health and the weather (I looked at the forecast, and it looks great), are remedied for the GiantsThanksgiving night tilt in Washington. The Redskins have struggled to limit opposing quarterbacks of late, allowing four top-six fantasy finishes to quarterbacks in their last five games. Manning has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of his last three contests and has just one pick and four touchdown passes in that span. He should be fine as a streamer in Week 12.
Josh McCown vs Panthers | 15.2 percent owned: This is a bit of a tougher sell because Carolina has been one of the better defenses in the NFL this year in terms of limiting opposing quarterback fantasy production. The Panthers 13.27 fantasy points per game allowed to the position this year is the sixth-fewest. BUT, they have given up some big games including a three-touchdown, 20-point performance from Drew Brees in Week 3, another 20-point game to Tom Brady in Week 4, and 21 points to Carson Wentz in Week 6. I'm not saying Josh McCown is comparable to any of these guys, but rather pointing out that it's not impossible for a fantasy quarterback to produce against Carolina. Heck, even Matt Ryan threw for 300-plus yards against them. McCown has provided a consistently safe floor over the last six games and with the emergence of Robby Anderson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jermaine Kearse and a backfilled loaded with pass-catching running backs McCown should suffice if you're struggling for production at the position.
Low-end options:
Ryan Fitzpatrick at Falcons | 11.2 percent owned:Ryan Fitzpatrick predictably took advantage of a favorable matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday posting 19.9 fantasy points on the heels of 275 pass yards and two scores, with no picks. Clearly, the return of Mike Evans was a boon to Fitzpatrick's fantasy value and he did well to spread the ball around completing at least two passes to eight different players in the game. Considering the depth the Buccaneers boast in their pass-catching corps, Fitzpatrick will once again be a streaming option in Week 12, but temper expectations a bit against a Falcons defense that ranks just above average in terms of fantasy points per game allowed to the position this season.
Blake Bortles at Cardinals | 19.4 percent owned: In an ideal spot to put up streaming-level production against the Browns in Week 11, Blake Bortles failed to deliver. He posted a mere 8.56 fantasy points throwing for just 154 yards and a single touchdown pass. I'm reluctantly giving him another shot in another favorable matchup for quarterbacks against a Cardinals defense that has surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position this year.
Tyrod Taylor at Chiefs | 76.1 percent owned: If the Bills coaching staff decides to start Tyrod Taylor over Nathan Peterman in Week 12, he'll provide streaming value for fantasy owners in need. In just one half of football last week, Tyrod posted over 18 fantasy points against the Chargers. Kansas City owns one of the easiest pass defenses for quarterbacks to pick on via the air, and have also allowed the sixth most rushing yards to the position this season. If Taylor starts
TIGHT ENDS:
Vernon Davis vs Giants | 32.5 percent owned: The streak of tight ends scoring touchdowns against the Giants ended on Sunday, but Travis Kelce still posted over 100 receiving yards, keeping New York's defense ranked way up there in terms of fantasy points per game allowed to the position. Vernon Davis yet again started in Jordan Reed's stead in Week 11 and he finished second on his team in targets (six) and receiving yards (67). He's had more prolific outings, but the playing time, volume, targets and potential for big plays are all solid reasons to keep streaming him. Dating back to Week 6, Davis leads the Redskins in receiving yards (367) is tied for second in receptions (25) and is second in targets (38). Pro tip: Don't chase that silly Jeremy Sprinkle touchdown.
Tyler Kroft vs Browns | 10 percent owned: I wrote Tyler Kroft up as a streamer in this space ahead of Week 11 due to a favorable matchup against the Broncos who have trouble limiting the tight end position. Despite just two catches for 12 yards, Kroft delivered a touchdown which is all you're really looking for at this point with a tight end streamer. He did come off the field due to a right hand injury at one point and returned to the field, with a cast on that hand. This is something to monitor ahead of Sunday's game against the Browns for sure. If Kroft can't play or keeps the cast on, C.J. Uzomah would likely be the next man up. Either way, Cleveland is one of those teams you target streaming tight ends against as they allow double-digit fantasy points per game to the position, and we even saw Jaguars veteran Marcedes Lewis follow the trend as he scored against them in Week 11.
