All offseason long we sit around and dream. We dream about superstars dominating all year and breakouts blowing up on our bench. But it’s often not that simple. There are busts. There are injuries. There are bye weeks. There are bad matchups. For that, you need players to start NOW. 

And that’s where our fantasy football streamers for Week 2 of 2024 come in. This article doesn’t necessarily have the best sleepers or breakouts. Heck, they might not even be the best players. What they are, are the most reliable fantasy football streamers for Week 3. 

 

 

 

Whether it’s due to matchups or injuries - whatever it is - these guys have the opportunity. These Week 3 streamers will help keep your team afloat so you can actually make the playoff and give yourself a chance to win.

Fantasy Football Streamers For 2024 NFL Week 3

This article works in conjunction with our Waiver Wire Adds and Stashes articles. 

The waiver wire article includes the best players to pick up in general - they have both short term and long-term upside. But they might not be available or you might get outbid. In our waiver wire stashes article, we look at longer term options. But those aren’t guys you can necessarily start this week. The Week 3 fantasy football streamers article is this one - guys that you can reasonably acquire off the wire AND potentially start this week. 

We know that folks play in varying league depths so we’ll include any players that MIGHT be available (especially for really good matchups). And we’ll throw some honorable mentions in there for the really deep leagues. So, let’s dig into the Week 3 Fantasy Football Streamers!

 

 

 

Week 3 QB Streamers

Gardner Minshew, QB, Las Vegas Raiders, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 3% | Sleeper: 11%

It can be tough for us to give certain guys credit due to the stigma surrounding their career. It certainly took us awhile with Baker Mayfield - the QB1 in fantasy football so far. With Gardner Minshew, we have to give him credit for what he’s done so far. He’s second in the NFL in both passing yards and completion percentage. And he just walked into Baltimore and beat the Ravens.

He also has two seemingly elite pass-catching options in Davante Adams and rookie Brock Bowers. Throw Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer, and a couple of receiving backs in the mix and it doesn’t look so bad. They get the lowly Carolina Panthers this week so Minshew could offer a decent floor play. Asking the Panthers to punch back might be a little much though.

Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 20% | ESPN: 32% | Sleeper: 34%

Has Justin Fields looked good throwing the football? Not really. Is he willing to take off and run at times? Yes. And that’s really all that matters to us for fantasy football. It’s as simple as that. I think Russell Wilson returns at some point to take over the starting QB job. 

But, whenever a guy like Fields is starting, he is potentially worth a spot start. Because running QBs are the cheat code. This guy was the QB6 in fantasy football throwing for 2,242 yards while Tom Brady was the QB12 throwing for 4,694 in the same year. Life isn’t fair in fantasy football. And Fields has a solid matchup with the Chargers this week. 

 

 

 

Week 3 RB Streamers

Rico Dowdle - Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 38% | Sleeper: 50%

Check the Week 2 Waivers article for our full thoughts on Dowdle but he’s probably still one of the best short-term starts if you are in a pinch (and he’s available). 

Samaje Perine, RB, Kansas City Chiefs,  Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 8%

Let’s be real - Carson Steele is a fullback. And, with his 4.8 40, it’s very difficult to find any fantasy relevant players over the last couple decades. You essentially have to go back to Mike Tolbert in 2010/2011 when he had a bigger role with the Chargers before later becoming a fullback for the Panthers. Steele has a fun story but we’ve never really chased touchdowns so why start now?

Samaje Perine is a good pass blocker with good hands. The Broncos have Javonte Williams so didn’t need his services. Not only do we prefer Perine in PPR leagues but, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire set to return after Week 4, he has the better chance than Steele of holding onto a meaningful role for as long as Isiah Pacheco is out. And he could be startable right away. 

Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots, Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 32% | Sleeper: 25%

We mentioned Antonio Gibson in the Waiver Wire article so check out the full write up there. The Jets secondary is killer with three of the best corners in the league. But, with Hassan Reddick still holding out, they aren’t as stout up front. 

They’ve allowed 155 rush yards per game on average through two weeks and they allowed 10 receptions to RBs which is in the bottom 10 for the position. Gibson doesn’t have as big of a role as we want but could be good for a spot start here. 

D'Onta Foreman - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 2% | Sleeper: 4%

We are super excited about Foreman? No. Is he a long-term option with Nick Chubb returning? Definitely not. Do we love the Browns offense? Also no. But he’s one of the few backs that is widely available and also led his team in touches this week. In fact, his 14 carries doubled Jerome Ford. So, in really deep leagues in a pinch, you could do worse. 

Justice Hill - Baltimore Ravens, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 14% | Sleeper: 39%

This play here is a gamble. And that gamble is the Cowboys either keep this one close or they go out in front. When the Ravens are trailing, they lean on Hill in the pass game. When they are winning though, it will be the Derrick Henry show.

