Week Two Defense Fantasy Football
Time to discuss week two defense options that are probably on your league’s waiver wire. If you read my article on playing the waiver wire game, you know that it is an essential part of winning your fantasy football league. If you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? I just told you it’s an essential part of winning your fantasy football league! Why do you hate winning?
One of the best ways to maximize your weekly scoring is to stream defenses. This strategy is simple – we aren’t as concerned about good defenses, so much as finding defenses that are playing terrible offenses. Bad offenses are more likely to keep playing bad because if they knew how to be good, they would already be good. Because of this flawless logic, I will be pointing out the best streaming options on a weekly basis.
Chicago DEF (45% owned)
The Chicago Bears are my number one defensive streaming option this week. Last year, the Bears were a top ten fantasy defense. This year, they brought most of that defense back. Then they added the former defensive player of the year Khalil Mack. Last week, they were the 7th best defense in standard scoring leagues. This week, they are playing a Seattle Seahawks team that gave up the 8th most fantasy points to a Denver defense that is very similar in composition to the Chicago Bears. The Chicago Bears defense might not just be a prime candidate for a week two defense, they have the potential to be a plug-and-play option the rest of the season.
New York Jets DEF (3% owned)
The New York Jets are a trickier prospect to assess when it comes to defensive streaming. On the one hand, they scored the most fantasy points of any fantasy defense in week one. On the other hand, the Jets claim to have known which offensive plays the Lions were running because Detroit was telegraphing their plays. That makes it very difficult to tell how good they are as a week two defense option. One thing I do believe is that the Miami Dolphins offense could be a very favorable match-up for the Jets. I feel streaming the New York Jets defense is a high-risk/high-reward type of move.
Carolina DEF (50% owned)
The Carolina Panthers are my second favorite option for week two defense to stream. Even though it didn’t necessarily show up on their fantasy scoreboard, they made the Dallas Cowboys looks silly in week one. In week two, they get to play an Atlanta Falcons team that has already shown in week one how silly they can look. I think the Cowboys offensive line problems and lack of proven talent at wide receiver is going to prove problematic for them when they face the Carolina Panthers.
Bonus: Washington DEF (3% owned)
Washington looked dominating in their week one victory over the Arizona Cardinals. My concern with them is that last year, the Cardinals gave up the 3rd most fantasy points to defenses, so it is hard for me to determine if Washington’s defense looked this good or the Cardinals offense was that bad. This week, Washington is playing an Indianapolis Colts team that is susceptible to sacks and turnovers. Washington is a week two defense I would consider streaming if no better options were available on the waiver wire.
Double Bonus: Dallas DEF (7% owned)
The Dallas Cowboys defense actually had a decent outing against the Carolina Panthers last week. They only gave up 16 points to a team that looked like it was superior in every way. This week, they are playing a New York Giants offense that gave up the 9th most fantasy points to opposing defenses in 2017. This year, they appear to be on a similar path. However, a closer look shows that they were playing a Jacksonville Jaguars team that many believe to be the best defense in football. So while this might look like a possibly favorable week two defense streaming match-up, I suspect that the New York Giants offense is going to prove to be more than the Dallas Cowboys can handle.
