Streaming options at positions like quarterback, tight end, and defense can be a popular strategy in many fantasy football leagues.
After some encouraging performances to start the 2024 NFL season, who are some of the top streaming options at these positions entering Week 3?
Target These QB Streamers for Week 3
Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders
When it comes to identifying a quarterback to stream for a one-off matchup in fantasy football, sometimes it is as simple as finding an offense that is set to square off against a horrible defensive unit.
No team has been worse through the first two games of the 2024 NFL season than the Carolina Panthers.
You can run the ball at will on the Panthers, which should help the Las Vegas Raiders have a multitude of scoring opportunities in their Week 3 showdown against Carolina.
Gardner Minshew pulled off a major upset against the Baltimore Ravens by throwing for 276 yards with one score and one interception against a stingy defense. In Week 1, Minshew threw for 257 yards and a score against the Los Angeles Chargers, who just dominated against the aforementioned Panthers on Sunday.
Minshew has averaged 265 passing yards per game, which should be sufficient if you are in need of a streaming option for Week 2.
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold certainly had his fair share of skeptics after a solid 15.6 fantasy points in an encouraging performance in his starting debut with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 against the New York Giants.
Darnold followed up that performance with 268 yards and two scores against the San Francisco 49ers in an upset win at home in Week 2, which is going to make him a top-10 fantasy QB over this past week.
MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 3 Start/Sit Advice for Every Fantasy-Relevant Player
Darnold did benefit from Justin Jefferson scoring a 97-yard touchdown against the 49ers, but Darnold did his job by simply getting him the football.
If he can continue to distribute the football to Jefferson against a high-powered Houston Texans — who could turn this into a higher-scoring affair — then Darnold should be a solid streaming option at QB in Week 3.
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr has thrown for 443 yards and five touchdowns on just 39 passing attempts in his first two games in Klint Kubiak’s new offensive scheme.
Carr has been dialed in with his deep ball to Rashid Shaheed to start the year. He still has an ascending great receiver in Chris Olave to get the ball to, and he always has Alvin Kamara as a reliable and productive checkdown option in the passing game.
CARR TO SHAHEED 70 YARDS 🔥
📺: #NOvsDAL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/GV0MW5cduw— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
Carr’s 243 yards and two-score performance against a Dallas Cowboys defense that absolutely dominated Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 can’t be viewed as anything other than highly impressive.
Carr draws a matchup against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that struggled last year and in the season opener to slow down opposing passing attacks, which should make Carr another fringe top-12 option at QB in Week 3.
Target These TE Streamers for Week 3
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Perhaps fantasy managers should stop completely dismissing this New England Patriots offense. Hunter Henry is going to finish Week 2 as a top-five fantasy TE after his 18.9 fantasy points against the Seattle Seahawks with eight receptions for 109 yards on 12 targets.
Have we seen performances like this from Henry in the past that have proved unsustainable? Yes, but this offense still doesn’t have a clear cut go-to option in the passing game, which gives Henry a path to a stat line like this occasionally.
Henry draws a tricky matchup against the New York Jets in Week 3 but could see enough volume off the heels of this encouraging performance to prove useful in a streaming capacity in Week 3.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Gesicki has given us brief glimpses of his fantasy upside throughout his NFL career, but his perceived ceiling as a difference-making fantasy TE could actually come to fruition if his Week 2 usage maintains in the coming weeks.
Gesicki caught seven passes for 91 yards on nine targets against the Kansas City Chiefs, which will see him finish as a top-10 fantasy TE in Week 2.
With Tee Higgins hurt and Ja’Marr Chase off to a slow start, Gesicki is a great play against a leaky Washington Commanders secondary in Week 3.
Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys
Jake Ferguson’s absence in Week 2 paved the way for an expanded role for Luke Schoonmaker, who caught all six of his targets for 43 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
If Ferguson returns in Week 3, my recommendation is not to start Schoonmaker. Yet, if Ferguson misses a second straight game, Schoonmaker is a viable option against a Ravens defense that just allowed Brock Bowers to catch nine passes for 98 yards in Week 2.
Target These DST Streamers for Week 3
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t exactly been a fantasy juggernaut through the first two games of the year, but they did manage to hold Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to just 23 points in Week 2. Now, they draw a matchup against a Panthers offense that has scored a grand total of 13 points combined through the first two games of the 2024 NFL season.
Maxx Crosby is one of the elite pass rushers in the league and should heat up Bryce Young — who has thrown three interceptions, been sacked six times, and thrown no touchdown passes through two games — to the tune of either generating sacks or forcing the struggling second-year quarterback into some big mistakes in Week 2.
Ultimately, this Panthers offense simply hasn’t done enough to suggest that you shouldn’t start any defense they face in 2024.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Denver Broncos’ offense has shown very few signs of life through their first two games in the Bo Nix era under center.
Nix threw two more interceptions on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his home debut, which could be problematic for a rookie quarterback facing off against an aggressive Todd Bowles defense that managed to derail a high-powered Detroit Lions offense at Ford Field on Sunday by keeping Jared Goff out of the end zone despite being without the services of Antoine Winfield Jr. and Calijah Kancey.
WE'LL TAKE THAT 😏
📺: #TBvsDET on FOX pic.twitter.com/Q08lPvzZKG
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 15, 2024
Additionally, this Bucs secondary managed to swipe two interceptions against Goff in Week 2, which makes this unit an intriguing one to start against a rookie quarterback in Week 3.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks’ defense wasn’t outstanding against the New England Patriots in Week 2, but they could draw a matchup against backup quarterback Skylar Thompson in Week 3, which is enough to push them into the streaming conversation this week.
The Seahawks generated three sacks against the Patriots on Sunday and forced the aforementioned Nix into a pair of interceptions and sacks in Week 1, which could suggest a favorable fantasy trend for this unit’s new defensive scheme.
Speaking of schemes, Mike Macdonald is well known for disguising his coverages pre-snap, which could make for a rough day at the office for Thompson, even with weapons like De’Voon Achane, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal.
Target These Kicker Streamers for Week 3
Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders
If you can’t tell, I’m a huge advocate of starting any fantasy option against the Panthers at this time, which even includes the kicker position.
Carlson managed to hit a pair of 50+ yard field goals over his four conversions against the Ravens.
Carlson has one of the strongest legs in the league, which could come in handy against a Panthers defense that couldn’t stop a nosebleed through the first two games of the season.
If this offense even has a mild amount of success sustaining drives against Carolina, leaning on Carlson to generate field goals may be enough offense for the Raiders to come away with the win.
Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals’ offense is off to a great start to the 2024 NFL season, which has elevated Matt Prater into the top-10 conversation at kicker moving forward.
The Lions’ defense is a good unit against opposing rushing attacks but can be susceptible to surrendering yardage through the air, which could lead to the Cardinals generating enough trips into Lions territory to produce multiple field goal opportunities for Prater.
If this matchup turns into a high-scoring affair between these two offensive units, Prater could prove to be a useful streaming option in Week 3.
Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
This Seahawks’ offense certainly showed plenty of signs of life in Ryan Grubb’s offensive scheme against a formidable Patriots defense on Sunday, suggesting that this unit can consistently produce scoring opportunities moving forward.
Myers hit all three of his field goal attempts on Sunday and is 5-for-5 on the year with one 50+ yard field goal attempt on his resume thus far.
This could be amplified a bit for a Seattle offense that is set to face off against a Miami defense that was torched by James Cook on the ground in Week 2.
If the team continues to see Geno Smith play at a high level and potentially get Kenneth Walker III back into the starting lineup against Miami, Myers has a shot at being a quality streaming option in Week 3.
