It was another solid week for the streaming D/ST crew. We gave out a top-5 list last week, and four of those teams finished in the top 12. Two finished in the top five (Seahawks and Patriots). That’s not to pat ourselves on the back. We’re only as good as our last call. We’ve got to do it again this weekend.
Hopefully, as a faithful reader of this column over the years, you’ve learned that streaming a defense is the way to play football. Looking at just the top five D/ST’s thus far on the season (pending MNF), only one, the LA Rams, is owned in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues. Atlanta, the top-scoring D/ST thus far, is owned in just 1% of leagues. The same can be said for the Jaguars, who are third.
That said, we’ve got to pay attention to the news because injuries are piling up across the league. These losses to starting lineups don’t just impact offenses. The Commanders just lost Deatrich Wise, a productive defensive end. Dallas is without DaRon Bland at corner. The list goes on and on.
We’re going to keep doing what we always do. Attack struggling offensive lines. Pick on bad play callers. Most importantly, find bad quarterbacks and exploit them. Oh, by the way, numerous QB injuries will thrust the likes of Carson Wentz and Jake Browning into our lives.
Giddy up.
Based on D/STs owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues
Drake’s Top 5 D/ST Targets for Week 3
- Indianapolis Colts (Ind, 7%) @ TEN
- Seattle Seahawks (Sea 24%) vs NO
- Atlanta Falcons (Atl, 1%) @ CAR
- Arizona Cardinals (Ari, 46%) @ SF
- Cincinnati Bengals (Cin, 7%) @ MIN
Higher-owned Options
Kansas City Chiefs (KC, 63%) @ NYG — Highly owned, but still available in almost 40% of leagues, so this is going to help some of you. This KC defense is legit. Forget the 0-2 record. If you saw the pressure they applied to Jalen Hurts in Week 2, you know this unit is still one of the elite in the game. I’m curious to see if they’ll be dropped across many leagues because they have a grand total of six fantasy points. That said, they face Russell freakin’ Wilson on Sunday night. While it’s been impressive to see what Wilson has done thus far, he’s still prone to throwing balls into harm's way when pressured, as evidenced by the overtime interception that likely cost the G-Men the game on Sunday. I’ll take a pissed off Chiefs unit in prime time trying to avoid going 0-3 like a suburban dad tries avoiding Taylor Swift concert tickets for his tween daughters.
Green Bay Packers (GB, 54%) @ CLE — This is the best defense in football. Are they the best for fantasy? Not yet. It’s just a matter of time for this unit, which ranks second in sacks (8) and is top five in QB pressure (20%). The Browns and Joe Flacco have turned the ball over twice in each contest this year. If Green Bay is available, add them. They’ll have a field day with an immobile Flacco this week, which should lead to a top-10 finish. The following two weeks include a road game at Dallas (who is without their starting center) and then a Week 5 bye. If you have the room to hold the Packers, their post-bye run is as delicious as Wisconsin cheddar. They get the Jake Browning-led Bengals, followed by the Cardinals, Steelers, and Panthers.
Top Targets
Indianapolis Colts (Ind, 7%) — Some box score D/ST analysts might shun the Colts after a 1-point effort against the Broncos. Not me, Playboy. We’re saddling up against the Titans, who in the young season allow the most points to opposing D/STs. I wish I could give you some crazy stat about the Colts' pressure rate or air yards allowed, but they don’t shine in any particular category. This is simply a play on a hot young team going against a Titans crew that has allowed 11 sacks in two weeks. Sometimes we don’t have to overthink things.
Seattle Seahawks (Sea 24%) — OK, you want stats? Seattle’s got stats. Third in the league in hurries. First in QB knockdowns. Top-5 in pressure rate. This week, Seattle faces Spencer Rattler and the fast-paced Saints. I’ll give credit where it’s due. The Saints' offense hasn’t been a total dumpster fire. They move the ball. But I’m still always betting against Rattler. I like the chances for a blow-up spot for the Saints' young QB in the Pacific Northwest among the full-throated 12s. Seattle has picked off two passes in each of their games to start the year.
