As we get another season of content going here at Going For 2, I’m back with my weekly quarterback, tight end and team defense streamers.
Without further ado, here are my quarterback, tight end and team defense streamers for Week 1.
Ownership rates as of the morning of Sunday, Sept. 5.
Quarterback: Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets
The revenge game angle is alive and well here, as Darnold makes his first start for the Panthers against his former team in Week 1. He’s also getting an upgrade in coaching (Matt Rhule, Joe Brady) and talent around him (Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall).
The Jets lost defensive ends Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry as well as linebacker Jarrad Davis to season-ending injuries/ailments this preseason. Outside of safety Marcus Maye, the secondary looks bad (and that might be kind). So improving on last year’s standing as a bottom-five fantasy defense against quarterbacks looks like a serious uphill climb, and Darnold will get the first shot to take advantage.
Darnold has a wide range of outcomes every week until he shows otherwise, but the upside will be impossible to ignore at times. For Week 1 he’s atop the heap of streamer quarterbacks, and a practical must-start in two-quarterback leagues.
Yahoo! Ownership: 15%
ESPN Ownership: 5.9%
Others To Consider: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs (check availability); Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals; Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team vs. Los Angeles Chargers; Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars; Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers; Jimmy Garoppolo/Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions; Mac Jones, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins; Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos at New York Giants
Tight End: Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
An appendectomy interrupted Hooper’s first season in Cleveland, then he missed Week 14 with a neck injury. Much was made about his lack of usefulness at times. But he scored in three of four games from Week 15 through the Wild Card Round, with seven catches (for 71 yards) on 15 targets in the game he didn’t score in over that span.
Hooper didn’t do much in the Browns Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs (two catches for 16 yards). But he’ll get another chance against them right away in Week 1, and Kansas City was a bottom-tier fantasy defense against tight ends in 2020.
Overall, I’m betting on passing volume from the Browns against the Chiefs in Week 1. Hooper has a sneaky ceiling, as he straddles the ownership threshold to be a streamer.
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Yahoo! Ownership: 47%
ESPN Ownership: 51.3%
Others To Consider: Dan Arnold, Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets; Anthony Firkser, Tennessee Titans vs. Arizona Cardinals; Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals; Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers at Washington; Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts (check availability); Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills; Evan Engram, New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos (check health); Dalton Schultz/Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Thursday night); Jordan Akins, Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Team Defense: Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets
The Panthers notably went all-defense in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they were generally a mid-tier unit last year. There’s top-end talent at all three levels (Brian Burns, Derrick Brown, Shaq Thompson, Jeremy Chinn), and a pass rush that generated a top-12 quarterback knockdown rate last year (10.1 percent, according to Pro Football Reference) added Haason Reddick (13 sacks last year).
In Week 1, Carolina will face a rookie quarterback making his first start (Zach Wilson). The Jets’ offensive line looks shaky overall, and wide receiver Jamison Crowder (COVID-19 list) is in danger of missing the season opener. That’s a formula for a good defensive showing, with little downside for the Panthers as my top team defense streamer to kickoff the 2021 season.
Yahoo! Ownership: 28%
ESPN Ownership: 18.5%
Others To Consider: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots; Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals; New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos; Los Angeles Chargers at Washington (check availability); Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints; Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs; Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
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