One of the biggest strategies in fantasy football is streaming defenses. Each week owners will look at matchups and make waiver wire acquisitions to find their starting defense. Here are fantasy football defenses to stream week 5. (Note: All defenses mentioned are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Stats from before Monday Night Football)
1. Chicago Bears
The Bears have the third-ranked fantasy defense in the league. They score 10.8 points per game. Chicago notched one double-digit scoring performance, which came week 1 against the Titans, when they tallied 26 points. They have no negative-scoring performances this year.
In week 5, the Bears play the Carolina Panthers. While the Panthers have had a jolt to the offense after inserting Andy Dalton into the lineup, they still average just 18.3 points per game. Dalton’s success will likely taper off the longer he is in the starting lineup and the Bears have a talented defense that can make things tough. They are rostered in just 37.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has the 12th-ranked fantasy defense in the league at 9.3 points per game. They have two double-digit scoring performances, which came against Denver and Miami. So far, the Seahawks have no negative-scoring games.
The Seahawks play the New York Giants in week 5. Seattle will be on a short week, while the Giants will have extra time to prepare after being on Thursday Night Football in week 4. The Giants score just 15 points per game, so the Seahawks could have another big game in store. They are rostered in just 35.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
3. New England Patriots
The Patriots are the 24th-ranked fantasy defense at 3.8 points per game. They have one double-digit scoring game, which was against Cincinnati in week 1. New England had a negative-scoring game against the Jets in week 2.
For their week 5 matchup, the Patriots play the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins will be on a short week after playing on Monday Night Football. Their offense has struggled since Tua Tagovailoa has missed time with a concussion. The Patriots can keep the game low-scoring and possibly score some points. The Patriots are rostered in just 2.1 percent of ESPN leagues.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas has the 27th-ranked fantasy defense this season at 2.5 points per game. They have one double-digit scoring performance, doing so against the Browns in week 4. The Raiders have a -4-point performance, which was in week 3 against the Panthers.
In week 5, the Raiders play the Denver Broncos. While Bo Nix has helped the team pick up some wins, the offense is averaging just 15.5 points per game. He has been turnover-prone early in his career and the Raiders will want to emphasize that. The Raiders are rostered in 44.1 percent of ESPN leagues.
5. Washington Commanders
Washington is the 29th-ranked fantasy defense in the league, as they average 1.8 points per game. They have no double-digit games and do have two negative-scoring games. Their bad games were against the Bucs and Bengals.
The week 5 matchup for the Commanders is with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland is scoring just 16.5 points per game and haven’t been efficient. Dan Quinn will have the defense ready for the matchup, as they can take advantage. They are rostered in just 1.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
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