Week 14 Fantasy Football Streaming Options: Time to Trust Josh Allen
Fantasy playoffs are here in most leagues, and while getting to the postseason requires a solid roster, some recent injuries may have opened some detrimental holes in your lineups. Sometimes, the best way to find spot starters at those positions is often on the stream.
For streaming purposes, 4for4’s schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) is a metric we rely on heavily to determine weekly matchup strength. As the season progresses and more data is available, aFPA becomes more and more reliable, using rolling 10-week data. Targets and efficiency metrics are also considered when choosing weekly streamers.
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen, Bills vs. Jets
Allen has been back on the field for two games, putting up scores of 26.30 and 28.74 fantasy points in those contests. In Week 13, he was second at his position in fantasy scoring, trailing only Patrick Mahomes. Allen has been a beast on the ground, rushing for 99 and 135 yards in his last two starts. Next up for Buffalo is a home contest against the Jets, whose defense ranks 26th in aFPA to opposing signal callers. I know it may be mentally tough to put your playoff chances in the hands of Allen, but he could be the one to get you to the next week.
Marcus Mariota, Titans vs. Jaguars
Mariota has scored more than 21 fantasy points in four of his last five games, and left the one game in which he came up short early due to a neck injury. He completed 20 of 35 pass attempts for 282 yards and two touchdowns last week, and was his team’s leading rusher with 42 yards on five carries. Tennessee hosts the Jaguars this week, which is not the same defense from just a year ago. They’re ranked 13th in quarterback aFPA, and have allowed some big performances in recent weeks, including 26.3 fantasy points to Josh Allen in Week 12, and a 20.7-point day to Ben Roethlisberger in Week 11.
BELLER: Week 14 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins vs. Patriots
Since returning from a shoulder injury after Miami’s Week 11 bye, Tannehill has put up some decent numbers, throwing for a 341 yards and five touchdowns against one interception. His ceiling isn’t all that high, but his floor is such that he’s likely to be additive to any team looking for help at quarterback. He gets a home contest in Week 14 against New England, a defense ranked 17th in quarterback aFPA.
Tight Ends
Ian Thomas, Panthers at Browns
With Greg Olsen sidelined for the season because of a foot injury, Thomas steps in as the starting tight end in Carolina. He caught all five of his targets for 46 yards in Week 13, showing good chemistry with Cam Newton on short routes. The Panthers head to Cleveland this week to face a defense ranked 30th in tight end aFPA.
C.J. Uzomah, Bengals at Chargers
Uzomah saw a fantasy-relevant number of targets again in Week 13, but didn’t do too much with them. He caught five of seven targets for 33 yards, and week after racking up 12 looks from Jeff Driskel. His usage in the offense is the reason he’s on the stream this week, in the hopes his volume can translate to meaningful production.
BELLER: Week 14 Fantasy Football Droppables
Dan Arnold, Saints at Buccaneers
Arnold has been targeted 13 times to Ben Watson’s four in the Saints’ last four contests, and has posted 23.4 more PPR points than the veteran in that timeframe. His 13 targets sit third among New Orleans’ pass-catchers since Week 10, behind just Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. If the volume continues to be there, the second-year undrafted free agent could show up for fantasy owners in the playoffs. He draws Tampa Bay’s 21st-ranked defense against tight ends this week.
Defenses
New Orleans Saints at Buccaneers
With 20 sacks and 11 takeaways over the past four weeks, the Saints’ defense ranks third in fantasy scoring over the last month. Jameis Winston has been efficient since reclaiming the starting gig in Tampa, but don’t forget that he threw 10 picks in the four games, after which he briefly lost his job. The Buccaneers are 31st in defensive aFPA this season.
Tennessee Titans vs. Jaguars
The Jaguars have been shell of their 2017 selves on both sides of the ball this season, and they head into Tennessee yielding the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. The Titans have been up and down defensively, but have gotten to the quarterback 14 times with three takeaway, since returning from their bye in Week 9.
BELLER/MANALASTAS: Week 14 Fantasy Football Training Room
Buffalo Bills vs. Jets
The Bills have kept their last three opponents south of 22 points, racking up nine sacks and five interceptions in the process. The Jets, meanwhile, have averaged 12.2 points over their last five games In their meeting in Week 10, the Bills had three sacks and two interceptions en route to a dominant road victory. That bodes well for this week.