Atlanta Falcons (Atl, 1%) — I mocked the Falcons for years as they neglected their pass rush in the draft and free agency. Well, they shut me up this year as they added the needed pieces to finally get after the quarterback. They won’t get six sacks every week, but Week 2 was a glimpse into what this unit can do this year. This week, they face the Panthers, who lost their center and right guard to injured reserve. Pressure in the face of an already tiny Bryce Young doesn’t bode well for Carolina. The Falcons allow a league-low 52.8% completion percentage and a bottom-three QB passer rating. The young pass rush duo of James Pearce and Jalon Walker is an excellent complement to Leonard Floyd. The Falcons have seven sacks through two games, which is reason enough for that 1% ownership to shoot up. Carolina has allowed double-digit points to opposing D/STs in both games this year.
Going Deeper
Arizona Cardinals (Ari, 46%) — The Cards head to Levi’s Stadium to tangle with Mac Jones and the banged-up 49ers. It’s literally the walking wounded in the Bay as every week brings a longer list of beat-up players. San Fran could be without FB Kyle Juszczyk, who is in the concussion protocol. Starting left guard Ben Bartch has a high ankle sprain. He’ll be replaced by a 7th-round rookie. They’ll also likely be down to their third-string left tackle if Trent Williams can’t play due to his injured knee. Needless to say, it’s an opportunity for Arizona to strike. If you’re looking at the long haul, the next two weeks bring matchups with Seattle and Tennessee.
Cincinnati Bengals (Cin, 7%) — The Bengals defense isn’t good. I’m not going to try to sell you a used car with 200,000 miles on it here. What I’m offering is a Vikings team led by Carson Wentz. Interested yet? Last week, Minnesota allowed six sacks, partly why Wentz is filling in. Wentz is going to take sacks and throw picks. That’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler. Also missing from the Vikings lineup will be RB Aaron Jones and the suspended Jordan Addison. Up front, the Vikes are going to be without their starting center and will start a third-string left tackle. Trey Hendrickson is going to earn that new contract in one night.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB, 7%) — We could be looking at Tyrod Taylor time in the Big Apple. Justin Fields is in the concussion protocol, which means Taylor is in line for the Week 3 start in the balmy heat of Tampa. In mop-up duty on Sunday, Taylor took a pair of sacks while attempting 11 passes. While one of the better backups in the league, he’s still a backup. Tampa’s D/ST isn’t elite, but they’ll blitz the bejesus out of a second-string signal caller.
Place Kickers
Higher-owned Options
Cam Little (Jac, 17%) — Little has back-to-back multiple field goal outings in his first two games this season. In Week 1, he booted four field goals, and last week he nailed two more. Two of his six field goals have been bonus range variety. QB Trevor Lawrence does not appear to be on the same page as head coach Liam Coen, and the Jaguars' offense sputters enough to give Little plenty of field goal opportunities. His big leg should allow him a sufficient amount of bonus range attempts.
Top Targets
Chad Ryland (Ari, 14%) — Ryland also has back-to-back multiple field goal outings to start the 2025 season. Although his two field goal games in Week 1 and Week 2 may not seem particularly noteworthy, there is a silver lining in his statistics. Of the four field goals Ryland has made this year, three of them are from the bonus range, with one from 50 yards. Going on the road against San Francisco next week should be beneficial for Ryland, as a tough 49ers defense could limit the Cardinals' offense and give Ryland multiple field goal opportunities.
Going Deeper
John Parker Romo (Atl, 0%) — Younghoe Koo, who? Parker Romo was elevated from the practice squad before the Falcons traveled to Minnesota this week. He kicked for the Vikings last year, so he knew the stadium well. It was an excellent move by the Falcons as Parker Romo finished with a perfect five-of-five field goals, with one coming from 54 yards. He did add an extra point. This performance should allow him the kicking duties next week on the road against Carolina.
Tom Simons contributed the PK writeups.
