Defense Streamers: Week 1
Streaming Defenses is one of the more common practices among fantasy football users. One of the primary reasons for that is the fact you can start an average defense as long as they are playing against a sub-par offense and they will outperform their typical production. Alternatively, even some of the best defenses can struggle when faced with a top offense. Here we will be looking at defenses that are owned in less than 15% of leagues according to NFL.com and why their matchups make them ideal starts this week.
Detroit Lions Defense:
Owned Percentage: 14.5%
Matchup: New York Jets
Analysis: Lions face the Jets and young QB Sam Darnold. Most defenses who play the Jets this year will be worth starting this season unless Darnold does much better than we expect him to. While Darnold has looked good so far this preseason, this week will be his first regular season NFL game. The Jets offense as a whole is really not the most intimidating offense to go up against and defenses were able to put up 9 PPG last year against them. Add in the tendencies of a rookie QB and it looks like the Lions could be a great defense for a spot start this week if they remain available in your league.
New York Giants Defense:
Owned Percentage: 3.8%
Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars
Analysis: The past couple years, with the exception of last season, this would probably have been a no-brainer. The Jaguars offense is among one of the most predictable offenses in the NFL. It revolves around handing the ball to Fournette as many times as they can and relying on Blake Bortles as little as possible. While this plan was somewhat effective last year, they have already lost their #1 WR for the season and Bortles has yet to show enough consistency for us to be scared of him. It is a good assumption that they will get at least one turnover in the game.
Buffalo Bills Defense:
Owned Percentage: 3.9%
Matchup: Baltimore Ravens
Analysis: The Bills have a lot of talent remaining on their defense from last season. They could be a sneaky hidden gem this season given they get to play the Jets’ and Dolphins’ offenses twice a year. While the Ravens seem like they could be a much better offense this season than they have been in recent years, it would not be surprising if they get off to a slow start. The Bills will be a great stream defense this week and they could be worth picking up a couple more times as the season goes on.