We cover the basics in our Weekly Waiver Wire Article. But Fantasy Alarm members are a different breed. Real sick individuals, like myself. We play in incredibly deep leagues and crazy formats, like the Scott Fish Bowl. We can’t help it. So we need to no DEEPER than just the basics. And that’s where the waiver wire streamers and stashes article comes in.

Here we get to the next layer of the waiver wire. We hit those “break glass in case of emergency” streamers for a desperate lineup decision. And we cover those deep sleeper stashes to hold with only a hope and a prayer. As deep as you want to go, we will go. 

Best Fantasy Football Streamers and Stashes For Week 1

What is a Streamer?

A streamer is a player that you can actually start in your lineup currently. They might not be the flashiest players but they won’t get you a zero. In deeper leagues with a lot of starting spots, you may need to call on them from time to time - especially when bye weeks and injuries come around.

What is a Stash?

The stashes are players that have appealing upside for one reason or another but aren’t rely guys you can start now. Maybe they are injured, and you can put them in an IR spot. Maybe they are handcuffs that could have big upside if the starter gets hurt. Maybe they are rookies that need time to develop and carve out a role. Whatever it is, we want to keep an eye on them. And stash them on deep benches. 

 

 

 

NFL Week 1 Quarterback Streamers

Malik Willis - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 32% 

Once you get beyond the group of guys that are rostered in more than 50% of leagues, there really aren’t many truly solid QBs that also have good matchups. Do we really want to start C.J. Stroud against the Bills? Malik Willis actually offers some mobile upside, which makes him our favorite streamer AND stash. 

Aaron Rodgers - Pittsburgh Steelers Yahoo: 9% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 18% 

Let’s actually consider the junk that is way down here at the bottom of the quarterback rankings. A lot of these guys are completely unproven young guys that we are still hoping will someday develop into a starter. Some of these guys won’t even be able to keep their job for this entire season. Many of the teams they are on are legitimately terrible.

So, to me, Aaron Rodgers is slightly different. Sure, he’s up there in age. But the Arthur Smith offense is gone and Mike McCarthy is in. They added Michael Pittman to go along with DK Metc 

NFL Week 1 Quarterback Stashes

Malik Willis - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 32% 

As we mentioned, Malik Willis is our top stash simply because we want to see how much he’s going to run. They call it the Konami Code for a reason. 

Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 32% 

It pains us to say it, but Deshaun Watson is not QB4 all-time in fantasy points per game by accident. This guy was actually really good at football at one point. Odds are that is over, but there is still a glimmer of hope that something happens here. 

Fernando Mendoza - Las Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 11% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 27%   

This name will very likely remain in this section until we get a chance to see the number one overall pick play. Unknown upside is the name of the game. 

Superflex Special: Taylen Green, Cleveland Browns

Superflex rostership numbers are hard to pin down, but Green is one of the top backup stashes for us. Not only does he have mobile upside but the QB position in front of him could not be more flimsy. There is even talk of him maybe getting some gadget snaps if/when he’s active, even if he’s not starting. 

IR Spot Special: Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons

Double-check this one in your Superflex leagues, as I was able to throw Penix on a bench then directly into an IR spot before I added another player. The Falcons decided to formally announce that he will be inactive in Week One, so he’s the only player listed as OUT on Yahoo and Sleeper

NFL Week 1 Running Back Streamers

Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 30% | Sleeper: 59%

This one is cutting it close roster-wise, especially on Sleeper where he’s more heavily owned. But he’s probably your best bet as an actual Week One streamer if you need it - especially if you have Jeremiyah Love. Whether Love is ruled out or not, he’s probably not going to get the full workload right away. And, with James Conner on IR and Trey Benson being released, the Cardinals will likely have to lean on Allgeier. 

We really don’t love this as a long-term play, so I’d only add him if you actually need to start him. The Cardinals have an over/under win total of 3.5 with Vegas, so they’re expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. If you do need to start him, you may need to up the FAAB. 

