"You just got to keep livin', man. L-I-V-I-N" -- Wooderson.
And my fantasy team is livin'!
I thought this might be the right time to offer a quick update for you on a piece I wrote a few weeks ago about my team that had fallen to 0-4. That squad is now 3-5, which might not sound like much, but I'm actually in a four-way tie for sixth place (the final playoff spot).
And you might be thinking to yourself, "Wow, Rank and his buddies are truly terrible at fantasy football."
You would be absolutely correct. My fantasy league -- the League of Record -- might actually be the NFC South of fantasy football leagues.
How is it possible that I was able to do this kind of thing? Well, for starters, I did something the Los Angeles Chargers have no courage to do, and that was to get rid of Mike McDaniel. At least figuratively.
That meant streaming quarterbacks after I released Justin Herbert, which brought the kind of catharsis I can only compare to ghosting one of your old acquaintances from college that you stayed in touch with for nostalgia's sake. ("Why do I even need to see this person on my IG feed anymore?")
So if you've found yourself in a similar situation, I'm once again going to give you my rundown on my favorite streaming options at quarterback. I know it's kind of a one-trick pony that was great the first time but gets tiresome after that. This might be a valuable resource.
Malik Willis. I filed this to the buzz yesterday (which I was finally able to say on the air and made me feel like one of those insiders), but I love Willis this week. The Detroit Lions are the most advantageous matchup on the slate, having allowed the most points to quarterbacks this year (24.7 fantasy points against).
J.J. McCarthy. Yeah, I don't feel good about this one, either. It's kind of like purchasing one of those late-night hot dogs in New York. The Philadelphia Eagles defense has struggled in recent weeks and have allowed about 20 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. McCarthy is sixth in EPA per dropback and looked pretty good against the Houston Texans the last time we saw him.
Drew Lock. This might be the spot for Lock, who has looked pretty decent in spurts for the Seattle Seahawks. The Arizona Cardinals are 31st against the quarterback, having allowed 22 fantasy points per game, including a decent game to Dak Prescott last week.
Michael Penix Jr. Yes, I saw last week's game. But come on, that was a weather game, and the international games are always sort of weird. However, the matchup is sound. The Cincinnati Bengals allow just south of 18 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. I know it's not ideal, but it's a streaming quarterback.
Geno Smith. We are really pushing it here. The Kansas City Chiefs have been very tough on quarterbacks in recent weeks. But Smith did show something last week, and despite the injury concern with Garrett Wilson, is still a reasonable start.
Justin Herbert. Just kidding. I'm not doing this.
I will throw Tyler Shough's name out there, however. He's still rostered in tons of ESPN leagues, so he's not a likely option for you, and I keep seeing people who have said to avoid Shough this week. But given the bye week and the Cleveland Browns' man-heavy scheme, this looks like a good spot for Shough to get back in the good graces of fantasy managers.