Best Defensive Matchups Weeks 5-8

One of the most difficult positions to draft in fantasy football is your defense, or a team’s defense & special teams. The chances of finding a defense you can set and forget in your lineup are minimal, so many fantasy managers resort to “streaming” defenses. Streaming refers to consistently adding and dropping players at a given position to attempt to field weekly high-upside starters.  Successful streaming relies on the manager’s ability to identify short-term potential, as most streaming targets are utilized briefly before being replaced in favor of better matchups.

This article will examine defenses best positioned to bring your team success over the next four weeks. Yahoo Fantasy has three defenses above 95% ownership: the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Jets. I will exclude these defenses because the managers who own them are likely not looking to stream the position. Let’s dive in!

 

Multi-Week Starters

 

New England Patriots: Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, NY Jets

It’s never fun to begin an article like this by highlighting the upcoming schedules of the 22nd and 28th-ranked fantasy DST. However, I’m here to look at positive forthcoming schedules for all of the teams in the league, and despite the Patriots & Bengals’ poor performance so far, the schedules offered bring hope for better outcomes. Starting with the Patriots, who have three straight matchups against teams ranked bottom-12 in fantasy points allowed to opposing DST. Since losing QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have allowed opposing defenses to score double-digit fantasy points in both contests and HC Mike McDaniels comments on Monday calling the team “not good enough” won’t lend any positivity to the fans’ minds. The Texans have been one of the most confusing teams to plan against for fantasy, with their all-star cast of weapons and young QB not translating to fantasy success. Former #1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence and the Jags have been struggling mightily to begin the year. A matchup with the surprisingly stingy New England defense could spell success for fantasy managers.

 

Cincinnati Bengals: Baltimore Ravens, NY Giants, Cleveland Browns, Philidelphia Eagles

Through four weeks of the 2024 season, it’s obvious to most people watching the games that Cincinnati’s defense severely underperforming. After a dangerous Week 5 matchup with the ground-and-pound Baltimore Ravens and RB Derrick Henry, the Bengals’ schedule heads straight into three matchups with teams ranked in the bottom nine fantasy points allowed to opposing defenses. Giants’ star rookie WR Malik Nabers is currently out with a concussion, and if he cannot return before the game against the Bengals that matchup looks even juicier. The Browns have one of the least competent offenses in the NFL through four weeks and are another wonderful matchup for the Bengals’ defense. The Eagles present a challenge if their missing star WRs AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are back in the lineups by Week 8. Even if those stars return, the Eagles have been turnover prone and Cinci’s DST may squeak out a third usable week in a row for your fantasy teams.

 

Green Bay Packers: LA Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Packers have been a huge surprise in DST scoring, currently second to only their division opponent Minnesota Vikings in points-per-game amongst fantasy DSTs. Looking toward the future, they can easily maintain that position over the next few weeks. With three of the four matchups coming against the bottom-12 teams in fantasy points allowed to opposing DST and the fourth coming against the Cardinals who allowed seven points to the Commanders’ 32nd-ranked DST last week, it’s easy to imagine why the Packers can maintain their status as a top option for fantasy managers. Look for the Packers to be frequently mentioned in weekly top-10 rankings over the next month.

 

Some Good, Some Bad

 

Philidelphia Eagles: BYE, Cleveland Browns, NY Giants, Cincinnati Bengals

After a rocky start to the season, the early BYE week may be just what the doctor ordered for HC Nick Sirianni and the Eagles. After a brutal week four defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Bucs that saw the defense allow 450 yards and 29 first downs, the team will be looking to use the BYE to regroup and hopefully add some missing pieces back into the offense. If the Eagles’ defense can use this week to come together and strengthen, the following three matchups offer great upside for fantasy managers. The Browns and Giants struggle to move the ball down the field, and Philidelphia’s stout defensive line should force the ball into the hands of Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones, two of the most turnover-prone QBs in the NFL. While the Bengals look to be rebounding from their early season struggles, they still have an abysmal offensive line that offers great upside to their opponents each week.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers

As you’re reading this, you may wonder if I just chose the worst-performing DST through four weeks to write this article about, but I promise I didn’t. You may also want to keep that in mind for the next few teams because while they haven’t performed well, the schedules ahead may change the trajectory of the team’s season. Looking at the Jags’ upcoming schedule, we have a good matchup sandwich on our hands. The first matchup against the Colts brings with it a set of questions we don’t have the answers to yet. Will Anthony Richardson or Joe Facco start? How serious is Jonathan Taylor’s ankle sprain? These questions can dramatically swing the playability of the Jags’ DST this week. Two beautiful matchups against struggling rookie Caleb Williams and the inept New England Patriots will surely have the Jaguars ranked as top-10 consensus matchups in Weeks 6 & 7. Week 8 brings us back to the bad matchups with Jordan Love and the explosive Packers coming to town, most likely forcing managers to look elsewhere for DST help.

