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 a necessary 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 as much as finding defenses that are playing terrible offenses. Bad offenses are more likely to keep playing badly because if they knew how to be good, they would already be good. Due to this flawless logic, I will highlight the best streaming options weekly.
Atlanta Falcons DEF (4% owned) @ San Francisco 49ers
At first glance, this might seem like a crazy take, but the 49ers are not the same 49ers team of years past. If Brock Purdy plays, I might pivot to my other two teams as defensive streamers. However, the Atlanta Falcons are the DST11 on the season. They have the eighth-most turnovers, the seventh-most sacks, and the ninth-fewest points allowed per game. On the other side, the 49ers are injured across the board and are not the offensive powerhouse they have been in the past. They have the third-most turnovers and are scoring the ninth-fewest points per game. A legitimately good defense versus an offense that is injured and mediocre is a very strong play.
Kansas City Chiefs DEF (44% owned) @ Las Vegas Raiders
Last week, we took a break from streaming the defense playing the Raiders because the Raiders were in the favorable position of playing a team that was somehow worse than they were. This week, we are back to targeting an offense that is scoring the third-fewest points per game, has given up the seventh-most sacks, and has the most turnovers in football. Over the last couple of weeks, the Chiefs have seemed to be starting to figure things out, even though their defense has been unremarkable at best. You know what will make your defense look good? Playing the Raiders.
Carolina Panthers DEF (3% owned) @ New York Jets
For the first time this season, the Jets offense has joined the Raiders in being terrible at the three most important phases in football. The Jets are scoring the eighth-fewest points per game, have the second-most sacks, and the eighth-most turnovers. The Carolina Panthers have been quietly improving on defense, and I expect them to become one of the best teams in football.
