Everybody knows the Pro Bowl players from Julio Jones to Le’Veon Bell. In fact, Bell’s 17.8 Value Over Stream (VOS) in 2016 was the highest ever recorded by PlayerProfiler. Value Over Stream (VOS) calculates each player’s fantasy points per game above the average waiver wire replacement in standard fantasy league formats during either the current or previous season, depending on the time of year.
Le’Veon Bell is great, but what about the other guys, the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends with a VOS hovering around 0.0? Which players represent the fantasy football stream? Who were the ultimate replacement-level players at their respective position in 2016?
Without further delay, I present the 2016 All-Stream Team!
Quarterback
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (17.0 Fantasy Points Per Game, +0.1 VOS)
Quarterback Andy Dalton carried an average draft position (ADP) of 147.4, falling somewhere inside of the 12th round of most fantasy drafts. It isn’t a bad place to grab the veteran quarterback, who averaged 17.0 fantasy points per game (No. 19 in 2016), which was only 1.4 fantasy points per game fewer than Dak Prescott and Marcus Mariotta’s 18.4 (No. 9).
Andy Dalton is often overlooked by members of the fantasy community. He never posts flashy touchdown numbers (18 pass touchdowns in 2016, No. 22) or passing yard totals (4,206 pass yards, No. 11), but he is a surprisingly effective quarterback despite his reputation.
Take a look at his 2015 numbers, where he actually finished eighth in fantasy points per game (19.5), and had the seventh best Production Premium (+14.7). His 2015 VOS of +1.3 only dropped off by a -1.2 margin in 2016, but consider the fact that he was playing without tight end Tyler Eifert for eight games, and stud receiver A.J. Green for six games.
Andy Dalton 2015 Advanced Stats & Metrics
In 2015, Tyler Eifert accounted for 13 receiving touchdowns (No. 1), 12 red zone receptions (No. 3) and 14.7 fantasy points per game (No. 5). Wide receiver A.J. Green accounted for 10 receiving touchdowns (No. 7), 1,297 yards (No. 8) and 17.2 fantasy points per game (No. 11).
If 2015 is any indicator, Andy Dalton isn’t a stream quarterback when playing with a healthy roster, but rather a top option who is undervalued by the fantasy community. He throws an accurate deep ball, completing 40.3-percent of his deep ball attempts in 2016 (No. 10), and 42.6-percent of his deep balls in 2015 (No. 6). He also finished eighth among quarterbacks in air yards last season, accumulating 2,447 of his 4,206 passing yards through the air (58-percent).
Andy Dalton is also a fleet-footed quarterback, who rushed for 184 yards (No. 12) in 2016, while carrying the ball into the end zone four times (No. 5). Give Andy Dalton a healthy roster in 2017, and he could reward fantasy owners with a top-10 fantasy season.
Running Backs
Shaun Draughn, San Francisco 49ers: 7.9 Fantasy Points Per Game, -1.4 VOS
Shaun Draughn was nothing more than a touchdown dependent streaming option at running back in 2016, as the underwhelming rusher totaled just 74 carries (No. 57) in 14 games (5.3 carries per game). Shaun Draughn finished last season with six total touchdowns (No. 25), all while averaging a dismal 4.5 yards per touch (No. 51), and less than three yards per carry (2.9 YPC).
Shaun Draughn Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
With an underwhelming advanced metrics profile that features a 4.73 40-yard dash (10th-percentile), 81.9 Speed Score (4th-percentile), and 109.3 SPARQ-x Score (35th-percentile), it’s no wonder that Shaun Draughn struggled to find any space behind the 23rd ranked run blocking offensive line (88.3). He enters 2017 as a free agent, and at 29-years old, could be on his way out of the league.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans: 7.5 Fantasy Points Per Game, -1.1 VOS
When the time finally comes for Derrick Henry to carry the load in Tennessee, I would like to propose that he affectionately be nicknamed Zangief, who is his best comparable player on PlayerProfiler.com. We saw flashes of the Zangief-like running back in 2016, and are thirsting for more in 2017.
Derrick Henry was overcome by veteran running back DeMarco Murray in 2016, and was given little opportunity to put his athletic profile on display, receiving just 110 carries (No. 38) and a 28.4-percent Opportunity Share (No. 67).
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back boasts a 116.3 Speed Score (96th-percentile), 127.9 Burst Score (88th-percentile) and 122.4 SPARQ-x Score (75th-percentile), and fantasy owners are licking their chops for the first chance to confidently insert him into their lineups.
Derrick Henry Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Derrick Henry managed five total touchdowns in 2016 (No. 33), and received 22 red zone carries (No. 31) while posting a +3.8 Production Premium (No. 30). For a team that ran the ball a ton in 2016 (475 team run plays, No. 4), the Titans followed that high volume with the eighth best run blocking front (121.4). Derrick Henry owners will wait patiently to plug him in next season, and hope that he builds on what was a solid rookie season despite its underwhelming sample size.
