What if I’d told you that Calvin Ridley, Mike Williams, John Brown, Nyheim Hines, and Chris Godwin were all just sitting there on your bench and you didn’t have to spend a single FAAB dollar to get them? Had you visited this article the last few weeks, you could’ve.

Streaming has become an integral part of fantasy football over the last few years. Whether it be quarterbacks, tight ends, defenses, or heck, even running backs and wide receivers at times. If you don’t know what streaming means, it’s where you’ll play a different player at that position each and every week. While it may sound nuts, it works if you know how to approach the waiver wire.

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How many times have you watched your fantasy matchup on Sunday/Monday, only to go search the waiver wire for your streamer next week and see a player available who has a premier matchup that everyone will attempt to pick up? Not anymore. This article is designed to give you a leg-up on your competition. That’s right, we’ll be adding the players before they’re able to. With that being said, here’s the players you should be adding to your fantasy roster on Sunday morning. I’m going to be using Yahoo as the gauge for ownership, and we’ll stick to players who are less than 40 percent owned.

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston (TB) at ATL

I want you to hit pause reading this article right now… Seriously, go to your waiver wire and snag Winston before finishing it. Winston will be coming off a bye week with the best wide receiver corps he’s ever had with very little run-game. Oh, he’s also going against the Falcons defense who’s allowed at least 337 yards and three touchdowns to every quarterback they’ve played since losing safety Keanu Neal and linebacker Deion Jones. Winston could very well be the QB1 in Week 6 and he’s owned in just 17 percent of leagues.

Baker Mayfield (CLE) vs LAC

If Winston is owned, Mayfield shouldn’t be a bad backup option. He’ll be heading out to Los Angeles to play against a Joey Bosa-less Chargers defense that’s allowed at least 20 points to their opponent in every game. If you remove the Josh Allen starting debut, they’ve allowed at least 27 points to every opponent, including at least 17.8 fantasy points to each quarterback, which included C.J. Beathard in Week 4.

Running Backs

Latavius Murray (MIN) vs ARI

It’s slim pickings when searching for streamers at the running back position, but Murray could pay dividends in Week 6. He’ll be at home against a Cardinals defense that’s allowed seven rushing touchdowns through four games. We know that Dalvin Cook is still dealing with a hamstring injury and might not even play in Week 5, which means they very well might share the workload at home in Week 6.

Duke Johnson (CLE) vs LAC

I know, I know… you may have dropped him, but hear me out. Not only will Johnson need to be used more against the Ravens this week, but it could remind the coaching staff just how good he is. They’ll host the Chargers in Week 6, a team whose games have not totaled less than 51 points, meaning it could very well turn into a shootout where Mayfield drops back to pass 40 times. After all, Mayfield did target him six times in his first start, netting season-highs in both receptions (4) and receiving yards (45).

Jacquizz Rodgers (TB) at ATL

If you know anything about the Falcons, you know they allow tons of fantasy points through the air to running backs. Not only have they allowed the most receptions to running backs in each of the last two years, but they’ve now allowed 42 receptions to them through four games, which is seven more than the closest team. The Bucs are reportedly going with Ronald Jones at running back and his biggest weakness is catching the ball out of the backfield, which is where Rodgers will be needed. He’s not the worst option for those with bye week issues in PPR leagues.

Last ditch option: Corey Grant (JAX) at DAL

Players to stash (not necessarily streamers): Marlon Mack (IND), Rashaad Penny (SEA), C.J. Anderson (CAR), Spencer Ware (KC)

Wide Receivers

DeVante Parker (MIA) vs CHI

Yes, the Bears defense is legit. It doesn’t mean you can’t start wide receivers against them. Through four games, they’ve allowed eight receivers total five or more receptions, including at least 59 yards to seven of them. The Dolphins will struggle to do anything on the ground, as the Bears have still yet to allow a running back more than 47 yards this year. In fact, they haven’t allowed an entire team of running backs to finish with more than 57 yards.