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 30% | Sleeper: 59%

This is not a sexy play by any means. It’s more just basic game theory here. We know that Dylan Sampson has skewed towards pass catching for the Browns, with Quinshon Judkins skewing towards early downs. That’s how Todd Monken used Derrick Henry and Justice Hill too, though the mobile Lamar Jackson did not like to dump it down much. The Browns are massive underdogs here against the Jaguars, meaning that they will likely be in a lot of passing situations here. Sampson could be in line for a big day. He actually had three different games last year catching five or more passes, including one catching eight on eight targets. 

George Holani, Seattle Seahawks, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 10%

We wrote about Holani in the main article, so I’d check that out, as it even has a link to ANOTHER article breaking down further why we are interested. But the reality here is that Holani has a realistic shot to split the work in Seattle Week One. That makes him BOTH a deep-cut streaming/DFS option as well as a stash. 

NFL Week 1 Running Back Stashes

George Holani, Seattle Seahawks, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 10%

Again, check the main article for the full write-up here. But for Week One, we want to first stash a guy who actually has a path to contributing. Then we can look at handcuffs after that. Holani could legitimately carve out a role here, especially early on. If you have Charbonnet and move him to an IR spot, you can take a stab at BOTH guys to see if someone can battle rookie Jadarian Price for work. 

Kaleb Johnson, Seattle Seahawks, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 10%

As I mentioned focusing on guys who have some sort of path to upside without injury first. And Kaleb Johnson technically has that. Who knows what will happen with the Josh Jacobs case, but Kaleb Johnson got a new life in Green Bay. What if he simply was not a good fit with the Steelers, but the Packers can figure out how to unlock him? That’s the bet you are making here. 

Malik Davis, Dallas Cowboys Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 10%

Malik Davis has quietly been the handcuff for Javonte Williams this entire time. But folks were insistent that the younger, unproven guys Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafa had more upside. Well, both of them got released at cut down time, essentially solidifying the value for Malik Davis overnight. This is now a good offense with a pretty clear “next man up,” so I’m not sure why he’s not valued as high as some other handcuffs. 

IR Spot Special: Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara will very likely be ruled out for Week One over the next couple of days. That will let you sneak him into an IR spot to stash for when he’s back up and running. He could be a handcuff plus in PPR leagues down the stretch. 

 

 

 

NFL Week 1 Wide Receiver Streamers

Jerry Jeudy - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo 11% | ESPN: 28% | Sleeper: 23%

If you need someone to actually start in your lineup this week for whatever reason, Jerry Jeudy might be the best bet. We get very excited about rookies and the hype that comes with guys like KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston but there is a very real chance Jeudy simply leads this WR group in work, especially early on. We talk about this guy like he’s 32 years old when he’s a 27-year-old WR smack in the age apex for the position, only one year removed from fantasy relevance.

Keenan Allen - Indianapolis Colts, Yahoo: 29% | ESPN: 30% | Sleeper: 25%

He might be only a part-time player at this stage. But they didn’t sign Keenan Allen just for funsies. He’s going to play. Last year, even as a part-time guy, he led the Chargers in targets. Alec Pierce and Josh Downs have both missed chunks of practice time fairly recently, so Allen has gotten plenty of work in with the ones. 

Darnell Mooney - New York Giants, Yahoo: 19% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 44%

Adonai Mitchell is an interesting name too, but Darnell Mooney is more widely available. There was some debate about who might play more between Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney, which was answered when the Giants released Slayton yesterday. With Malik Nabers likely coming in with a partial snap share at least, Mooney could be in a position for more work than usual. And he’s widely available. 

