Fantasy Football QB Streaming Week 1: Kirk Cousins Can Exploit Favorable Matchup

Sep 08, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

You’ve drafted your fantasy football squad and missed out on the top quarterback options like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Drake Maye. Maybe you even passed on the likes of Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, and Bo Nix. Waiting until the later rounds to select a quarterback means you might be better off streaming the position on a weekly basis.

There are normally viable quarterback options on the waiver wire each week. Picking the quarterbacks with the most favorable matchups can help their fantasy managers come away with a victory. Each week this season, we’ll highlight the top quarterbacks to consider streaming in a variety of league sizes.

For streaming purposes, 4for4’s Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) is a metric we rely heavily on to determine weekly matchup strength. As the season progresses and more data is available, aFPA becomes more and more reliable, using rolling 10-week data.

To provide advice you can implement, candidates for streaming must be rostered in no more than 40% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

More Week 1 Streamers: K | TE | DST

Preseason Recap

Normally in this section, we’ll recap our picks from the previous week. Since we’re just starting the season, let’s highlight some players who won quarterback battles during the preseason and have now entered streamer status.

Despite selecting Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the 2026 Draft, the Raiders named Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Dolphins. Cousins took over as the Falcons’ starting quarterback down the stretch last season, starting the final seven games. He wasn’t productive for fantasy, though, throwing for fewer than 200 yards in five of them. He also had four games with one or no touchdowns. Cousins is the starter for now, but don’t be surprised if he eventually loses the job to Mendoza as the season moves along.

The Browns entered the preseason with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders competing for the starting job. Sanders started down the stretch last season, but apparently didn’t do enough to hold onto the job because the team named Watson the starter for Week 1. Watson has not played an NFL game since 2024 and will begin the season with a tough matchup on the road against the Jaguars. It’s difficult to feel good about starting him in fantasy, even in deeper formats.

The Falcons will have yet another new quarterback under center heading into Week 1 after the team named Tua Tagovailoa their starter on Monday. Michael Penix Jr. is working his way back from a torn ACL, but he didn’t exactly play well when given an opportunity last season. Tagovailoa’s production dropped off in the last two years, partly because he wasn’t taking many deep shots. His average target depth was 5.7 yards in 2024, then 6.9 yards last season. If he doesn’t air things out more on the Falcons, his fantasy appeal will remain limited.

Top Quarterback Streaming Picks

Cam Ward (Titans) vs. Jets (13%)

It was not a great rookie season for Cam Ward. Per 4for4’s Fantasy Points Browser, he finished as QB31 in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks who played at least 10 games. Part of the problem was a lack of weapons in the passing game, which shouldn’t be as big of an issue this season. The Titans drafted Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 Draft and signed Wan’Dale Robinson, who is coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career. The Titans also hired Brian Daboll to be their offensive coordinator. While he didn’t fare well as the head coach of the Giants, he was a successful OC with the Bills during the emergence of Josh Allen.

Ward and the Titans will roll out their new-look offense in a matchup against the Jets, who ranked 32nd in aFPA to quarterbacks last season. Not only were they last in the NFL in touchdown passes allowed, but they didn’t register a single interception. Their 26 sacks were the second fewest in the league. This matchup leaves Ward with the potential to start the season on a high note.