O.J. Howard at Falcons | 9.5 percent owned: Birthday narrative! O.J. Howard celebrated his 23rd birthday last week with 53 yards and a touchdown, finishing as fantasy's TE2 when the curtain closed on Sunday's action. Since Ryan Fitzpatrick took over under center for Tampa Bay, Howard's 3/52/1 line tops Cameron Brate's 2/22/0 output. Howard now has four touchdowns in his rookie season, and while there's a chance he completely disappears from the stat sheet, you basically run that risk with every streaming tight end on a weekly basis anyway.
Charles Clay at Chiefs | 16.6 percent owned:Charles Clay has been back for the Bills for two games now, but he's posted a disappointing 5/40/0 line since his return. On the positive side, Clay has played on over 50 percent of Buffalo's snaps in each of his last two games, and his seven targets in that span ties him for second among his team's pass-catchers. As Alex Gelhar pointed out in his waiver-wire writeup on Clay, this would be a different story if Clay had hauled in a pass that he dropped on the goal line Sunday. Still, if Tyrod Taylor plays even a half of football in Week 12, Clay's volume upside makes him a worthwhile streamer.
Greg Olsen at Jets | 61 percent owned: This is more of a reminder to scoop up Greg Olsen off the waiver wire ahead of Week 12 if he had been dropped after injuring his foot nearly two months ago. Olsen was spotted back at Panthers practice on Monday and it sounds like he's trending towards playing against the Jets. There's a chance he's eased back in with a limited snap count, but some Olsen is better than none, and we know Cam Newton has eyes for his veteran tight end.
DEFENSES (D/STs)
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST vs Browns | 12 percent owned: The Cincinnati D/ST unit has posted no fewer than eight fantasy points in each of the last two weeks, with two takeaways in each and a combined seven sacks. This week, they get a home tilt against a Browns team that provides opposing fantasy D/STs with the highest points per game average (13.6) in the entire league. Cleveland ranks as a bottom-five in sacks allowed and interceptions thrown. The team's starting quarterback, DeShone Kizer, leads the NFL with 14 picks thrown, tossing two more against the Jaguars last week. The Bengals are locked in as a fantasy must-start for Week 12.
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST at Cowboys (Thanksgiving) | 19.2 percent owned: This isn't just a "chase the points" situation. Yes, the Chargers picked off Nathan Peterman five times in the first half and dropped 25 fantasy points on the Bills in Week 11. But beyond just that one amazing performance, Los Angeles has a solid fantasy defense. The Chargers have three double-digit fantasy games this season and boast one of the best pass-rushes in the league with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. They're going to make life difficult for a Cowboys offense that has scored just one touchdown over the last two games and may still be without starting offensive lineman Tyron Smith. If you streamed Los Angeles last week, hold onto them. If they're available, add them for Week 12.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST vs Bears | 48.7 percent owned: The Eagles D/ST has a low enough ownership to consider the unit a streamer against the Bears this week. Philadelphia racked up four turnovers, four sacks and a defensive touchdown against Dallas in Week 11. Now they get a home game against a one-dimensional Bears offense that gets the majority of its production from the run game. The Eagles defensive front is one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL. And they know how to stop the run - they entered Week 11 with the league's top run defense allowing 66.4 rush yards per game. Now, Philadelphia did end up allowing 112 rush yards to Dallas, but it was only the second time all season a team has posted 100-plus rush yards against the Eagles. They'll make it tough running for Jordan Howard and company out of the Bears backfield. Make sure you scoop up this Philadelphia unit and start them against Chicago if possible.
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