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.
Week 9 Defenses to Stream
Tennessee DEF (48% owned) @ Carolina
This is a tough one for me because I can’t understand why Tennessee is even available. They are a top ten fantasy defense on the season in most scoring formats. I’m not saying they are a surefire must own team, but teams like the Chargers and Cowboys are owned in more leagues, despite being significantly worse. This is an interesting match-up because the Titans are strong against the run, but Christian McCaffrey is having an MVP-caliber season. However, last week, in his first game against a legitimate defense, Kyle Allen was seriously exposed. In five games, Allen has fumbled six times and thrown three interceptions. A strong defense should take him down for a good fantasy score.
New York Jets DEF (30% owned) @ Miami
My rule for the 2019 season has been to start the team playing the Miami Dolphins, who have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. But what do you do when the team playing the Dolphins is also the team that has given up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses? Do you know what you don’t do? You don’t start the Dolphins because they are terrible and have been the worst fantasy defense is just about every format. At least the Jets are middling at times. Don’t get me wrong: they are bad, too. Just not as bad as the Dolphins, which is why they are my number one defense to stream in week 9.
Denver DEF (27% owned) vs. Cleveland
If you feel like you need to avoid the New York Jets, I completely understand. I don’t blame you. Lucky for you, the Denver Broncos are pretty good at making opposing quarterbacks look foolish. In week nine, they are playing a Baker Mayfield-led Cleveland Browns team that hasn’t needed a fantasy defense to make him play poorly. The Cleveland Browns are riddled with offensive line problems and have given up the third-most fantasy points to opposing defenses.
Want more hard-hitting advice from fantasy experts who understand deeper leagues? Follow us on Twitter and join our Discord
