Every year, I propose to my fantasy football home league that we do away with Kickers and Defenses so we can add an extra starter or two. Every year I get shot down. To make it worse, every year someone always drafts those positions too early. This is the only year that I have drafted one of the top defenses in my rankings, but every other year I’ve been playing the streaming game.
It’s time to put my experience into word and help other fantasy football players who still run defenses with my Top-5 D/ST Streams of the Week! I will include only teams with less than 50% rostered rates according to ESPN Fantasy Football. I’m including a honorable mention that I would roster over the other five, but are over 50% rostered. If they are available, I’d roster them though.
Number 5 – Dallas Cowboys 2.3%
At my number five stream of the week, I have the Dallas Cowboys as they travel west to visit the Chargers. Last week, the Cowboys took on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in a duel to open the NFL season. The Cowboys D/ST has improved since last season. We saw as much, as Trevon Diggs shut down Mike Evans for most of the game. They put a lot of pressure on the Bucs’ offensive line last week and I expect to see that again. This will be a shootout of a game, but I expect plenty of opportunities for interceptions and sacks.
Number 4 – Los Angeles Chargers 2.8%
Do I really have both teams in the Cowboys and Chargers game? Definitely. It’ll be a shoot out of a game, but the Chargers have one of the best secondary’s in the league. Last year, the Chargers’ D/ST had 12 picks and 27 sacks. I’d look for them to put up two or three of each as they take on the Cowboys with an offensive line that is dealing with multiple injuries and suspensions. Dak Prescott will put up yards, so this is the riskiest of the streams for just that reason. However, it’s like people say “You’ve gotta risk it for the biscuit!”
Number 3 – Carolina Panthers 17.9%
Am I really suggesting streaming a D/ST that let the Jets put up 14 points on against a team that put up 38 last week? You bet I am! Keep in mind that Jameis Winston‘s last season as a starter, he threw 30 interceptions! That was nearly two per game. Not to mention that he only completed 14 of his 20 passing attempts last week. Oh, and the Panthers had six sacks on Zach Wilson last week. The Panthers have a young and hungry D/ST that are looking to get to the QB quickly and pick them off when they can. I expect them to do just as much this week.
Number 2 – Arizona Cardinals 17.7%
Two words: five sacks. Chandler Jones has 102 sacks over his 125 games. He averages 0.816 sacks per game over his career, but in Arizona, he has averaged just shy of 1 sack per game. If you watched how he played in Week 1, he played better in the Tennessee backfield than the Titans’ running backs did! PFF ranks the Titans O-Line as the 15th best. In contrast, they have the Vikings at 25th out of 32. If Chandler Jones spent that much time behind that O-Line, I expect him to better against the Vikings. Oh, did I mention that J.J. Watt, the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, is also apart of that Cardinals D/ST?
Honorable Mention – Cleveland Browns (66%)
Like I mentioned at the top, the Browns D/ST is rostered in more than 50% of leagues, but I had to mention them. If they are available, I would start them over most other D/STs this week as they face the Texans. I’m guessing I’ll have the team that plays the Texans on this list a lot this year.
Number 1 – Green Bay Packers 22.8%
Did you watch the Packers in Week 1? They looked bad. Like, real bad. Really, really, REALLY BAD! Why would I even suggest them then? Easy: Aaron Rodgers Revenge Game. If you look throughout the history of Rodgers, the week after a big loss are some of his best games. Remember when he lost to the Bucs in Week 6 of last year? Week 7 had him throwing 283 yards and four TDs. Week 8’s lost to the Vikings lead to a 305 yards, four TD game against the 49ers.
All this to say, that the Packers are going to go up by a lot. The Lions might be missing Tyrell Williams in Week 2, so the game will run through the RBs and TEs. I expect the Packers D/ST to be out there a lot and have plenty of chances to intercept the ball or to sack Jared Goff. If you are in a position of streaming your D/ST this week, the Packers are a great option!
Good luck this week! Here’s hoping these streams help your Fantasy Football teams. I know I will be looking for these teams in all the leagues I have to stream D/STs.
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.