Last week was a prime example on why streaming defenses can win you a championship. I didn’t hit on all three of my picks this week, but my top defense of the week, the Pittsburgh Steelers, put up 19 points, and actually won me my matchup because of that.
Each week I offer three separate defenses owned in less than 40% of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. I tend to take one defense owned very minimally as well. This article is one that is reoccurring every Tuesday on our website. I will post last week’s results below and previous week’s results at the end of this article.
Week 4 Results
Last week was not an overall success like the previous two weeks have been, but the Steelers being my streamable defense of the week has been the best result at this early part of the season. The Steelers were owned in just 19% of Yahoo and 15.8% of ESPN leagues last week when I made the call.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals - 19 points
Indianapolis Colts vs. Oakland Raiders - 3 points
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - 2 points
Week 5 Streamable Defenses
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Jets - Owned in 40% of Yahoo and 42.2% of ESPN leagues
Now I know I just said that I pick defenses owned in less than 40% of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. If I were to follow those rules, the Eagles would not count. But they’re close enough that I’m going to include them. Yes, the Eagles’ secondary is very poor, but so isn’t Jets’ backup Luke Falk. Falk looked competent in the Jets’ Monday Night Football game with the Browns but was flat out awful against the Patriots the following week. Along with Falk’s inability to run an NFL offense, the Eagles’ boast a very good run defense. The Jets’ running game has been one of the worst in the league dating back to the last few weeks of last year, where as the Eagles have been one of the best against the run. Let’s also not forget that the Eagles are at home this week as well. The Eagles are going to be targeted in nearly every league so be on the alert and be the first to grab them Wednesday morning!
Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills - Owned in 26% of Yahoo and 47.2% of ESPN leagues
The Titans are over the 40% mark in ESPN leagues but are owned in just about one-fourth of Yahoo leagues. The Bills are tied for first in the league in turnovers thus far this year with 10. The Titans have recorded six takeaways thus far this season. Do the math. If things are to follow trend, the Titans should be getting a takeaway or two on Sunday against the Bills. Also monitor Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen’s status. He’s currently in the league’s concussion protocol following a massive hit he took against the Patriots last week. If he is unable to go and the Bills are to play Matt Barkley, that’s even better. (I’m also now having flashbacks from where I hyped up the New York Jets’ defense last year against Matt Barkley and the Bills. The Bills went on to destroy the Jets and my tweet went viral, even drawing the interest of Trey Wingo who retweeted it.)
Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals - Owned in 2% of Yahoo and 1.6% of ESPN leagues
I’m going to ride the coat-tails of my success last week and again take the team playing the Cincinnati Bengals. The injuries suffered to that offensive line have made it one of the worst, if not the worst in the league. The Steelers sacked Andy Dalton eighth times on Monday Night Football. I know the Cardinals’ defense is no where near the Steelers’ level, especially in the pass rush, but they should still get to Dalton early and often. The simple fact is, the Bengals are a mess. If you’re in a very deep league with minimal streaming options, the Cardinals could be your ticket this week.
Week 2 Results
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - 10 points
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts - 8 points
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 6 points
Week 3 Results
Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos - 13 points
San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - 7 points
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants - 8 points
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