Week 10 marks the second half of the NFL season, and nearing the fantasy football playoffs. So many people hyped up players and teams that are no where near preforming as expected. So many people doubted teams and players that are so much better than they believed they would be.
I personally doubted D’Andre Swift as a true RB1 this year. Swift is currently the RB9 on the season. Cordarrelle Patterson is the RB7 so far. This season is strange so far and only going to continue to be unusual. What’s not unusual is the fact that everyone needs a good defense. I’m here to help project the best defensive streams for fantasy football in Week 10. Let’s look at how last week went.
- Raiders: 8pts – SUCCESS
- Dolphins: 18pts – SUCCESS
- Honorable Mention Cowboys: 0pts – BUST
- Chargers: 1pt – BUST
- Week 9: 2 Successes – 2 Busts
- Overall: 24 Successes – 18 Busts
On this season, approximately 57% of my projections have reached the marks of Success/Bust I have set. The first six weeks were set at 5 fantasy points for a Success. From Week 7 on, it has been set at 4 points for a Success.
Exactly two-thirds of my picks have hit the 4 point mark so far. In a field that is a mix of analysis and luck, Any time I see someone over 50% accurate for a position, I like to look into their reasoning behind their projections. I will try to breakdown my thought process for my picks more from now on. We can all improve on who we are and this is one place I can improve.
Number 3: Tennessee Titans 34.9%
Derrick Henry’s injury seems to have put a boot in the backside of the Titans. The Titans’ defense has been playing lights out the past couple weeks, and showed it off last week. The Titans went the Rams’ stadium and showed them who’s boss. Five sacks, two interceptions, and a defensive touchdown against Matt Stafford‘s offense is something to write home about.
This week, the Titans will be facing a Saints’ offense with Trevor Siemian at the reigns. So far this season, Siemian has completed 41 of his 70 passes (58.6%), with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Over his career, Siemian has a 59.2% completion rate and a 33 to 24 touchdown to interception rate. Not to mention the best weapon on the Saints’ offense will be out this week, as Alvin Kamara is out recovering from a knee injury. Between a starting QB with 26 total career starts since 2015 and a depleted offense in terms of positional talent, the Titans should be able to exploit this team.
Number 2: Cleveland Browns 55.3%
Cleveland Browns fans should be excited. The Browns have an offense that can move the ball and a defense that can stop opposing offenses. We saw this last week when they managed to hold the 2020 NFL Draft first overall pick Joe Burrow and his form AFC leading team to just 16 points in the game on the Bengals home field. The Browns recorded five sacks, a fumble recovery, two interceptions, and a defensive touchdown in a day that made the Browns fans in my life celebrate.
This week, they travel to face the Patriots and they first round pick rookie quarterback Mac Jones. The Browns are averaging three sacks per game and an interception every other game. Jones currently has 10 touchdowns to 7 interceptions this year. Jones has a lot of talent, but should the Browns start off with a strong defense, I expect the rookie QB to get frantic and help the Browns D/ST be a valuable fantasy football streamer.
Honorable Mention: Indianapolis Colts (72.6%)
I bring up the Colts a lot as a good D/ST to play. Even with the injuries to their secondary, they are preforming quite well. The Colts’ D/ST is currently tied for the 9th best in fantasy football with the Bucs, and just behind the Titans and Packers. A matchup against the 2-6 Jaguars seems like the perfect matchup for this run-stuffing defense to expose.
Number 1: Philadelphia Eagles 9.3%
Three weeks ago, I called the Eagles a defense that is hot and cold. After seeing them lose to the Raiders, I excluded them from my Week 8 article because I thought there was a good chance they might have lost that game. Boy was I wrong about that! They are coming off a hard fought matchup against the Chargers.
This week, they will travel to Denver to play the Mile High Broncos in a matchup that could be either fantasy gold or a fantasy bust. The Eagles do have a solid defense that can put up great weeks for fantasy. Let’s hope the team with 17 sacks, 6 interceptions, and 2 defensive touchdowns so far this season continues their trend.
Good luck on the second half of the season and may the fantasy football streams flow your way!
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.