One of the most difficult positions to draft in fantasy football is your DST, or a team’s defense & special teams. The chances of finding a DST 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.
To help identify matchup strength, I used a combination of stats from the first seven weeks of the NFL season since I knew I needed multiple sources to make a respectable aggregate ranking. I first charted fantasy points allowed to the DST position using FantasyPros. For that list, I assigned numerical values 1-32 that corresponded to the team’s current standing vs. the rest of the NFL, with 1 being the worst and 32 being the best. (Example: Tennessee allows the most fantasy points to opposing DST: value 1, Baltimore allows the least: value 32) I then used PFF’s offensive grades as my second data set, assigning numerical values in the same manner. Knowing I wanted a third variable, after some deliberation, I settled on yards-per-play, a measure of the average explosiveness of an offense. Once all three lists had their numerical values, I took each team’s average of the three values to assign an overall offensive score to each team. Those offensive scores were used to calculate an overall matchup score across the next four weeks, which served as the foundation for the rankings below. Enough with the boring stuff, let’s dive in!
Multi-week Starters
Carolina Panthers: Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, BYE
The best upcoming four-game stretch goes to the Panthers despite their DST not being on I would consider rostering outside of the most dire of circumstances. The Panthers are simply too big of underdogs against any and all opponents to trust their DST. If you were going to, the next weeks would be your best opportunity. While the Broncos have been steadily upping their performance week over week, they still have one of the least effective offenses when it comes to moving the ball and scoring points. Since the Saints’ hot start, they have slowly deteriorated into one of the most stagnant offensive games in the NFL. Wide receiver Rasheed Shaheed is out for the year, and we don’t know if Derek Carr will be available for that game. Ending the four weeks with a game against Daniel Jones and the Giants will offer the final positive opportunity for the Panthers before the bye. While Carolina has failed to maintain any usability from the DST position, the next three weeks provide an opportunity for them to change the narrative.
New England Patriots: New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, LA Rams
When a head coach is calling his players “soft” you know the team hasn’t been performing well. Surprisingly for the Pats, the side of the ball struggling over the last two weeks has been the defense. Hopefully, these next four weeks of plus matchups will give the once-elite unit a chance to get back to what it has become known for over the years. The Jets have been one of the best matchups for opposing defenses up to this point in 2024, but the Pats may not have much success facing Breece Hall and the other playmakers. Luckily, the Titans have no player able to create the same impact as those on the Jets and will arrive in Foxborough predictably carrying the #1 fantasy matchup for DSTs. Chicago brings a matchup of rookie quarterbacks giving #1 pick Caleb Williams a chance against a defense that was known for making rookie quarterbacks “see ghosts” on the field. The Rams fell victim to the injury bug early and have yet to recover, providing yet another top matchup for the Patriots’ DST to exploit over the coming weeks.
Los Angeles Chargers: NO Saints, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals
When the Chargers brought in new head coach Jim Harbaugh his arrival also signaled a change in team identity, abandoning a high-flying passing attack for a more traditional ground and pound/defensive focus. The Chargers DST has taken the coaching and ran with it on their way to averaging eight fantasy points per game. The upcoming three-week stretch should see them catapult their way back into the top echelon of fantasy DSTs. Starting with the Saints in Week 8 where it is still unknown the availability of Saints starting QB Derek Carr. Carr’s playing would shift the outlook but not by much as the Saints haven’t been reliable regardless of who is under center. The Browns and Titans should need no explanation here, they’re without a doubt the most fantasy-friendly matchups we want to see for our DST. While Jameis Winston is the new quarterback of the Browns, his past historic 30/30 season offers a reminder that he is plenty of fun to play against in fantasy as well. The Bengals… well we’ll just say be careful playing any defense against the trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.
Arizona Cardinals: Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, BYE
It may surprise you to hear this, I know it surprised me, but the Cardinals are currently the #14 scoring fantasy DST through seven weeks ranked immediately above the Texans and Jets. The way they played against the Chargers on Monday night was impressive, to say the least, and if carried forward over the coming three weeks we could see the Cardinals DST crack the top 10 with relative ease. Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is eligible to return from IR this week, but no reports have surfaced confirming he will play. If Tua is out, the Dolphins provide a top three fantasy opportunity for the Cards. The Bears and the Jets are two teams better known for stifling defense than explosive offense, and those games could turn into slow burns which would allow the Cardinals’ DST to perform well for fantasy managers.
