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 with strong defenses as we are with finding defenses that play terrible offenses. Bad offenses are more likely to keep playing badly because if they knew how to be good, they would already be good. Based on this flawless logic, I will highlight the best streaming options each week.
Carolina Panthers DEF (9% owned) @ Cleveland Browns
The good news is if you read this article last week, you probably already have the Carolina Panthers, the DST1 of week 2. The better news is that they are playing the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, making them a top option for Week 3. The best news is that even if you didn’t grab them last week, they are probably available in your league this week! The Browns are bad at football. They’ve given up the third-most sacks and have scored the eighth-fewest points in football.
Green Bay Packers DEF (36% owned) @ Atlanta Falcons
THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL! Bad news, everyone. Cooper Rush will not be starting in week 3 against the Falcons. The good news is Michael Penix is only moderately better. Through two weeks, the Falcons are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing defenses. They have given up the third-most sacks on offense, have the most turnovers, and have scored the least fantasy points. Yes, a lot of this is Cooper Rush. It is worth noting that through two seasons, Penix has a 1:1 touchdown-to-turnover ratio. Falcons might be the worst team in football, which makes the Packers one of the best streaming options for Week 3.
Cincinnati Bengals DEF (8% owned) @ Pittsburgh Steelers
It is weird for me to write this, but the Cincinnati Bengals might be *gasp* good at defense. They have the most sacks, the third-most turnovers, and a top-ten scoring defense. Adding Jonathan Allan and Dexter Lawrence has made this team significantly better. However, we aren’t here because the Bengals are good. We are here because the Steelers are bad. The Steelers have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. They are the second-worst scoring offense in football and, through two games, have given up seven sacks and four turnovers. Really, all three of the streaming options are available, and all feel like great options, but I especially like this one because it lets me bet on Aaron Rodgers being bad.
