This column has been edited to take out players from Thursday's Chargers-Chiefs game.
Each week of the NFL season, we search through each fantasy football position with an eye toward identifying widely available streaming options with positive matchups to help cover gaps in your starting lineup.
Quarterback
I'm sticking with Allen as the streaming candidate of choice behind center for yet another week. It has become clear he's more than merely a quarterback with some helpful rushing production, rather he just recently passed LeSean McCoy for the team lead in rushing and is averaging 54.4 rushing yards per game. For some context, Michael Vick averaged 51.8 rushing yards per game in his first full season as a starter in Atlanta. McCoy is ailing again, while the Lions have ceded the 12th-most rushing yards per game and the 11th-most yards before initial contact per rush to opponents this season. Allen, meanwhile, is still available for a few clicks in more than 80 percent of ESPN leagues. The hesitance to trust a raw passer in the fantasy playoffs is quite understandable, but at this point, we're talking about an RB1 who might throw for 200 yards on Sunday.
Running back
Every December in the NFL sees a handful of previously unheralded tailbacks emerge as viable fantasy starters, thanks mostly to the sheer erosion at the position. In the last man standing sense, McGuire could have the keys to the Jets' backfield this week against the Texans. Isaiah Crowell left the field in Week 14 with a foot injury after just five snaps, casting some doubt over his availability and utility for the Jets this week. The matchup isn't ideal, but the workload could be, as McGuire was afforded 20 touches this past Sunday, signaling the team is willing to provide him with bell-cow duties when the context calls for it.
Wide receiver
DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos
Hamilton filled the valuable receiving role from the slot vacated by the devastating injury suffered by Emmanuel Sanders last week. He consumed a solid 23.7 percent of the Broncos' targets and was on the field for all but two of the team's 74 offensive snaps in the win over the 49ers. Hamilton is no stranger to volume as Penn State's all-time leader in receptions. Patrick, meanwhile, regularly beat a still-capable Richard Sherman and led the team in targets and receptions in the process. It's unlikely Denver will sustain two productive fantasy receivers each week, but it's worth streaming both given the potential for healthy respective workloads against a Browns secondary facing some injury issues amid allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to receivers this season.
Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers
Samuel is rostered in nearly a third of leagues and rising, and he is a strong streaming candidate in traditional 10-team leagues, since the Denver duo above is more ideal for deeper formats. Samuel has been quietly brilliant in his shift to the starting outside role for the Panthers, averaging an awesome 16.8 yards per catch thanks to 15.3 air yards per target during the past two games. Even with Cam Newton ailing, Samuel's rapport with him on vertical opportunities is proving valuable for both real and fantasy purposes. The Saints, for their part, have allowed the most fantasy points per game to receivers this season.
Tight end
Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers
Another Panthers player to consider in a daily fantasy stack or as a key streaming target this week, Thomas is tied with Samuel for second on the Panthers -- behind DJ Moore -- with 39.5 routes run per game the past two weeks, signaling he's fully entrenched in the "move" tight end role for the Panthers (as in very few blocking duties on passing downs). Thomas has averaged seven receptions and nearly 62 yards the past two weeks, confirming his presence as top tight end streamer amid one of the tougher seasons on record at the position.
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins
Jordan Reed could miss the rest of the of the season with a toe injury, per ESPN's John Keim. This vaults the ageless Davis back into a meaningful role for Washington's depleted passing game. Davis was third on the team in routes run this past week and fourth in targets. The situation behind center isn't pretty for Washington, but Davis is the rare deep-league option with both a strong production pedigree and an expectedly strong workload this weekend.
Defense/special teams
With one of the stronger fantasy point projections at the position this week, the Falcons appear to be in a promising spot as a widely available D/ST heading into a matchup with an inept Arizona offense that ranks last in the NFL with just 1.09 points per drive. This per-drive production represents the lowest scoring efficiency in the NFL through Week 14 since Arizona produced just 1.07 points per drive in 2012. The Falcons aren't flush with playmakers on defense after losing several key starters early this season, but with six total sacks the past two weeks and a choice opponent, there's enough evidence to support the robust projection this week.
Individual defensive players
Defensive line: Denico Autry, Indianapolis Colts
Autry is just about the hottest pass-rusher in the league right now, as he has six sacks in the past four games and at least three tackles in three straight outings. The Colts next face a Dallas line that allowed Dak Prescott to get sacked on 5.3 percent of his dropbacks in Week 14.
Linebacker: Raekwon McMillan, Miami Dolphins
Not only can you listen to Raekwon's legendary "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ..." album while setting your lineup and adding the Dolphins linebacker (no relation, to be clear) to your roster, you can appreciate the fact that he played on all but three of New England's rushing plays this past Sunday. While he leaves the field a bit too often on third downs to be considered an LB1 candidate this week, McMillan does present a strong tackle rate and could be a worthy second linebacker to deploy in deeper defensive lineups this week in Minnesota.
Defensive back: Corey Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
Graham was one of four Philly defenders to play on all 99 defensive snaps in Dallas in Week 14. While the loss was somewhat brutal for the Birds, the game revealed once again a trust in Graham to make plays as a center fielder of sorts in coverage for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Expected to continue his every-down role in this week's trip to face another snap-happy offense in Los Angeles, Graham is a savvy streaming option at defensive back for Week 15.