Week 1 Fantasy Football Projections: Top Streaming Options for Notable Injuries

The opening of the 2019 NFL season offers the promise of a clean slate to every fantasy football owner.

Unfortunately, that clean slate isn't extended to the health report—or any contract holdouts or retirement stunners.

The good news is this might be the easiest week to navigate when it comes to streaming options. Rosters are theoretically as healthy as they will be all season, and the waiver-wire gems that surface every year haven't been snatched up yet.

The not-so-good news is Week 1 isn't without landmines, and failing to find a path around them now could prove devastating down the line.

Luckily, we're nice enough to help blaze those trails by identifying the top streaming options (available in more than 50 percent of Yahoo Sports' leagues) for Week 1's notable likely inactives.

Melvin Gordon: Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens (28 Percent Owned)

There are two gambles of dramatically different degrees here.

The first is the simplest—that Melvin Gordon's holdout keeps him sidelined for Week 1. The fifth-year rusher has reached a stalemate in extension talks with the Los Angeles Chargers, who have allowed him to seek a trade and suspended contract negotiations until after the season. At this point, it seems only Gordon can end this holdout, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports Gordon "does not plan" to do so for Week 1.

The other gamble is a bigger risk—that the explosive Justice Hill wastes no time carving out his spot in a loaded Ravens' rushing attack. The rookie fourth-rounder from Oklahoma State has the speed, agility and hands to add a spark plug element alongside the solid-but-unspectacular Mark Ingram.

"Justice Hill has made tremendous strides this summer and has seemingly carved out a spot for himself in this offense," Fantasy Alarm's Howard Bender wrote. "How big of a role is yet to be determined, but you can be assured that if he finds increased success as the third-down, pass-catching back, we could be looking at Ingram’s next Alvin Kamara."

Even if Hill's best days are still to come, climbing aboard his hype train early could have its perks. For instance, he and the rest of the Ravens rushers open against an exploitable Miami Dolphins defense that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs last season, per Yahoo Sports.

A.J. Green: Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco 49ers (28 Percent Owned)

Perhaps there's an alternate universe in which A.J. Green routinely catches breaks on the health front, but not in this one. Cincinnati's oft-injured star receiver remains in a walking boot after undergoing ankle surgery in late July.

Ideally, Green's early injury gave his owners more than enough time to prepare for his absence. But to my fellow procrastinators still unsettled on a solution, consider taking a long look at San Francisco speedster Marquise Goodwin.

The 28-year-old isn't the sexiest option, especially if you're hoping for someone with long-term upside. The Niners have collected a host of young wideouts in recent drafts who could eventually put Goodwin out of work.

But that time hasn't come yet. Unlike his positional peers, Goodwin already has the trust of this coaching staff and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In his first season with the 49ers—which was also head coach Kyle Shanahan's Bay Area debut—Goodwin had team highs of 105 targets, 962 receiving yards and 17.2 yards per reception.

That should give him the upper hand for a fast start, which only grows more likely with the matchup. He'll start out against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that allowed the second-most points per game and fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season.

Andrew Luck: Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders (33 Percent Owned)

So, your league drafts in the middle of the preseason, and now your quarterback position is in shambles after Andrew Luck stunningly called it quits, huh? Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the world of streaming quarterbacks. It's an always uncomfortable, usually scary place, but also one that could prove your fantasy team's life preserver if navigated correctly.

While the art of streaming typically has you jumping across the football world, Derek Carr might have some staying power on your roster.

No, seriously. He's quietly (silently?) coming off his best season in completions, completion percentage and passing yards, and he'll now apply his sharpened skills to an offense flush with new weaponry.

"No wide receiver group underwent a more significant facelift this offseason than Oakland's, which now boasts Antonio Brown at the top with key addition Tyrell Williams," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "Carr had a strong 2016 campaign ... with a body of work that shows he can be a capable player when surrounded by the right pieces. They're there in Oakland."

During that 2016 season, Carr finished a solid 11th in fantasy scoring at the quarterback position while working magic with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree at wideout and Latavius Murray out of the backfield. Carr could squeeze even more production from Oakland's overhauled trio of Brown, Williams and rookie rusher Josh Jacobs.

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