Streamable Defense of the Week - Week 2
It sure was a decent way to start the Streamable Defense of the Week season with our Week 1 suggestions. Our top suggestion, the Jacksonville Jaguars, ended the week as the D/ST8 as the Atlanta Falcons, our less than 10-percent owned suggestion, finished as the D/ST7. We’re already proving that you don’t need to invest draft capital into a defense to have success.
I’m one to never invest a high draft stock into team defenses. I play the waiver wire every single week to find my D/ST for the upcoming week. Due to this, I find myself never drafting a defense and waiting for just before the start of Week 1 to grab my first defense of the season. This is where this series comes into play. Every week I will be suggesting my favorite three team defenses that are regularly available on waiver wires across most formats. I will also keep a running total of how my selections measure up across the season below.
The premise of this article is to bring forth three streamable defenses that fantasy football players should look to use for that respective week. To qualify for this series, defenses must be owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. At least one of the suggested defenses will be owned in less than 10-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues to cater to as many fantasy players as possible. You can find last week’s results below and previous week’s results at the bottom of this article.
Although the Indianapolis Colts and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson surprised most, the Jaguars still had a decent fantasy week. They posted 11 fantasy points while allowing 15 points. They recorded four sacks, an interception and recovered two fumbles. The Minnesota Vikings served as our middle suggestion as they managed just two fantasy points. They allowed 20 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while recording just one sack. The Atlanta Falcons were our less than 10-percent owned suggestion and they finished as our highest scoring option. The Falcons held the Carolina Panthers to just ten points while recording two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Week 1 Results
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts - 11 points
Minnesota Vikings vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2 points
Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers - 12 Points
Overall Results
Top Suggestion - D/ST8
Middle Suggestion - D/ST27
Less than 10% Owned - D/ST7
Week 2 Suggestions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 8.9% of ESPN Leagues
The Buccaneers were one of the biggest surprises of Week 1. They held a very good Vikings’ offense to just 17 points on the road while recording two sacks, an interception and two fumble recoveries. They’re riding high as they take on the Bears for their first home game of the season. The Bears allowed the fourth most fantasy points to an opposing defense in Week 1 in the Green Bay Packers. Although a defensive touchdown had a lot to do with that, Justin Fields was still sacked four times and intercepted once. With Fields’ playing style, he’s going to be near the league lead in sacks this season. Fields led the league in sacks a season ago, tied with Russell Wilson at 55.
New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals - Owned in 9% of Yahoo and 2.5% of ESPN Leagues
Now I know the Giants were absolutely embarrassed on Sunday Night Football at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys but the Arizona Cardinals may be the worst team in the league. They allowed the tenth most fantasy points to opposing defenses in Week 1 to the Washington Commanders. Joshua Dobbs, the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, threw for just 132 yards in that game. The Giants need a big bounce back performance this week and there’s no better team to do that against than the Arizona Cardinals.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans - Owned in 2% of Yahoo and 1% of ESPN Leagues
The Ravens played the Texans in Week 1 where they held them to just nine points and sacked rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud five times. Despite a loss in Week 1, the Colts’ defense played just fine against a very good Jaguars’ offense. The Jaguars did allow 31 points to the Colts, but they did record two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. Now, a defensive touchdown skews the Colts’ performance a week ago but the Jaguars are also a much better offense than the Texans. Expect Deforest Buckner and company to have a field day this week.