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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.
Week 8 Results
Dallas (vs Washington - MNF) - 3 sacks, 1 INT
Colt McCoy played maybe the best game of his career and Washington knocked Tony Romo out of a good part of this game. Be happy you got away with five points in most scoring systems if you started Dallas
A Look Ahead: ARI @JAX BYE - Carson Palmer is coming on, the Cowboys lost another linebacker. Stay away from your lineup, but maybe hold them for Week 10 against Jacksonville.
Miami (vs Jacksonville) - 4 sacks, 2 INT, 2 fumble recovery, 2 DEF TD
Yahtzee! Sometimes it is just as easy as following the prevailing trend. Blake Bortles pays off like a rigged slot machine.
A Look Ahead: SD @DET BUF - Philip Rivers is not a rigged slot machine. Miami can have some good defensive games at home, but there are better plays out there.
Buffalo (at New York Jets) - 4 sacks, 4 INT, 2 fumble recoveries
It doesn’t matter which Jets quarterback plays, the turnovers will make our D/ST cup runneth over.
A Look Ahead: BYE KC @MIA - The Bills are on bye, but they have been one of the better D/STs this year, so we will revisit them as an option later this year.
Seattle (at Carolina) - 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
The Seahawks didn’t give up a touchdown and kept the Panthers offense in check, but didn’t have that signature big play we’ve been looking for from their defense.
A Look Ahead: OAK NYG @KC - You picked them up last week mainly to have them for the next two games.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Kansas City (vs St. Louis) - 7 sacks, 1 INT, 1 ST TD
The Chiefs at Arrowhead are one of the better bets in D/ST play when they are on, and they are on now, with Knile Davis kick returns adding potential value.
Minnesota (at Tampa) - 5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
An otherwise ok, but nondescript D/ST performance by the Vikings became a week winner for some fantasy teams with a walk-off strip/recovery/score by rookie LB Anthony Barr in overtime.
Pittsburgh (vs Indianapolis) - 2 sacks, 2 INT, 1 DEF TD, 1 safety
Staked to a huge lead and having speed demon Ryan Shazier back in the middle of the defense helped the Steelers defense have their biggest game in a long time.
New England (vs Chicago) - 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD
The Bears couldn’t do anything right in Week 8, so even the Patriots defense, hold the Mayo (and Chandler Jones) broke through for a big day against them.
Week 9 Candidates
**Play Seattle over any rent-a-defense except Kansas City and Cincinnati**
Cincinnati (vs Jacksonville)
Play every D/ST that faces the Jaguars, rinse, repeat. Last week they moved very close to, if not ahead of the Eagles as the top D/ST this year, depending on scoring system. In case you’re wondering, it’s Dallas next week.
A look ahead: CLE @NO @HOU - If the Bengals come through for you this week, they will be a viable play next week
Kansas City (vs New York Jets)
A no brainer, kind of like the Jets quarterback play lately. Watch the Jets shock us with an actual competent game on offense.
A look ahead: @BUF SEA @OAK - Will probably want to toss them back after this feeding frenzy
San Francisco (vs St. Louis)
The 49ers D/ST was drafted in every league, but they could have easily been dropped in a bye week crunch, or even before as they’ve only been a good play in three of seven games. Look for that to become four of eight this week. They could even get Aldon Smith back soon.
A look ahead: @NO @NYG WAS - At the Superdome is no place to have your D/ST playing, but we could come back to the 49ers D/ST as they start to get closer to full strength.
Minnesota (vs Washington)
Colt McCoy’s plucky play against the Cowboys was inspiring, but he could turn back into, well, Colt McCoy this week. The Vikings have 15 sacks in the last three games, with no less than four in any of them.
A look ahead: BYE @CHI GB - One and done if you play them this week.
Houston (vs Philadelphia)
Nick Foles is not exactly careful about his choices, and the Texans defense has JJ Watt (and Jadeveon Clowney). That should be enough to give them a shot at home. The Texans have only had one game below five points in typical D/ST scoring, so they are also a “safe” play.
A look ahead: BYE @CLE CIN - You can’t use them next week, but if the Texans D/ST is a solid play again this week, it might be in the interest of contending teams to hold them.
Week 10 Pre-emptive Pickups
If you like to devote two roster spots to a D/ST, or you suspect other teams are going to stream defenses this year, you might want to grab a top option for the following week to stash away. Here are the best ones to target:
Dallas (at Jacksonville)
Baltimore (vs Tennessee)
Pittsburgh (at NY Jets)
Denver (at Oakland)
Arizona (vs St. Louis)