Best of the Rest
Los Angeles Rams: Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, NE Patriots
Despite a slow start and being severely hindered by injury, the Rams’ defense has been surprisingly productive over their last two games, scoring 27 of their 36 total fantasy points in just the two weeks. The next two weeks probably won’t be fun for the Rams, with a slew of elite WRs to match up against. For the game against the Dolphins, Tagovailoa’s potential return from concussion could dramatically change the outlook of the game. The Patriots provide an ever-stable option for opposing DST to beat up on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a lackluster Rams DST looks like the ’85 Bears in their matchup in week 11.
New Orleans Saints: LA Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns
The Saints had one of the steepest falls from grace in recent memory after outscoring their opponents 93-29 over the first two weeks. During the team’s five-game losing streak, the defense has been unable to find traction allowing over 26 points to all opponents but one. Luckily for the Saints, three of their next four matchups come against struggling offenses. The Chargers just got embarrassed after being unable to score a touchdown against the Cardinals. The Panthers might as well throw Bryce Young back out there as they don’t appear primed to win a game against a Power 5 conference school let alone a professional team. The Falcons were one of the hottest offenses in the league before Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks, so watch for them to regain form before the matchup against the Saints. Even with Deshaun Watson sidelined for the remainder of the 2024 season, I still firmly expect the Browns to remain amongst the most beneficial matchups for managers to exploit at the DST position.
Washington Commanders: Chicago Bears, NY Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philidelphia Eagles
The Commanders have quietly been usable as a fantasy option recently, putting up double-digit fantasy points in two of the last three weeks. Those matchups were against the Browns and Panthers so that type of performance is to be expected. In the coming weeks, they will have opportunities to mimic what they have done recently. The matchup against the Giants, a team allowing opponents to average 10 fantasy points per game, stands out as the most beneficial option, but the other weeks may also offer some hope. Rookie quarterback Williams and the Bears have been improving steadily throughout the year. They will look to continue that trend against a Commanders team possibly missing their rookie signal caller.
Minnesota Vikings: LA Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
The Vikings’ DST has been putting up RB2 numbers in 2024 en route to a clear distinction as the #1 defense in fantasy. For the first time, their schedule is going to provide them with beneficial matchups. Over the last month, the Vikings have faced the Lions, Packers, and Texans, all of whom are top-rated offenses in the NFL. In the next month, they will have opportunities to take advantage of some of the lowest-performing QBs and offenses around the league. The Rams injuries have held them back all season and it remains unclear how many of their important pieces will remain sidelined for this game. Back-to-back matchups against AFC South teams bring two young struggling quarterbacks who have been known to be very turnover-prone. Ending with everyone’s favorite, the Titans cement Minnesota’s spot at the top of the DST rankings for the coming future.
Baltimore Ravens: Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Ravens’ upcoming schedule is broken into two two-week blocks, one positive and one negative. The Browns have an opportunity this week to break the mold on their season, currently allowing opponents DSTs to score 11.3 fantasy points per game. New QB Jameis Winston will look to change that, but the Browns’ problems are bigger than just who is under center. The Broncos have been slowly improving as has rookie QB Bo Nix. The Ravens are not an easy matchup, however, and will look to test the young QB throughout the night with its numerous All-Pro caliber players. In the following two matchups, divisional matchups against the Bengals and Steelers will likely be games fantasy managers want to look elsewhere as both teams allow opponents less than 5 fantasy points per game.
Week 8 Only
Pittsburgh Steelers: NY Giants, BYE, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens
It’s no secret that Pittsburgh has one of the league’s strongest DST units. From blocking kicks to sacking the quarterback, they do it all at a high level. The Giants have been a fun matchup to target for your DST, and with starting left tackle Andrew Thomas missing time, the Steelers will be an even better play this week in NY.
Detroit Lions: Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars
Through seven weeks of the 2024 season the Lions remain the only team ranked top five in PFF’s offensive and defensive rankings. While PFF ranking isn’t everything, the team has shown dominance in all areas of the field. Facing the Titans in week 8, the Lions will have an excellent opportunity to finish as a top DST option on the week regardless of who starts at QB for the Titans. The Titans remain the #1 opponent when accounting for fantasy points allowed to the DST position.