Wide Receivers
Anquan Boldin, Detroit Lions: 10.8 Fantasy Points Per Game, 0.0 VOS
Find me the person who predicted that Anquan Boldin, who spent most of the last offseason as a free agent, would lead the Detroit Lions in receiving touchdowns in 2016, and pat them on the back for me.
Chances are you won’t find them, because chances are nobody predicted it.
The Lions made a splash in the 2016 offseason when they signed wide receiver Marvin Jones to a five-year, $40 million deal in March, and then added to their wide receiver corps in July with the addition of Anquan Boldin on a one-year, $2.75 million deal. A few months later, and it was Anquan Boldin who was making noise in the passing game for Detroit, not Marvin Jones.
Despite never having an explosive advanced metrics profile, evidenced by his 4.72 40-yard dash (5th-percentile), 88.7 Height-adjusted Speed Score (28th-percentile) 114.0 Burst Score (14th-percentile), 9.67 Catch Radius (5th-percentile) and 99.6 SPARQ-x Score (29th-percentile), Anquan Boldin has turned a below-average profile into a productive NFL career.
Anquan Boldin Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
That production continued in 2016 against all odds, as evidenced by his 174.6 ADP from last season, as Anquan Boldin went on to average 10.8 fantasy points per game (No. 47) and eight receiving touchdowns (No. 10).
Anquan Boldin also produced 15 red zone receptions in 2016 (No. 2), and a red zone target share of 26.7-percent (No. 10). His +3.5 Production Premium ranked 48th among receivers, but his +12.3-percent Target Premium was good enough to crack the top-25 (No. 23), making him a surprisingly good fantasy player even at 35-years old. Anquan Boldin kept his Catch Rate high at 70.5-percent (No. 17) and Drop Rate low (6.0-percent, No. 22) which has come to be expected of the veteran receiver.
Anquan Boldin will again be testing the free agent market this offseason, but his red zone prowess could make him an interesting, low-cost target for a team in need of red zone production.
Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets: 10.6 Fantasy Points Per Game, -0.2 VOS
If the New York Jets had any kind of skilled quarterback in 2016, the entire receiving corps would have seen a boost in productivity. Instead, they just struggled to produce one game after the next.
Quincy Enunwa went undrafted in most fantasy leagues to start the 2016 season, but quickly found himself being inserted into lineups after converting 25 targets over the first three weeks into 17 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown (41.3 points).
Quincy Enunwa finished the season with 105 targets (No. 34) and hauled in 58 receptions (No. 46) for 857 yards (No. 36) and four touchdowns (No. 37).
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 225-pounds, and possessing a 32 5/8-inch arm length (70th-percentile), Quincy Enunwa made good work of his large frame, converting on 80-percent of his contested catches (No. 11), and finishing the season with a +15.3-percent Target Premium (No. 13).
With a 4.45 40-yard dash (78th-percentile) and 116.3 Height-adjusted Speed Score (96th-percentile), Quincy Enunwa not only has the size, but the speed to over match any cornerback matched up against him.
Quincy Enunwa Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Quincy Enunwa should be a favorite to land a key role for the Jets in 2017, especially if they cut ties with Brandon Marshall and/or Eric Decker. Regardless of his role next season, he almost certainly shed his “undrafted” tag heading into 2017, as fantasy owners will look to feast on his late-round value potential.
Tight End
Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars: 9.1 Fantasy Points Per game, 0.0 VOS
For starters, in case you’ve been living under a rock since the Super Bowl, Julius Thomas was traded to the Miami Dolphins and is reunited with head coach Adam Gase, who led Thomas to relevancy in 2013 and 2014. Could a return to such glory be in store for him in 2017? Only time will tell. For now, Julius Thomas is/was just a streaming option.
Julius Thomas played in only nine games in 2016, and finished the season with 281 receiving yards (No. 36), 30 receptions (No. 29) and four touchdowns (No. 4). Due to his seven missed games, Thomas was a huge disappointment for fantasy gamers in 2016, however when he was active, he was a reliable streaming option.
Julius Thomas carries an elite advanced metrics profile with him. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 246-pounds, Thomas runs a 4.68 40-yard dash (74th-percentile) while also possessing a 103.4 Height-adjust Speed Score (HaSS) (70th-percentile), 11.27 Agility Score (82nd-percentile) and 10.18 Catch Radius (82nd-percentile).
Julius Thomas Advanced Stats and Metrics Profile
With a +9.8-percent Target Premium (No. 23), and only one drop on 51 targets (No. 29), Julius Thomas did show flashes of his ability to still be a playmaker tight end. It will be interesting to see what Julius Thomas can do in 2017 if he manages to stay healthy, especially with his anticipated reunion with Adam Gase.
