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Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
**Chicago has a good matchup in Week 10 and should be played over rent-a-defenses but is assumed to be rostered**
Week 9 Results
Kansas City (at Cleveland) - 2 sacks, 1 INT
Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense made more sense under Freddie Kitchens, so the Chiefs D/ST had a quiet day in a quiet week for D/ST scoring.
A Look Ahead: ARI @LAR BYE - I’ll still take my chances with them this week against another rookie quarterback.
Carolina (vs Tampa Bay) - 3 sacks, 2 INT
Fitzmagic was working in the second half, but had a slow start, and that was enough for the Panthers to put up one of the ten best D/ST scores of Week 9.
A Look Ahead: @PIT @DET SEA - We’ll come back to the Panthers with their strong linebacker group and young cornerback duo, but not this week at Pittsburgh.
Washington (vs Atlanta) - 2 sacks, 1 INT
Not a total loss, but a massive disappointment as the Washington offense didn’t get on track and the Washington defense was run ragged by the Falcons.
A Look Ahead: @TB HOU @DAL - It will be hard to trust the Washington defense going forward.
Dallas (vs Tennessee) - 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
The Cowboys got off to a rousing start and looked like they would be one of the best D/ST plays of Week 9. They were humbled in the second half, but still posted enough to be a top 10 D/ST play in most scoring systems.
A Look Ahead: @PHI @ATL WAS - We may come back to them in Week 12.
Seattle (vs Los Angeles Chargers) - 2 sacks
A disaster here as the Seahawks home field advantage was no match for Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon
A Look Ahead: @LAR GB @CAR - No thanks.
Minnesota (vs Detroit) - 10 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
Matthew Stafford gifted the Vikings their defensive score, but it was still a dominant performance by a finally healthy Vikings defensive line.
A Look Ahead: BYE @CHI GB - The Vikings are a good default D/ST going forward and worth picking up if they are dropped during their bye.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Miami (vs New York Jets) - 4 sacks, 4 INT, 1 DEF TD
What happens when a bad defense faces a bad quarterback? A D/ST bonanza, that’s what.
Los Angeles Chargers (at Seattle) - 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
The Chargers defense got the rare pick six off of Russell Wilson via a good read from Desmond King and held on for the win
San Francisco (vs Oakland) - 8 sacks, 3 pts allowed
Nick Mullens rises all tides. We’ll consider the team facing the Raiders every week.
Week 10 Candidates
**Chicago has a good matchup in Week 10 and should be played over rent-a-defenses but is assumed to be rostered**
Los Angeles Chargers (at Oakland)
Oakland’s offense is only looking down at the Bills right now, and we all know what they have done for our lineups when we plug in the D/ST that is facing them. The Chargers D/ST has been a good play three of the last four weeks, look for it to become four of five.
A Look Ahead: DEN ARI @PIT - The Chargers D/ST can stay in our lineups until they let us down
Kansas City (vs Arizona)
The Chiefs D/ST is a bit of a boom/bust play, but this week has signs pointing to a boom. They are at home where they have had three of their biggest four performances this year, and they are facing a rookie quarterback who errs on the side of being bold in Josh Rosen.
A Look Ahead: @LAR BYE @OAK - That Oakland matchup is juicy, but probably not worth carrying the Chiefs for two weeks. Drop em and hope they are there in Week 13
Philadelphia (vs Dallas)
The Eagles D/ST has been quiet this year, but the Cowboys have been a good matchup for D/ST’s the last two games and the Eagles are at home coming off of a bye. There hasn’t been a D/ST outburst at home yet for the Eagles, but they have faced Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck, Kirk Cousins, and Cam Newton.
A Look Ahead: @NO NYG WAS - If the Eagles defense regains 2017 form this week it will be tempting to hold them through Week 13 and pick up a one-week play to dodge the Saints next week.
Green Bay (vs Miami)
The Packers have had two good and two other useful D/ST weeks this year, which just happen to be their four home games played to date. They face Brock Osweiler this week at home.
A Look Ahead: @SEA @MIN ARI - We’ll come back to them in Week 13
San Francisco (vs New York Giants)
The 49ers D/ST has been ballin the last two weeks, with an eight-sack game against the Raiders and a three sack, two takeaway, and a safety game against the Cardinals. This week brings a Giants team in disarray going into their bye on Monday night. In Nick Mullens we trust.
A Look Ahead: BYE @TB @SEA - Bye
New York Jets (vs Buffalo)
Why is the D/ST facing the Bills so low? For one, it looks like Derek Anderson, their “best” quarterback, will start. For two, Anderson’s poor play has come trying to erase huge deficits, something the Jets might have trouble building this week. For three, the Jets have been a useless D/ST over the last three weeks. If the above options are gone, the Jets are still worth a look, and maybe over the 49ers too.
A Look Ahead: BYE NE @TEN - Buffalo is up again in Week 14
Buffalo (at New York Jets)
Why not the Bills D/ST? They’ve had two big games, both on the road, and the Jets made the Dolphins look like the 85 Bears last week.
A Look Ahead: BYE JAX @MIA - The Bills D/ST will get some attention from us after the bye if they do well this week.
Week 11 Preemptive Pickups
Arizona (vs Oakland)
Playoffs Preemptive Pickups
Week 14
- Kansas City (vs Baltimore)
- New York Jets (at Buffalo)
- Buffalo (vs New York Jets)
- Pittsburgh (at Oakland)
Week 15
- Kansas City (vs Los Angeles Chargers)
- Houston (at New York Jets)
- Cincinnati (vs Oakland)
- Minnesota (vs Miami)
Week 16
- New England (vs Buffalo)