Chris Godwin (TB) at ATL

If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, you want to play as many fantasy players against the Falcons as possible. Over the last three games (after the injuries to Keanu Neal and Deion Jones), they’ve allowed: three top-10 quarterbacks, three top-10 running backs, five top-36 wide receivers, and two top-12 tight ends. While Godwin is sharing time with Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson, the bye week may have opened more opportunities for him to be installed into the offense.

Mohamed Sanu (ATL) vs TB

Somehow overlooked with the emergence of Calvin Ridley, but Sanu has been good himself posting 17.1 PPR points in Week 4 and 15.6 PPR points in Week 3 while seeing 16 targets in those games. The Bucs have only played three games, but in those games, they’ve allowed six wide receivers score 17 or more PPR points. The Bucs can score with the Falcons, meaning it could be another shootout in the dome.

Robby Anderson (NYJ) vs IND

Did everyone watch the Colts/Patriots game that took place on Thursday night? If so, you watched Tom Brady just chuck the ball deep into double coverage to Josh Gordon and the cornerbacks just watched him bring the ball in. Yes, they had some injured players, but it’s not as if they have a stud cornerback. Many have been pretty hard on Anderson, though when you look at his early season schedule, should we have really expected him to succeed? He was covered by Darius Slay, Xavien Howard, Denzel Ward, and Jalen Ramsey. He’s worth a shot if you’re looking for a streamer who can go off.

Other lower-owned options: Willie Snead (BAL) at TEN, Kelvin Benjamin (BUF) at HOU

Players to stash (not necessarily streamers): Taywan Taylor (TEN), James Washington (PIT)

Tight Ends

Cameron Brate (TB) at ATL

“Mike, are you serious? Another Bucs player?” Yes, I am. If you missed what was said about their defense in the Godwin portion, I’ll repeat it here. Over the last three games (after the injuries to Keanu Neal and Deion Jones), they’ve allowed: three top-10 quarterbacks, three top-10 running backs, five top-36 wide receivers, and two top-12 tight ends. O.J. Howard is out for at least this week, making Brate the go-to target over the middle of the field. Here’s what the tight ends produced in games where Jameis Winston played the majority of snaps:

Brate/Howard Rec Yds TDs PPR Pts Week 2 3 41 0 7.1 Week 3 5 45 1 15.5 Week 4 6 143 2 32.3 Week 5 5 68 1 17.8 Week 6 7 91 1 22.1 Week 7 12 158 2 39.8 Week 8 6 80 0 14.0 Week 13 3 56 2 20.6 Week 14 5 65 1 15.5 Week 15 5 79 1 18.9 Week 16 3 13 0 4.3 Week 17 3 37 0 6.7

Charles Clay (BUF) at HOU

The Bills aren’t going to be able to do anything against the Texans on the ground, that’s for sure. Not just them, but nobody has, which is why they’ve already allowed three top-eight tight ends and six top-30 wide receivers through four games. Clay is also coming off a game in which he saw a season-high six targets from Josh Allen that netted four catches for 40 yards. If Brate isn’t available, Clay is likely the next best streamer.

Players to stash (not necessarily streamers): Hayden Hurst (BAL), Dallas Goedert (PHI), Nick Vannett (SEA)

D/ST

As a disclaimer, this is a terrible week to be looking for a streaming defense.

New York Jets vs IND

When looking for a streaming defense, you ideally get one who is at home, preferably a favorite, and one who should at least present a solid floor. The Jets should have just that against the Colts, who may be without T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle again. While Andrew Luck will make some plays, he’ll also make some mistakes, as he’s now thrown five interceptions through five games. He’s also been sacked 10 times and the Jets have shown the ability to get after the quarterback the last three weeks, racking up 10 sacks.

Buffalo Bills at HOU

Most haven’t noticed, but the Bills defense has played much better than most expected the last two weeks. They’ve totaled at least two sacks in each of their four games, but have held the combination of Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers to just 28 points the last two weeks while being on the road in both contests. The Texans have allowed Deshaun Watson to be sacked 17 times through four games, including at least three in every game. With Tre’Davious White matched-up with DeAndre Hopkins, Watson may force some passes elsewhere.



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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.