They just lost to the Raiders this week so the Cowboys defense could potentially force the Ravens to throw. Hill actually played 33 snaps to 30 for Henry this week and, against the Ravens, he got six targets. 

 

 

 

Week 3 WR Streamers

Demarcus Robinson - Los Angeles Rams Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 56%

We wrote him up in the Waiver Wire article so check out the full thoughts there - if he’s available, he is the top streaming option while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are out.  

Brandin Cooks - Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 39% | Sleeper: 54%

We wrote him up in the Waiver Wire article - if he’s available, he is the second best streaming option.

Jauan Jennings - San Francisco 49ers, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 2% | Sleeper: 15%

This one doesn't need much explaining. Deebo Samuel is out for multiple weeks with an ankle injury. Ricky Pearsall is still week to week recovering from a gunshot wound. In the two games Deebo missed last year, Jennings was clearly the guy playing 74% and 85% of the snaps. There are leagues I have where, if I get Jauan Jennings, he will go right into my lineup.

Andrei Iosivas - Cincinnati Bengals, Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 15%

As long as Tee Higgins misses games, we like what we see from Yoshi. He can play outside in the Tee Higgins split end role and has a knack in the end zone. He likely goes back in the bottle when Higgins returns and the Bengals are hopeful that the extra day off will have Higgins ready for Monday Night Football. Which makes it hard to rely on Iosivas. But we could get one more week. 

Tyler Boyd - Cincinnati Bengals, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 7%

DeAndre Hopkins clearly is not healthy after suffering this MCL injury. And he has notoriously been one of the more stubborn players, insisting on playing hurt. But he’s not even playing the full game - not even close. 

Two weeks in a row now he’s played less than 50% of the snaps while Tyler Boyd DOES play virtually the whole game. Until that changes, DeAndre Hopkins is unstartable. And Tyler Boyd is a spot start. 

 

 

 

Week 3 TE Streamers

Zach Ertz - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 10%

Hunter Henry is our top add and start across the board but, as we mentioned in our Waiver Wire article, Zach Ertz is the next best thing for reliability. He’s a top 10 tight end in route participation, WR route percentage, and target share through two games. You’ll want to go Yin and Yang tight end with someone to stash on the bench but Ertz is a fine start for now. 

Colby Parkinson - Los Angeles Chargers, Yahoo: 49% | ESPN: 44% | Sleeper: 84%

We had these guys as the two spot starts last week and there’s not much reason to change them. I know we didn’t get the result from Parkinson but he’s at least running the routes which is half the battle. And, with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both out, this team is running out of guys to throw to. 

 

 

 

Week 3 K Streamers

Chris Boswell - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 26% | ESPN: 22% | Sleeper: 25%

It might be time to start looking at Pittsburgh’s best scorer. Justin Fields has done a pretty solid job of stalling out offenses in field goal range and Chris Boswell has been his reliable self. He’s now 8 for 8 on field goals through two weeks including four of 50+ yards. As long as Fields is the guy, the Bozz feels like a decent option. 

Chase McLaughlin - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 5%

At this stage it’s pretty undeniable that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Baker Mayfield at the helm are a pretty good offense. Baker was a top 10 QB last year when they made the playoffs and beat the Eagles. This year he’s picked up right where he left off. 

And, with that, we should probably start treating the Buccaneers kicker the way we treat other good kickers for good offenses. He’s got the 6th most points of any kicker right now and he’s rostered in less than 10% of leagues in all formats. 

Week 3 DST Streamers

Las Vegas Raiders DST, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 7%

It sounds pretty gross. But this one isn’t really about the Raiders defense. It’s more about the Panthers offense. They’ll attempt to pivot from Bryce Young to backup veteran Andy Dalton after just two games. 

I’m betting that the issues with the Carolina Panthers run a bit deeper than the starting quarterback. Hopefully, you picked up the Chargers like we recommended last week and can just start them again vs. Pittsburgh but the Raiders are available pretty much everywhere if you are in a pinch. 

Tennessee Titans DST, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 5%

If you miss out on the Raiders, go with our other favorite strategy right now - whoever is facing Malik Willis. We all just saw the Green Back Packers get away with running the ball the entire game against the Indianapolis Colts.

If the Titans are wise, they will stack things up and make them throw. And I wouldn’t be shocked to see Malik Willis turn the ball over if the heat is on him to make some plays. 

 

 

 

Make Use Of These Week 3 Fantasy Football Streamers & Good Luck!

In a perfect scenario, your starting team is packed with all-star talent. Your bench would ideally feature a solid mix of high-potential players from our Waiver Wire Article or some deeper stash options. But let’s be real, fantasy football isn’t always perfect. 

Sometimes, you just have to grit your teeth and play the guy who gives you the most reliable performance, even if he’s not the most exciting choice. That’s where these fantasy football streamers come into play. 

Sure, the breakout players later in the season might be the ones that clinch the championship, but you’ve got to make it to the playoffs first to have a shot at winning it all.