Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
**Jacksonville, Houston and the Los Angeles Rams have good matchups in Week 7 and should be played over rent-a-defenses but are assumed to be rostered**
Week 6 Results
Minnesota (vs Arizona) - 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
It was actually the Cardinals defense with the big play in this one, but the Vikings defense was still stifling and came through with a solid Week 6 result.
A Look Ahead: @NYJ NO DET - Sam Darnold is playing well and he is at home. Not a preferred choice for Week 7.
Houston (vs Buffalo) - 2 sacks, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
The Texans defense won the game for them and might have done the same for you. Josh Allen got knocked out of the game, but this matchup doesn’t become less attractive when he’s out, just ask Jonathan Joseph.
A Look Ahead: @JAX MIA @DEN - The Texans are worth sticking with against Blake Bortles and possibly through their Week 10 bye.
Green Bay (vs San Francisco) - 2 sacks, 1 INT, 2 fumble recoveries
CJ Beathard played well even though this was a semi-hit. The Packers continue to be a good rent-a-defense at home.
A Look Ahead: BYE @LAR @NE - We’ll come back to them in Week 10 when they host Miami
Seattle (vs Oakland - London) - 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 pts allowed
Starting a rent-a-defense against the Raiders is like kicking someone when they are down, but it can pay dividends. Frank Clark will be in Derek Carr’s nightmares. The Colts get Oakland on the other side of their bye.
A Look Ahead: BYE @DET LAC - The Seahawks might not be of use to us again this year.
Tennessee (vs Baltimore) - 1 INT
Had the wrong side of this one as the road Ravens defense romped.
A Look Ahead: @LAC BYE @DAL -.Toss em back
Dallas (vs Jacksonville) - 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
The performance was more dominant that the numbers indicate, or perhaps Blake Bortles and the Jaguars offense was worse than the numbers indicate. Still a good choice
A Look Ahead: @WAS BYE TEN - Week 9 could have some potential.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Baltimore (at Tennessee) - 11 sacks, 0 pts allowed
The Ravens defense put up their biggest result since Week 1 on the road. We’ll be targeting Marcus Mariota until further notice.
Arizona (at Minnesota) - 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
Chandler Jones and the Cardinals pass rush had a very strong day vs. a depleted Vikings offensive line and Budda Baker scooped up the results of a sack to score. The Cardinals D/ST has been a top 3 play each of the last two weeks.
New York Jets (vs Indianapolis) - 3 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
A botched target by Marlon Mack made the afternoon for the Jets D/ST
Buffalo (at Houston) - 7 sacks, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery
The Bills battered Deshaun Watson and currently sport one of the best defenses in the league
Week 7 Candidates
**Jacksonville, Houston and the Los Angeles Rams have good matchups in Week 7 and should be played over rent-a-defenses but are assumed to be rostered**
Kansas City (vs Cincinnati)
The Chiefs D/ST was a monster in one of their two home games, and they didn’t have Justin Houston for all of it. We’ve already seen Andy Dalton throw four picks in a road loss earlier this season.
A Look Ahead: DEN @CLE ARI - Yes. Yes. Yes. We might be riding the Chiefs D/ST for a while
Los Angeles Chargers (vs Tennessee)
Marcus Mariota and the Titans had possibly the worst offensive performance of the season, and that’s saying a lot in a league with Josh Allen and Blake Bortles as starting quarterbacks. The Chargers pass rush has been waking up and they are facing a team in disarray.
A Look Ahead: BYE @SEA @OAK - Maybe Week 10
New York Jets (vs Minnesota)
I need to learn to stop doubting the Jets D/ST. Only the Bears have been a better performer this year. Their secondary is banged up and their pass rush is one of the weaker groups in the league, but they keep finding a way to make an impact in the D/ST box score.
A Look Ahead: @CHI @MIA BUF - The Jets D/ST won’t be off of rosters long if they are dropped in the next week or two.
Arizona (vs Denver) **Thursday**
The Cardinals pass rush is hot and the Denver offense is not. A home Thursday night date and team possibly on the verge of losing their head coach only helps.
A Look Ahead: SF BYE @KC - We'll stick with the Cardinals if they put up their third strong week in a row.
Indianapolis (vs Buffalo)
Derek Anderson was announced as the starter and he should be much safer with the ball than Nathan Peterman or Josh Allen. The priority has moved down but they are still a consideration.
A Look Ahead: @OAK BYE JAX - The Colts D/ST has potential in their next two games, another reason to look at them this week
Week 8 Preemptive Pickups
Kansas City (vs Denver)
New England (at Buffalo)
Pittsburgh (vs Cleveland)
Chicago (vs NY Jets) **If Dropped for Patriots Matchup Week 7**
Arizona (vs San Francisco)
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