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 eight 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
Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, BYE
After scoring 17 fantasy points en route to a DST2 finish in week four, the Falcons DST have scored a total of 13 fantasy points in their last four games. Hopefully, the following three weeks can bring the upside fantasy managers need when streaming DST. The Falcons’ first matchup comes against the imploding Cowboys offense that narrowly avoided disaster in week 8 by scoring two quick TDs late in the game after the opponent was already home in bed, comfortable with their win. If the Cowboys start late again, expect the Falcons DST to keep the pedal down and force Dallas to earn yards for the remainder of the game The following week brings the Saints, the very team Atlanta scored their massive 17 points against in week four but now missing key playmakers on the offense. If Atlanta even brings 60% of that performance, it will pay off for fantasy managers. The surging Broncos could offer the most resistance to Atlanta, putting together three quality performances in a row. However, with young QBs, you always have a chance, especially if you can rush the pass. Unfortunately, Atlanta is dead last in sack % through this point. Hopefully, the Falcons’ DST can take advantage of these great matchups and deliver for our fantasy teams.
New Orleans Saints: Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, BYE
Anytime two of your next three matchups come against D2 teams like the Panthers and Browns; it will not be a surprise when you’re among the top teams listed in this weekly article. The Panthers are downright terrible, currently pacing for the largest point deferential in NFL history. With veteran WR Diontae Johnson now shipping to Baltimore, the Panthers should offer an even better matchup to their opponents. Jameis Winston has already vastly outperformed Deshaun Watson since filling in for injury, but I do not believe just the QB change is grounds to fade Cleveland opponents. Cleveland remains a high turnover team that struggles to move the ball effectively and will continue to provide one of the best weekly matchups for fantasy managers to exploit.
Carolina Panthers: New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, BYE, Kansas City Chiefs
I wish we could trust this upcoming matchup schedule for the Panthers to provide solid upside, but unfortunately, with how this team plays, it’s impossible. Carolina has been far and away the worst fantasy DST this season, averaging a mere 1.3 points per game and scoring zero or less in 50% of their matchups. Despite the schedule, I cannot recommend starting the Panthers DST for any reason other than pure desperation.
Minnesota Vikings: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears
The Vikings DST had their first tough game of the year last week, for the first time scoring less than 8 fantasy points. The even worse part is they scored only 1 fantasy point!! These next few weeks should help the Vikings remind fantasy managers why they are the #1 DST in FPPG. The Colts announced today they are benching Anthony Richardson in favor of 39-year-old Joe Flacco. Flacco being under center doesn’t help the Vikings against the pass it does the opposite, but it does take away AR15’s rushing threat and make the team more one-dimensional. The Jags lost a bevy of pass catchers this last week with Christian Kirk out for the season, with Gabe Davis and star rookie Brian Thomas Jr. also pegged to miss time. This instant drop in talent along the offense only makes for a more tantalizing matchup for the Vikes. We all know about the Titans handing opposing DST fantasy points on a silver platter, and Chicago and Caleb Williams performed under expectation against a weak Commanders defense in week 8. All in all, we have four above-average to terrific upcoming matchups for the Vikings.
*BONUS TEAM*
Los Angeles Chargers: Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens
When I ran my numbers for this week’s article and saw the Chargers didn’t have a beneficial enough schedule to make the list, I couldn’t do that to our readers. The Chargers’ next two weeks are PHENOMENAL. The Browns and Titans have remained the two top options for opposing DST, and both allow teams to average 10+ fantasy points per game. Essentially, what I’m saying is you could average WR3 production from the Chargers’ DST over the next two weeks, something all fantasy managers should be looking for. In the weeks against Cinci & Baltimore, we will have to relegate LA down to the bench or waivers, but the two weeks prior are among the best two-week stretches facing any DST this season.
Best of the Rest
Washington Commanders: NY Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philidelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
Through the 2024 season, the Commanders’ DST has slowly improved from league-worst to about average. This improvement should continue over the next four weeks, with multiple positive matchups on the horizon for the team. The Giants are still sticking with QB Daniel Jones, a decision sure to please fantasy managers going against the Giants’ offense. The two-week Pennsylvania tour will offer some challenges to Washington, with both the Steelers and Eagles steadily improving the explosiveness of their offenses over the previous few weeks. The Cowboys, on the other hand, looked primed for full-blown collapse, and a loss to the Commanders in week 12 could be the nail in the coffin of their season. Look for the Commanders to show out in their divisional matchups and hang tough in the others, making a semi-useful fantasy asset over the next month.
Miami Dolphins: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots
This four-week stretch is not as beneficial for the Dolphins and their managers as it appeared two weeks ago. The Bills have continued wielding one of the most potent offensive attacks in the NFL, but nobody was planning on playing the Dolphins against them anyway. (Or so I hope) The Rams are the biggest difference, who, in one week, went from a trainwreck of an offense to a danger to the opponents by simply adding a few injured players back into the starting lineup. The Raiders and Patriots, however, have done no such adding to their roster. In fact, for the most part, they’ve shipped assets away. Both of these teams struggle immensely and will provide fantasy managers with terrific opportunities to utilize the Miami DST over the coming month.
New England Patriots: Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, LA Rams, Miami Dolphins
If they’re playing the Titans, load ’em up. Week 9 provides one of the few winnable games to the Patriots and offers their DST a wonderful opportunity to score fantasy points. The Bears rookie QB has been inconsistent, and facing a Patriots team historically known for success against rookies can be daunting for any player. The Rams and Dolphins both received a massive jumpstart to their offenses in the past week and will look to continue to build off the successes they experienced with those pieces back in the lineup. The Patriots appear usable but do so with caution against all opponents but the Titans over the next month.
Week 9 Only
Cincinnati Bengals: Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, BYE
As the 25th-ranked scoring DST in fantasy through 8 weeks, not much has gone right for the Bengals’ defense in 2024. However, they proved they can capitalize on easy matchups by scoring 15 fantasy points against the Browns two weeks ago. In Week 9, the Bengals get an equally easy matchup facing the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are currently the 2nd most favorable matchup for fantasy DSTs and allow an average of over 11 points to the opposition. The lack of playmakers paired with the Raiders’ subpar QB play provides one of the best matchups on the week for the struggling Bengals’ defense.
Photos by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire, Dave Adomson/Unsplash, and Ben Hershey/Unsplash | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)