Since Alex Gelhar already masterfully identified some of the top waiver wire targets ahead of Week 4, 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 5 if you need some assistance. So, let's get to it.
*Ownership percentage data from NFL.com fantasy leagues.
QUARTERBACKS
Deshaun Watson vs Chiefs | 14.7% owned: Deshaun Watson just posted 33 fantasy points on the heels of a five-touchdown performance against the Titans. Tennessee's secondary provided a favorable matchup and the return of Will Fuller helped open things up a bit downfield for the young quarterback. Watson has now posted 17, 20 and 33 fantasy points in his first three NFL starts and should continue to roll in Week 5 with another home matchup against the Chiefs. Kansas City hasn't played in Week 4 yet, but heading into the game the Chiefs owned the 28th-ranked overall defense in the NFL. Through three games, the Chiefs are allowing 257.3 pass yards per game. The usually vaunted Kansas City defense also ranked 30th in big plays allowed. (A big play qualifies as a 10-plus yard run or a 20-plus yard pass.) Watson had three such pass plays in Week 4 and with Fuller back as a legitimate deep threat, in addition to Bruce Ellington and DeAndre Hopkins, expect those impact plays to continue. Houston has averaged 34.3 points per game in Watson's three starts, and another home game provides yet another ideal spot to stream the rookie.
* Jared Goff vs Seahawks | 6.3% owned:* I know you're probably thinking that a matchup against Seattle's defense is an unfavorable one for quarterbacks. You'd be right if it was a home game for Seattle as they're allowing an average of 5.77 fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers at CenturyLink in two games this year. But Jared Goff will take his cooking Rams offense home to face the Seahawks in Los Angeles. On the road, Seattle is allowing an average of 18.12 fppg to opposing quarterbacks. The Rams offense is averaging 35.5 points per game and 383.8 yards on offense this season, including 270.3 pass yards per game. Goff has only thrown one pick all season, has at least one touchdown pass in every game (including five combined in the last two games) and has thrown for at least 250 yards in three of four contests. One more bullet point of note for the Seahawks defense; they lost starting corner Jeremy Lane (groin) and starting linebacker Cliff Avril (neck) to injuries on Sunday night. It's too early in the week to know their status, but if they're out, expect Rams coach Sean McVay to gameplan around their potential absence, as he did against injured Dallas and linebacker Sean Lee in Week 4.
Jay Cutler vs Titans | 8.3% owned: Since Jay Cutler has played so poorly in favorable matchups the past two weeks, the majority of folks will probably fade him in Week 5. But before you do, consider that this is Miami's first home game of the season. The team has been flying around the globe, from Los Angeles to New York, then to London and now finally get to stay home in Miami. It's just a guess, but the travel may be affecting the team's offensive production, as it's concerning that the team was shut out against New Orleans in London on Sunday. But Cutler and his Dolphins will face a struggling Tennessee defense that was just shredded by rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson (see above) for 57 points. The Titans have allowed an average 42 points per game and 318 passing yards per game to opposing offenses in their last two contests against Seattle and Houston. Plus, we're not sure what Marcus Mariota's status is, as he left Week 4's game with a hamstring injury. If he's out, Matt Cassel will draw the start for Tennessee. In relief of Mariota in Week 4, Cassel was awful, committing three giveaways (two picks, one fumble lost) and only completed four of his 10 pass attempts for 21 yards. That should bode well for Miami's overall outlook.
TIGHT ENDS
Austin Seferian-Jenkins at Browns | 0.7% owned: It doesn't matter who it is, you start tight ends against the Browns. Cleveland allowed 13 touchdowns to the position last season, more than any other team. And through four games this year, Cleveland's defense has already allowed four touchdowns (tied for second-most) and have allowed 30 receptions for 280 yards to opposing tight ends. Jesse James was the TE2 in Week 1, with two touchdowns; In Week 2 Benjamin Watson posted 91 yards against them and was the TE10; Tyler Kroft just posted two touchdowns and 68 yards against them as Week 4's TE1 heading into Monday night. Austin Seferian-Jenkins hasn't exactly made waves in the Jets passing attack but he was on the field for 76 percent of New York's snaps against Jacksonville in Week 4. He's also collected nine receptions in the last two games, which is second on the Jets in that span behind Jeremy Kerley (10). It's more of a matchup play than a belief that ASJ is a viable fantasy asset, so just keep that in mind.
