Streaming your starting QB, TE, or D/ST isn't the goal in fantasy football. But, if you're weak at a position where you only have to start one player, picking up usable fantasy weeks from the waiver wire can be a beneficial process. In typical, start-one quarterback, tight end, and D/ST 12-team formats, most of your league mates won't -- and shouldn't -- carry a backup QB or D/ST. Positional scarcity leaves the waiver wire flush with plausible weekly starting options based on their matchup and expected game-flow.
Simply put, because quarterback and defensive matchups are easier to predict and their output varies less on a weekly basis, sharp fantasy owners have an edge in their leagues if they can stream their "onesie" positions (usually their defense) better than their opponent.
Quarterbacks
Floor and Ceiling: Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns (82 percent available) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield gets the dream matchup this week. Tampa just fired their defensive coordinator (Mike Smith) after his team allowed legitimately historical production to enemy passers. On the year, Tampa is last in passer rating (123.9), last in pass YPA (9.2), last in success rate (56 percent), last in pass TD rate (8.1 percent), and last in fantasy points allowed per dropback (0.66). Nick Foles is the only quarterback who has failed to finish as a top-ten fantasy passer against the Bucs' so far. Need I say more?
Floor and Ceiling: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Chicago Bears (88 percent available) vs. New England Patriots
Don't look now, but Trubisky has thrown for 670 yards, 9 TDs, and an efficient 5.7 percent completion rate above expectation (seventh-best; per Next Gen Stats) in his last two games. Fresh off finishing as the weekly QB1 and QB5 in Week 4 and 6, Trubisky enters Week 7 as a high-end QB2 with a likely shootout against the Pats coming up next. Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, and Patrick Mahomes all logged top-13 fantasy results against the Patriots in three of the last four weeks. For more context, New England is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per dropback to QBs.
Deep: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens (92 percent available) vs. New Orleans Saints
New Orleans' pass defense has been a mixed bag all year, but they are still far from a team we need to worry about in fantasy. On the full season, the Saints have allowed the third-most passing points per dropback, the fourth-most YPG, and the sixth-highest passing TD rate. Keep in mind, this comes with games against Eli Manning, Tyrod Taylor, and Alex Smith on the schedule. New Orleans has been waxed for a deep passing gain of 20 or more yards on 11 percent of attempts, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Perfectly, Joe Flacco is sixth in deep ball attempts per game (5.6) among qualified quarterbacks.
Tight Ends
Floor: C.J. Uzomah, TE, Cincinnati Bengals (98 percent available) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
With Tyler Eifert (ankle) done for the year and Tyler Kroft (foot) facing possible season-ending surgery, Uzomah has a bankable, every-down role in the Bengals suddenly solid attack. In Week 6 without both Eifert and Kroft in the lineup, Uzomah set season highs in snaps (92 percent), routes run (39), and targets (7). Uzomah is seriously on the low-end TE1 radar in Week 7 against the Chiefs shaky secondary -- especially with Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook, and Vance McDonald all out on their bye. Kansas City has allowed 70 or more yards to tight ends in five-straight games (Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Denver, Jacksonville, and New England).
Floor: Ricky Seals-Jones, TE, Arizona Cardinals (95 percent available) vs. Denver Broncos
Seals-Jones' usage has been promising all year, but he finally tagged a decent fantasy day in Week 6 against the Vikings (5/69 on six targets). The Cards' are having a difficult time stringing drives and plays together, but Seals-Jones (16) is third behind Christian Kirk (19) and Larry Fitzgerald (18) in targets since Josh Rosen took over as the starter. Jermaine Gresham returned in Week 3, but Seals-Jones' snap rate with Gresham back over the last month is still 71 percent. RSJ has seen six targets in back-to-back games and now gets to face a Denver side that is allowing the third-most fantasy points per target to tight ends.
Defenses
Floor and Ceiling: Indianapolis Colts (97 percent available) vs. Buffalo Bills
The Colts are at home and likely to beat a Bills team that is now forced away from their starting quarterback. Rookie Josh Allen (elbow) may miss multiple weeks, turning the keys over to career backup, Derek Anderson. Over his career, Anderson has a 60:60 TD-to-INT ratio and has averaged 6.5 YPA. Yikes. The Colts are tenth-best in sack rate (7.7 percent) and interceptions forced per pass (4.4 percent).
Floor and Ceiling: Arizona Cardinals (90 percent available) vs. Denver Broncos
Case Keenum has thrown at least one interception in every single game this year and has absorbed 13 sacks in his last four contests, tied for fourth-most in this span. Keenum is clearly struggling and now has to face a Cardinals' defense that is blitzing at the NFL's highest rate (42 percent), per Next Gen Stats. Arizona's aggressive scheme has led them to the third-fewest passing fantasy points allowed per dropback. Only Baltimore and Jacksonville have done a better job at limiting aerial output than Arizona. The Cardinals D/ST has quietly finished as a top-ten fantasy unit in three of their last four games. Lock and load Cards' D.
Deep: Detroit Lions (91 percent available) vs. Miami Dolphins
Thanks to monster yards after the catch from Albert Wilson (138 yards) in Week 6, Brock Osweiler posted a career-high 380 yards in his spot-start in place of Ryan Tannehill (shoulder). It was a total mirage. Per Next Gen Stats, Osweiler attempted just five passes that traveled more than 10 yards in the air against the Bears. He threw the rock 44 times. Osweiler's career TD-to-INT ratio (35 to 29) is laughable and the slow-footed 6-foot-7 passer has also tallied 11 career fumbles. If he has to start in Week 7 in place of Tannehill again, fantasy managers in a bind should quickly look towards the Lions D/ST that trails only Baltimore in sack rate.
-- Graham Barfield is the managing editor of fantasy football content at NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @GrahamBarfield.
