There were not any streamable defense plays last week that I enjoyed and that reflected in our results. Nothing really did us much service last week. I guess we at least scored some form of points and stayed out of the negatives. That’s always a plus. The Detroit Lions of all teams were actually our best suggestion last week. Go figures.
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 every fantasy player. You can find last week’s results below and previous week’s results at the bottom of this article.
The Cincinnati Bengals lost to a Cooper Rush led Dallas Cowboys’ team. The defense did just about nothing, just as they did in week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just one sack and a fumble recovery on the stat sheet. The Panthers played the Giants close but eventually lost. The defense recorded just three sacks in the game. As I previously mentioned, the Lions were our best result of the week with nine fantasy points. The Lions sacked Carson Wentz five times and recorded an interception in a loss.
Week 2 Results
Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys - 4 Points
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants - 4 Points
Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders - 9 Points
Overall Results
Top Suggestion - 13 Points (DST15)
Middle Suggestion - 10 Points (DST21)
Under 10-Percent Owned - 15 Points (DST12)
Week 3 Suggestions
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders (Owned in 33% of Yahoo and 20.6% of ESPN Leagues)
The Philadelphia Eagles may be for real. That’s mainly due to their high powered offense, but their defense is pretty talented as well. On Primetime Monday Night Football against the Vikings, the Eagles intercepted Kirk Cousins three times and sacked him twice. They also had a Week 1 defensive touchdown against the Detroit Lions. This week the Eagles get NFC East rival, Washington. We talked about it last week when picking the Lions’ defense against the Commanders and Carson Wentz. Wentz is going to turn the ball over. I don’t think there’s any getting around that. He’s also going to get hit. That’s part of his game. The Eagles have recorded just three sacks through two games but also have four interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts (Owned in 33% of Yahoo and 3.3% of ESPN Leagues)
This is strictly matched up based. I’m still trying to figure out why this Chiefs’ defense is owned in a third of all Yahoo leagues. Anyhow, this Colts’ team is a disaster especially if Michael Pittman can’t go. His role on the team was evident as in his absence the Colts couldn’t score a single point against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with Pittman, the Colts managed just 20 points in a tie with the Texans. This Chiefs’ defense is nothing to write home about but the matchup is there.
Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans (Owned in 6% of Yahoo and 1.9% of ESPN Leagues)
I’m a big Davis Mills guy, don’t get me wrong, but this Houston offense still is not good. They have some pieces that I like but their offensive line is still a mess, their running back situation is well below league average and their receiving corps is non-existent outside of Brandin Cooks. This Bears’ defense is averaging two-and-a-half sacks per game and although lost to the Packers, held them under 30 points with a fumble recovery. This should be a low scoring affair and without much fire power on the offensive side, it may be enough for a decent fantasy week.
Week 1 Results
Tennessee Titans vs. New York Giants - 9 points
Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers - 6 points
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders - 6 points