 

Carolina Panthers: Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos 

Since benching former #1 overall draft pick Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton the Panthers look like a brand new team on both sides of the ball. The Panthers’ upcoming schedule is the opposite of the Jaguars above, where now we’re seeing a bad matchup sandwich. The Week 5 matchup against the Bears’ struggling offense will provide ample opportunity to create turnovers and sacks against the sub-par offensive line of the Bears. Back-to-back matchups against top-10 offenses in points allowed to DST will have managers shying away from the Panthers’ defense before the matchup with the Broncos. The Broncos have been a stifling defense through four weeks but have left a lot on the field when it comes to the offense. If Denver is still struggling by Week 8, fire up the Panthers’ defense with confidence.

 

Washington Commanders: Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears

Someone should look this up and find out if it’s ever been done before; through four weeks the Commanders’ DST is the lowest scoring in the NFL while their offense is allowing the lowest points-per-game to opposing DST. The Commies will be looking to use their upcoming schedule to attempt to batten down the issues in their secondary. A week five matchup against Deshaun Watson and the Browns will provide a terrific opportunity to do so, with Cleveland currently 31st in the league in yards per game as an offense. The following week will see the Commanders relegated back to most leagues’ waiver wires as Washington travels up I95 to visit Baltimore and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. It remains to be seen what Carolina team will arrive in Week 7, but regardless the matchup between the top 2 picks in 2024’s NFL draft in Week 8 provides ample opportunity for the Commies DST to perform well for fantasy managers.

 

Las Vegas Raiders: Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, LA Rams, KC Chiefs

Another bottom-of-the-barrel DST with a good upcoming schedule that fantasy managers can exploit. A divisional matchup with the Broncos offers the Raiders a chance to unleash their best positional group, the defensive line. Making rookie QB Bo Nix uncomfortable has proven a recipe for success and the Raiders will look to follow the blueprint. Matching up with the heavily injured Rams in Week 7 presents a similar upside for Las Vegas. The Rams are already missing three starting offensive linemen, as well as their star WRs Cooper Kupp & Puka Nacua. After losing NFL target leader Rashee Rice, the Chiefs are not scaring opposing teams as much, giving fantasy managers hope when matchup up against them.

 

Buffalo Bills: Houston Texans, NY Jets, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks

After a beatdown on Sunday night courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills defense will look to get back on track with multiple positive upcoming matchups. The Texans and Jets are currently middle of the pack in points allowed to DST, but the Bills’ high-powered offense led by QB Josh Allen will be looking to establish the run and keep Rodgers and Stroud on the sideline. Everyone’s favorite matchup in the Titans comes to town next, bringing an astronomical 14.5 points allowed! The Seahawks also rank in the bottom half of the league in ppg allowed to opposing DST, giving all four matchups reason for fantasy managers to feel confident moving forward.

 

Denver Broncos: Las Vegas Raiders, LA Chargers, NO Saints, Carolina Panthers

The Broncos defense has been fantastic to start the year, currently ranked #4 in points scored and scoring double-digit fantasy points in three of four games. Can they keep this dominance up? The next few weeks offer hope that the answer is yes. Beginning with the Raiders’ bottom-five ranked team in fantasy points allowed to DST is exactly what fantasy managers want to see when streaming defenses. Following up with three matchups against middle-of-the-pack offenses should keep the Broncos consistently placed highly in weekly rankings moving forward.

 

Week 5 Only

 

Miami Dolphins: New England Patriots, BYE, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals

If you’re brand new to NFL fandom or have simply been living under a rock for the last few months I will try and make this short and sweet for you. The Patriots are really really bad at football. They have no offensive line and Jacoby Brissett looks afraid to move the ball down the field. With rumors of Drake Maye potentially starting soon being generally unconfirmed by team staff, we can assume it’s another week of Jacoby in the matchup against the Dolphins in Week 5. Any team playing against the Pats deserves a look from fantasy managers, and will probably pay off well for them if they choose to start the Dolphins DST.

 

Seattle Seahawks: NY Giants, San Fransisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills

The Seahawks’ defense has been a surprise to many in 2024, currently ranked #2 by PFF in overall defensive rating. While Weeks 6-8 matchups look poised to lower that rating, the week five matchup against the New York Giants offers a great opportunity for fantasy managers. With Malik Nabers probable to be sidelined due to a concussion, the weapons available to the Giants will be seriously lacking on the talent side. This lack of weapons mixed with Daniel Jones’ turnover-friendly play creates a perfect storm for fantasy managers to receive good production from the Seahawks DST.

 

Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)