NFL Week 1 Wide Receiver Stashes

Ja’Kobi Lane - Baltimore Ravens, Yahoo: 19% | ESPN: 18% | Sleeper: 52%

This is my very favorite type of bench stash. He meets all of the conditions with a little bonus. The conditions are that he’s gotten hype, he actually has a path to playing time, and he’s doing it playing in a good offense. Zay Flowers is the clear WR1, but the WR2 chair for Declan Doyle is up for grabs here, and that could be a prolific spot for fantasy if things break right.

The bonus is that both of the other candidates, Rashod Bateman (3%) and Elijah Sarratt (0%), are rostered in even FEWER leagues. So we can watch what happens Week One and, if one of the other guys gets a more meaningful role and flashes, it’s an easy pivot. As far as Week One bench stashes go, this one is a real gem. Folks on Sleeper seem to know the deal, but not on Yahoo or ESPN.

Cyrus Allen - Kansas City Chiefs, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 9%

A lot of times, preseason hype just fizzles out. But every once in a great while, we get a Puka Nacua who actually proves to be legit. There has been so much hype for Cyrus Allen that we want to see if he can actually make good on it. 

Caleb Douglas - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 11% | ESPN: 23% | Sleeper: 16%

This is close between Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas. We like the talent for Bell but him coming off an injury makes the stash ever so slightly harder to stomach. We’d rather see if Douglas can do something first with his opportunity than pivot to Bell if he doesn’t, and vice versa. 

Jaylin Noel - Houston Texans, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 7%

I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about Noel. Jayden Higgins is done for the year. Tank Dell is on IR. Kayshon Boutte came over via trade and probably hasn’t even fully learned the playbook. Noel was making real, meaningful plays in the playoffs last year as a rookie. He’s 2% rostered on Yahoo?

NFL Week 1 Tight End Streamers

Dalton Schultz - Houston Texans, Yahoo: 46% | ESPN: 18% | Sleeper: 34%

Juwan Johnson is our top streamer if he is out there, but he’s rostered in too many leagues. Next up is Dalton Schultz.

Statistically speaking, Dalton Schultz has been incredibly similar to Jake Ferguson. In fact, Schultz only needs to deal with Nico Collins while Ferguson has both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in front of him for targets. You could do worse than Schultz against the Bills here. With Matt Milano gone, I’m not as worried about the Bills vs. tight ends. 

Greg Dulcich - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 37% | ESPN: 20% | Sleeper: 38%

One of our top stashes, but if you have no other choice, just throw him in there. This team is so devoid of pass-catching talent that he almost has to do something, right? Right?? The main waiver article has a full write-up on why we like this pick both as a start and a stash. 

 

NFL Week 1 Tight End Stashes

Greg Dulcich - Miami Dolphins Yahoo: 37% | ESPN: 20% | Sleeper: 38%

Ideally, we stash Dulcich, as starting him is pretty terrifying. But the upside is there, so give him a look on the bench just to see. 

Terrance Ferguson - Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 24% | ESPN: 2.2% | Sleeper: 17%

Terrance Ferguson could be a “double handcuff plus” here as a guy with some standalone value who has upside if EITHER Puka Nacua or Davante Adams gets hurt. Bonus points that you might be able to watch him play Thursday, then drop him from your bench if you have the right settings detailed here. 

Kenyon Sadiq - New York Jets, Yahoo: 15% | ESPN: 41% | Sleeper: 38%

Freakish athletic upside from a completely unknown commodity who missed all of the preseason, virtually making him even more of a mystery box? Sign me up.

Elijah Arroyo - Seattle Seahawks, Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 2%

It’s a super deep cut, but that is what we are known for at this position. This team does not have a clear-cut WR2 after Jaxon Smith-Njigba. AJ Barner ran 85% of his routes from an inline spot and blocked on 17% of his pass plays - he’s an inline tight end. If this team goes heavy two-TE sets, Barner could be inline in a role like Dawson Knox or Cole Kmet, with Arroyo getting to play a Dalton Kincaid-type role or, dare I say, Colston Loveland. This guy is rostered on average in zero percent of leagues on Yahoo and ESPN; we can’t go much deeper.