I’ll be honest, Week 4 was not good for my fantasy football D/ST streamers. In my article last week, I pointed out the wrong team in the Colts vs. Dolphins game. I am hoping that will be the worst week of the season, but I am not sure I’m that lucky. Accountability time.
- Lions: 2pts – BUST
- Bears: 9pts – SUCCESS
- Packers: 9pts – SUCCESS
- Dolphins: 4pts – BUST
- Panthers: -6pts – BUST OF ALL BUSTS
- Titans: 2pts – BUST
- Week 4: 2 Successes – 4 Busts
- Overall: 10 Successes – 8 Busts
Like I said, this past week was a rough one. This is a hard week to pick D/STs to stream. Should I pick the teams facing rookie QBs in their first or second starts? Do I recommend elite defenses that play great offenses? Am I crazy for believing in the Titans when they have yet to score more than five fantasy points in a single game? Do I pick random teams and hope that I hit the lottery? Am I going on asking you, the reader, too many questions that you cannot answer instead of answering your D/ST questions? Probably. I guess I will keep recommending D/STs based off of ESPN’s fantasy football roster percentage under 65% rostered. With that being reiterated, let’s proceed with the picks.
Number 5: Indianapolis Colts 46.5%
I keep coming back to AFC South games for streams, and it works most of the time. This week, the Colts play in Baltimore against the Ravens. The reason I recommend the Colts this week is based off of their average against opponents so far. After playing the Seahawks, Rams, Titans, and Dolphins, the Colts D/ST is averaging 7.3pts each week. They get interceptions, fumble recoveries, and most importantly, sacks. They average two sacks a week and the Ravens have allowed 11 sacks so far this year.
Number 4: Arizona Cardinals 52.1%
The Cardinals are one of the top D/STs in fantasy football this year. They play the 49ers this week who are either starting Jimmy Garoppolo or rookie QB Trey Lance. Either way, expect the Cardinals to preform well against the QB and get sacks considering they are averaging 2.25 sacks per game this year.
Number 3: Minnesota Vikings 20.1%
The Vikings play the Lions. I think we all know what this means. Start the Vikings. The Lions have tried their best and are currently 0-4. The Lions offense runs through their running backs and tight ends. The Vikings have 13 sacks so far this season and have intercepted the ball twice. With the short work of the Lions and the pressure upfront by the Vikings, we could see them hit double digits in fantasy football.
Number 2: Cleveland Browns 64.4%
The Browns have one of the best NFL defenses. They have 14 sacks through four games. Nine of those came from the Bears game. Excluding that game, the Browns are just shy of two sacks per game and a pick every other game. They play the Chargers in what will probably be my favorite matchup of the week for the “All Defensive Matchup of the Week.” Either side has the potential to do well.
Honorable Mention: New England Patriots (83.8%)
If for some reason the Patriots are available in your league, please add them and start them. Always start the D/ST playing the Texans.
Number 1: Carolina Panthers 53.8%
I lost in my home league last week because I started the Panthers D/ST. I hope to turn that around this week as they host the Eagles. The Panthers have forced teams to run on them instead of passing. This has worked well for the first three weeks, but not against the Cowboys. The Eagles have struggled to run the ball and have relied on the passing work of Jalen Hurts. If the Panthers can force the Eagles to run the ball, I expect the Panthers D/ST to bounce back to form this week.
Good luck this week and may the 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.