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.
**Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams are assumed to be rostered**
Week 6 Results
Los Angeles Rams (at New York Giants) - 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT
This game was an orgy of destruction for the Rams defense. The Giants offense isn’t dead, but it is coughing up blood.
A Look Ahead: DET @HOU TEN - If you picked them up off of the waiver wire, thank the team that dropped them. They drafted the Rams D/ST only to miss the best part of their schedule.
Miami (vs Jacksonville - London) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
This was a misfire as the Dolphins was impotent without their top two corners, save for a Christian Wilkins sack and forced fumble of his good friend Trevor Lawrence.
A Look Ahead: ATL @BUF HOU - The Dolphins have some good home matchups but we can’t use their defense until Howard and Jones return.
Cincinnati (at Detroit) - 1 sack, 1 INT
The Bengals defense had a strong outing, but it didn’t show up in the sacks/takeaways column.
A Look Ahead: @BAL @NYJ CLE - The Bengals have faced some bad offense this year and only came through against the Steelers. We wil probably skip them against the Jets, but they will be a consideration.
Indianapolis (vs Houston) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INT, 3 pts allowed
This one was everything we hoped it would be.
A Look Ahead: @SF TEN NYJ - The Colts defense has been a consistent enough producer to consider leaving them in for the 49ers and Titans to get the Jets and Jaguars in Weeks 10/11.
Pittsburgh (vs Seattle) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
The Steelers got after Geno Smith and posted a solid result for anyone that counted on them
A Look Ahead: BYE @CLE CHI - Week 10 at home against the Bears is looking good.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Las Vegas (at Denver) - 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT
If this is how the Raiders are going to play without Jon Gruden, sign me up.
Arizona (at Cleveland) - 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT
The Cardinals D/ST had cooled off in Weeks 4 and 5 after posting strong results in Weeks 1 and 3. With three big weeks in six contests, they are probably an everyweek start from here on out.
Week 7 Candidates
Arizona (vs Houston)
Tyrod Taylor could return and make this a less attractive D/ST matchup, but with Kyler Murray, the game could get out of hand quickly and still produce a fertile defensive scoring environment. The Cardinals look like a set it and forget it D/ST, so prioritize them in your waiver wire bidding strategy this week.
A Look Ahead: GB @SF CAR - Start them regardless of opponent as long as Murray is in
New England (vs New York Jets)
The first time Zach Wilson played the Patriots, he had four interceptions and was sacked four times.
A Look Ahead: @LAC @CAR CLE - We probably won’t go with the Patriots against the Chargers, but the Panthers matchup could be a good one if they are coming together after the narrow loss to the Cowboys.
Green Bay (vs Washington)
The Packers have multiple sacks in four of the last five games and they have multiple takeaways in four of the last five games. They should get both against Taylor Heinicke this week at Lambeau.
A Look Ahead: @ARI @KC SEA - We may come back to the Packers if Russell WIlson isn’t ready for Week 10
Indianapolis (at San Francisco)
The Colts aren’t truly a good defense, but they are a good fantasy defense, at least against bad opponents. The 49ers offense may not be bad with Jimmy Garoppolo returning, but he has the potential to get hurt again, and Trey Lance may not be available as a backup. The Colts offense is peaking to help the case for the defense.
A Look Ahead: TEN NYJ JAX - The reason to add and play the Colts is to have them for the Jets and Jaguars home games coming up in Weeks 9 and 10.
Las Vegas (vs Philadelphia)
The Raiders looked like a team that had a weight lifted from their shoulders in Week 6, while the Eagles looked like a team trying to get free of mediocre coaching and a clunky offense built around a limited quarterback.
A Look Ahead: BYE @NYG KC - The Raiders aren’t worth carrying through their bye, but we may consider picking them back up for the Giants matchup if they have another good defensive game this week.
Carolina (at New York Giants)
The Panthers D/ST has been a solid play five of six weeks, with the blowout loss to the Cowboys the only blemish. This week against Daniel Jones and whatever the Giants can throw out there in terms of skill players is likely to make it six of seven.
A Look Ahead: @ATL NE @ARI - If they come through this week, the Panthers D/ST will be viable for Week 8.
New Orleans (at Seattle)
The Saints are rested and facing a Seattle team that just had a physical trial of a Sunday night game against the Steelers. The defense was huge for fantasy in Weeks 1 and 3 and they’re facing a quarterback the Steelers just sacked five times. The Saints were almost certainly dropped for their bye, so they should be there if none of the other choices are.
A Look Ahead: TB ATL @TEN - We could come back to the Saints in Week 9, but will steer clear of them for Week 8.
Week 8 Preemptive Pickups
Kansas City (vs New York Giants)
Philadelphia (at Detroit)
