Fantasy Football Week 1 Quarterback Streamers: Tyler Shough Leads 3 Waiver Wire Targets
NFL Week 1 has finally arrived! 30 weeks have passed since Super Bowl XL, but we are now back. The season will debut on Wednesday night in a Patriots-Seahawks rematch. That features 16 games on the Week 1 slate. As for fantasy football, we review this waiver wire on this fine Tuesday. Here are the top-3 quarterback streamers to target.
CJ Stroud
Consensus Ownership: About 30%
Stroud is a player I personally rank higher than the consensus in 2026 fantasy football. In Week 1, I have Stroud as the QB17. The Houston Texans will host the Bills in Reliant Stadium, which will be a huge plus. Between 2024 and 2025, Stroud is passing for 25.1 more yards per game at home on top of a 5.1% more accurate completion percentage, 0.14 more touchdowns, and 0.34 fewer interceptions per game.
The Bills are fielding the FPI's 14th-rated defense. Given that the Texans also have the NFL's top-rated defense, we can expect Stroud to have a formidable time with the ball. This is an addition you can make that not only spans a capable Week 1 but also adds a player of long-term value, rated just outside of QB1 status.
Tyler Shough
Consensus Ownership: About 45%
The Detroit Lions are rated the most average defense in the NFL. It is nothing to knock Shough on, but rather, he has a favorable matchup at the game's location. The Saints will host the Lions at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which is the 3rd-loudest in the NFL, and even more so because this is Week 1, a fresh slate for hyped-up fans.
Down the stretch of 2025, Shough was playing among the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL. Over his last four games, Shough averaged 288 passing yards per game on a 71.9% completion percentage. Shough also threw for 5 touchdowns and rushed for one more with zero turnovers.
Daniel Jones
Consensus Ownership: About 30%
My Week 1 projections will make their debut tomorrow afternoon. For a sneak peek into the numbers, I am projecting Jones to have about 224 yards on 1.6 touchdowns and 0.7 interceptions against the Ravens. He also has about a 20% chance of scoring a rushing touchdown.
When streaming a quarterback, upside is more important than anything. Jones has just that. Pre-Jones injury, the Colts were scoring over 33 points per game in 2025. Fast forward to now, the team remains much the same offensively.
In Weeks 1-8 of 2025, Jones was averaging 258 passing yards, 1.6 passing touchdowns, 0.3 interceptions, 11 rushing yards, and 0.3 rushing touchdowns per game. Playing this game at home, indoors, the Colts expect to have the natural advantage in fully unleashing Jones' upside.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.