QB Streaming
To stream, or not to stream: that is the question. Whether tis’ nobler in our dynasty minds to suffer the week to week decision of which “streamer” to start. Or to take the arms of the quarterback position’s best talent, at the expense of a much higher investment. To be beaten: to lose; no more. And by lose I mean…Ok, ok, I’m done. Let’s get on with it already!
As much as I’ve enjoyed writing these articles, I have still been reading the content from various other sources. I read in articles across various sites, forums, and also in general talk of fantasy football, that the thing to do with the most important position in NFL football is to…”stream?” I mean, really? Is that what this position has come down to? I’ve heard of people doing this in single quarterback leagues. But really, can you believe this strategy is being talked about in a 2QB league? Is this the best philosophy for our dynasty squads?
In this installment of Superflex 101, I want to dive into the art of streaming your quarterback position. In short, if at all possible, don’t do it! Don’t try it, don’t even think about it. You might be able to get cute and a bit lucky in a single quarterback league, but it’s just a terrible strategy for our coveted 2QB leagues that we love. If you sit on your hands and wait to draft your quarterback position until late in the draft, you may as well grab a branding iron at the same time and hang on for a couple minutes, because the scars that you will leave on the collective hands of your team may never go away.
Where did this idea derive from? Well, it’s been a combination of a few things. Wide receiver importance has seemingly trumped that of every other position, at least in the minds of the average owner. What that’s caused is essentially a race to the best talent available at the wide receiver position. But in doing so, are we giving up points? When we think we’re just keeping pace, are we giving up an advantage that we wouldn’t have if we took a different route than our competitors? It’s great to look at all those young toys on your team, but often times winning your matchups isn’t just about the 23-year-old, second-year wide receiver that might breakout and become a WR1.
Now I know I’m going against the norm in saying this, but I’m not sure it’s great strategy to skip the quarterback position in even a single quarterback league. Let’s look at the stats from this past season. For the purposes of record keeping, I’m looking at the data from week one thru week 16 only because I think it’s most relevant to fantasy football. I would also like to throw out any players that played in less than eight games (half the NFL season). Looking at the quarterback position, what that does is it gives us a range from Cam Newton to Matt Stafford. The average points per week in a four point per touchdown scoring system, would range from Newton’s 23.757 points, to Stafford’s 17.724 points. Newton provided slightly over a six point week-to-week advantage over Stafford, from QB1 to QB12 in total points scored. If we stretch that out from QB1 to QB24 for a 2QB league, the range is now 23.757 points to 13.562 points, over a ten point swing for just one player.
If you’re thinking about streaming, these are the numbers you’re up against. I don’t care what plus matchups you think your “streamers” have, you’re losing points in a big way. By streaming, you potentially lose the equivalent of a high end WR1 type talent in total weekly points lost. Even with a couple of decent QB2 type guys, in a 2QB league you’re still potentially giving up five plus points per player.
So what can we do to transition our team from a set of “streamers” to a solid foundation of quarterbacks? You’re going to want to analyze your assets. Let’s face it, nobody wants to trade their elite, proven assets at any position. But what high profile prospects can you shop around your league in an attempt to attract a high end quarterback? I’m not saying you have to get Andrew Luck, Newton, or Aaron Rodgers. A guy like Russell Wilson is a high-end option at a slightly more affordable price. He’s still probably going to cost you somewhere in the range of a 10-14 ranked overall player, but he is attainable at least. If you have a running back like David Johnson, contact the owner of Wilson and see what you might be able to add to lock down your high end QB1. You might be surprised that the out of control hype train that is the Northern Iowa alum, could possibly net you the services of an elite signal caller such as Wilson for very little additional investment. If you have a player like Johnson, and another player like Devante Parker, the appeal of those two youngsters combined might attract the attention of the top three quarterbacks I mentioned. Start the line of communication now, gauge interest, and get a deal done.
A couple years ago, I was completely sold on Cordarrelle Patterson. I jumped at every opportunity to draft him with a mid-first round rookie pick. I loved his athleticism, his electric playmaking ability, and the high ceiling he presented. His ADP rose to 15.5 overall in September 2014, nearly a first-round startup pick. But, that’s where I messed up. I let my love for my hometown playmaker cloud my vision over what I should have done. He nearly reached the ceiling that I set for him, and I didn’t sell for a safer high end asset. At the time I didn’t need a quarterback (I’ve always put a huge priority over the position and had Luck and Rodgers), but I …read more
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