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.
**New Orleans, Dallas, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Philadelphia have great matchups but are assumed to be rostered**
Week 3 Results
Kansas City (vs Chicago) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
The fantasy stats don’t tell the whole story as the Bears struggled to move the ball and only got a garbage time touchdown.
A Look Ahead: @NYJ @MIN DEN - The Chiefs D/ST is locked and loaded for the foreseeable future.
Pittsburgh (at Las Vegas) - 4 sacks, 3 INT
That is exactly what we wanted from a defense that is now in our every-week start category until they let us down
A Look Ahead: @HOU BAL BYE - CJ Stroud has played well, but you have to leave the Steelers in.
New England (at NY Jets) - 3 sacks, 1 safety
Like the Chiefs, this stat line doesn’t reflect the futility the Patriots defense inflicted on Zach Wilson, who had his share of self-inflicted mistakes, but none resulting in a true takeaway unless you count the safety.
A Look Ahead: @DAL NO @LV - We’ll come back to the Patriots in Week 6.
Miami (vs Denver) - 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT
70 points and no special teams or defensive touchdowns?
A Look Ahead: @BUF NYG CAR - We’ll come back to the Dolphins in Week 5. If you can spare the roster spot, try to keep them through the benchable week at Buffalo.
Jacksonville (vs Houston) - Nada. Zilch. Bupkis.
Let’s just say this was a disappointing week for the Jaguars on all three sides of the ball.
A Look Ahead: ATL @BUF IND - This one is in London, which is the Jaguars' second home. And the Falcons offense is cold, so you could do worse than Jacksonville this week.
LA Rams (at Cincinnati) - 2 sacks, 1 INT
We had the wrong side of this one as Joe Burrow ended up starting, and the Bengals defense carried the night for the team.
A Look Ahead: @IND PHI ARI - We’ll bid adieu to the Rams D/ST for a while.
Seattle (vs Carolina) - 3 sacks
The Seahawks faced a much better Panthers offense than we saw in the first two games because Bryce Young sat for Andy Dalton.
A Look Ahead: @NYG BYE @CIN - Daniel Jones makes Week 4 worth considering, but there’s probably a better option on your waiver wire.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Detroit (vs Atlanta) - 7 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 6 pts allowed
World, Aidan Hutchinson. Aidan Hutchinson, world.
Cincinnati (vs LA Rams) - 6 sacks, 2 INT
It’s the defense’s turn to carry the team.
Houston (at Jacksonville) - 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 ST TD
The defense held Trevor Lawrence in check, and fullback Andrew Beck returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Week 4 Candidates
Cleveland (vs Baltimore)
It might seem odd to target Lamar Jackson with our rent-a-defense play, but he has been sloppy with the ball at times, and this gets Myles Garrett into your lineup in front of a home crowd facing a banged-up Ravens offensive line that allowed four sacks to the Colts last week.
A Look Ahead: BYE SF @IND - We may end up using the Browns as an every-week D/ST if this play works out.
Cincinnati (at Tennessee)
The Bengals were on showcase Monday night, and they have at least 3 sacks and 2 takeaways in two of their three games this year. The Titans offense is vulnerable with Derrick Henry nursing a toe injury.
A Look Ahead: @ARI SEA BYE - We’ll stick with the Bengals as long as they continue to come through for us.
Indianapolis (vs LA Rams)
The Colts have multiple sacks in every game this year and multiple takeaways in two of three. Matthew Stafford had a rough night against the Bengals and will be facing the Colts on a short week of rest.
A Look Ahead: TEN @JAX CLE - If Colts D/ST stays hot, they’ll stay in our lineup next week.
Tampa Bay (at New Orleans)
The Bucs come to the Superdome, but they’ll face Jameis Winston, who is known to have had a turnover spree or two.
A Look Ahead: BYE DET ATL - We may come back to the Bucs in Week 7
LA Chargers (vs Las Vegas)
The Chargers D/ST is only a viable play if Brian Hoyer or Aidan O’Connell starts, but there’s a good chance of that with Jimmy Garoppolo in concussion protocol.
A Look Ahead: BYE DAL @KC - Bye-bye and so long for a while
Jacksonville (vs Atlanta) **London**
The Jaguars are very familiar with the London game routine, and their defense was doing well in fantasy before last week's teamwide breakdown. Doug Pederson’s team should be ready to bounce back as the Falcons offense looked like a turtle on its back once they fell behind the Lions last week, allowing the Lions D/ST to post an excellent line.
A Look Ahead: @BUF IND @NO - We could come back to the Jaguars at home against the Colts if the Texans game looks like the aberration and not the new norm.
Week 5 Preemptive Pickups
Miami (vs NY Giants)
Washington (vs Chicago)
Cincinnati (at Arizona)
New England (vs New Orleans)
Denver (vs NY Jets)
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