Evan Engram vs Chargers | 17% owned: The Giants are sporting an 0-4 record and lack an efficient run game. That means a lot of pass attempts and a lot of targets to go around. In fact, Eli Manning has attempted 166 passes, second-most in the NFL. He's averaging 42 per game with 47 and 49 in the last two weeks, respectively. The result has been a ton of volume for guys like Evan Engram, who was second in targets on the Giants last week (11) behind Odell Beckham and led all tight ends in Week 4. Engram is currently tied with Rob Gronkowski for the second-most targets among tight ends through four weeks (30). He also owns an 18 percent target share in the Giants pass attack, which is a virtually even distribution between Beckham (19%), Brandon Marshall (18%), Sterling Shepard (16%) and Engram. He's had no fewer than seven targets in each of the last three games. Engram is a volume upside play in Week 5 against the Chargers. Los Angeles has allowed a few big games to tight ends, including 98 yards to a pair of Denver tight ends in Week 1 and 81 yards on nine targets to Zach Ertz in Week 4.
Charles Clay at Bengals | 34.2% owned: If he's still available, Clay is a high-volume tight end that needs to be owned and held onto. Clay leads Buffalo with 25 targets through four games and has piled up 227 receiving yards to go along with two touchdowns. He's averaging 8.7 fantasy points per game after Week 4 and has posted three double-digit outings in PPR leagues. He also leads Buffalo with five red zone targets. With wideout Jordan Matthews set to miss time with a thumb injury, Clay could see even more looks from Tyrod Taylor. He was one of only six players to register 100-plus receiving yards in Week 4 and now has finished as a top 10 tight end three of four weeks, with two top-five finishes.
*Desperation Play - Tyler Kroft vs Bills | 0.1% owned: This one kind of feels like chasing the points from Week 4, but there's some reason to believe that Tyler Kroft's two-touchdown game against the Browns wasn't a fluke. He was targeted seven times by Andy Dalton, which tied A.J. Green. Kroft led the Bengals in receptions and receiving yards and was on the field for 83 percent of Cincy's snaps. In the two games that Tyler Eifert has missed, Kroft has averaged 91 percent of the Bengals offensive snaps. Eifert is likely to miss his third game with a back injury, thrusting Kroft into another high percentage of playing time role against Buffalo. It's not a great matchup as the Bills are allowing just 4.73 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season, but that's why I listed Kroft as a desperation play. Tread with caution.
DEFENSES (D/STs)
Detroit Lions D/ST vs Panthers | 23.7% owned: The top-scoring fantasy D/ST through four games is the Detroit Lions. With double-digit points in every game this year the unit is quietly averaging 14.5 fantasy points per game. Much of it has to do with turnovers. The Lions have seven interceptions and four fumbles recovered through four games. Three of those fumble recoveries came last week against the Vikings. Detroit has also racked up 10 sacks this season, plus two pick-sixes and punt return score. The Lions will face Carolina at home, and while the Panthers are coming off a big 33-point game, they've struggled on offense, for the most part, this season. That 33-point game came against the Patriots, the NFL's worst defense statistically. Prior to Week 4, the Panthers had scored 23, nine and 13 points in their first three games. Detroit should bring Carolina's offense back to earth in Week 5.
New York Jets D/ST at Browns | 0.9% owned: The Jets D/ST has the lowest ownership in all of fantasy football. But there's reason to consider streaming the unit against the Browns in Week 5. Cleveland's quarterback, DeShone Kizer, leads the NFL with eight interceptions through four games. The Browns have also allowed 13 sacks this season, which ties them for fourth-most. Cleveland is allowing 11.75 fantasy points per game to opposing fantasy D/STs, which is second words so far this year. And despite the Jets defensive struggles, they've allowed a somewhat-respectable 26 total points to opposing teams in their last two games combined. The Browns have scored fewer than 20 points in three of four games. It's not a sexy play, but the Browns always create a serviceable streaming opportunity for D/STs even when the unit is below average.
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST vs Cardinals | 8.4% owned: As Alex Gelhar pointed out on a recent NFL Fantasy LIVE podcast, the Cardinals are becoming an offense to target for using D/ST streamers against. They have virtually no run game; Chris Johnson leads the team with 93 rushing yards ... heading into Week 5. Carson Palmer's 183 pass attempts leads the entire NFL and he doesn't have the physical attributes to escape defensive pressure which has resulted in a league-worst 17 sacks. Arizona's offense has also failed to post more than 18 points in three of four games with their best production (23 points) coming in Week 1 when David Johnson was healthy. The Eagles do have some major defensive injuries in the secondary, but they make for a solid streaming option at home against an Arizona team traveling east for another early game.
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST vs Bills | 24.7% owned: Cincinnati's defense isn't going to win your fantasy matchup for you, but the unit has been solid for most of the season. The Bengals D/ST has posted at least seven fantasy points in three of four games this year, including 14 points against the Packers in Week 3. The unit is the 10th-highest scoring in fantasy football through four weeks and they'll face the Bills at home in Week 5. Buffalo basically has two options on offense, LeSean McCoy and Charles Clay. The Bengals have been tough against running backs, allowing just 3.9 yards per rush and have allowed an average of 16.8 points to opposing teams this season. If they can shut McCoy down, or at least limit him, they should post another solid total for fantasy squads this coming week.
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