Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Quarterback Streamers (Week 5)

Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books. Last week’s streamers were all a hit. The matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions resulted in 93 points, and both quarterbacks scored over 31.5 fantasy points. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield was awful against the Arizona Cardinals, as I predicted. He had only 197 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, ending the game with only 5.9 fantasy points. Unfortunately for Carolina, Mayfield likely won’t turn things around anytime soon.

However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming options for Week 5.

All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in Superflex leagues.

• Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire FAAB Advice: Players to Target, Stash & Drop
• Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Tight End Streamers
• Let’s Stream Defenses: Week 5

Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues

Jared Goff (DET) vs. New England Patriots (44.1% Rostered)

Even without D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and D.J. Chark, Goff still had an excellent fantasy performance. The veteran quarterback had four passing touchdowns, matching his season-high, including two to tight end T.J. Hockenson. Goff had a season-high 33.2 fantasy points, making him the highest-scoring quarterback on Sunday. Furthermore, the former No. 1 overall pick had 37 or more pass attempts for the third time this season in Week 4. Despite a lack of weapons at wide receiver, Goff had 378 passing yards last week, his best performance since 2019.

Hopefully, the Lions will get St. Brown and Chark back this week against the Patriots. However, Goff remains a solid streaming option without them. New England has surrendered 20.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Furthermore, they have given up 27.8 fantasy points to quarterbacks over the past two weeks. After holding quarterbacks to only two passing touchdowns the first two weeks of the year, the Patriots have surrendered six over the past two games. More importantly, the Lions have one of the top-scoring offenses this year. Expect Goff to have another strong performance in Week 5.

Jameis Winston (NO) vs. Seattle Seahawks (24.1% Rostered)

After scoring 21.7 fantasy points in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, Winston scored 22.3 fantasy points over the next two games. The veteran missed last week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in London because of numerous injuries. However, he is a solid streaming option this week, assuming he plays. Andy Dalton (0.4% rostered) is a suitable backup option if Winston can’t play. Last week he scored 13.7 fantasy points against the Vikings, despite not having Michael Thomas or Alvin Kamara.

Seattle is the perfect “get right” opponent for Winston. They have given up an average of 282.8 passing yards, 1.8 touchdowns, and 21.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. Goff had 378 passing yards, four touchdowns, and a season-high 33.2 fantasy points last week against the Seahawks. Furthermore, Seattle has given up over 340 passing yards in half of the game this season. Winston has a top-five upside if he has his full set of weapons this week.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Zach Wilson (NYJ) vs. Miami Dolphins (9.2% Rostered)

The second-year quarterback made his 2022 debut on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he completed only 50% of his passes, Wilson scored 18.3 fantasy points. He had 252 passing yards and a passing touchdown while catching a touchdown from Braxton Berrios on a trick play. While the former BYU star threw a pair of interceptions, it was a solid performance against a talented defense. Furthermore, Wilson has the weapons needed to become a protective fantasy quarterback.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins have struggled to stop quarterbacks this season. Miami has given up 304.5 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 24.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, giving up the most fantasy points to the position over the first three weeks of the year. Furthermore, they have allowed quarterbacks to throw at least two touchdowns and 285 yards in three straight games. Meanwhile, Miami won’t have Tua Tagovailoa this week, limiting their offense’s explosive upside. Thus, Wilson and the Jets should get a few extra possessions in this game, leading to more fantasy production.

Jacoby Brissett (CLE) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (4.1% Rostered)

Brissett made the streamers list last week and had a solid performance against the Falcons. He had a season-high 234 passing yards and scored 15 fantasy points. Unfortunately, he didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season but did have a rushing touchdown. His production was limited as Amari Cooper caught only one of his four targets for nine yards in the game. However, Brissett is an excellent streaming option in Superflex leagues against Los Angeles.

While the Chargers have a talented defense on paper, the unit hasn’t played well this season. Part of the problem has been injuries, as Joey Bosa will miss several weeks with a groin injury. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has given up at least two passing touchdowns in every game this season. Furthermore, they have surrendered an average of 259.5 passing yards, 2.3 touchdowns, and 17.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Last week the Chargers gave up 246 passing yards and two touchdowns to Davis Mills, both season-highs. While Brissett lacks elite upside, the matchup puts him in the mid-QB2 conversation this week.

Streamer to Avoid

Geno Smith (SEA) vs. New Orleans Saints (14.6% Rostered)

Typically streaming articles tell you which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback each week that you should avoid.

If you had told me in August that Smith would be the QB9 over the first four weeks of the season while Russell Wilson is the QB13, I would have called you crazy. Surprisingly, that’s where things stand roughly a quarter of the way through the season. While his play has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy players, Smith isn’t a good streaming option this week. The veteran is averaging 18.5 fantasy points per game this season. However, he scored 42.9% of his fantasy production last week against Detroit. Before that game, Smith averaged only 14.1 fantasy points per game this season.

More importantly, the matchup this week is awful. The Saints have held quarterbacks to only 13.2 fantasy points per game this season. Furthermore, they have given up only 11 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks over the past three weeks. The New Orleans defense has made life difficult for opposing passing attacks, giving up only three passing touchdowns. Last week they held Kirk Cousins to only one passing touchdown and 12.9 fantasy points. Smith’s play has been a great story this season, but he isn’t a top-24 option against the Saints in New Orleans.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.