One of the biggest strategies in fantasy football is streaming defenses. Each week owners will look at matchups and make waiver wire acquisitions almost every week to find their starting defense. Here are fantasy football defenses to stream in week 4. (Note: All defense mentioned are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues)
The Seahawks are lucky they have a good defense, as their offense isn’t capable of putting up a ton of points. Their defense ranks 14th in the league, but it probably should be higher considering they played the Bengals and then two backup quarterbacks so far this season.
Now the Seahawks get to take on the rookie in Arizona, Kyler Murray. The Cardinals have yet to win a game, even with Murray playing decently. Arizona doesn’t put up a lot of points and Murray already has three interceptions on the season, so the Seahawks should give him some problems. Seattle’s defense is owned in 15.8 percent of ESPN leagues.
Minkah Fitzpatrick (photo by cbssports.com)
Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t the same as years ago, but they are still solid. They have gotten progressively better each game this season, especially because they added Minkah Fitzpatrick this past week. While their offense won’t score many points and the pressure will be on, the Steelers could have a big week.
On Monday night, the Steelers will host the Bengals, who are 0-3. The most points the Bengals have scored all year was in week 1 when they put up 20 against the Seahawks. Cincinnati also has a banged-up offensive line, so the Steelers could have a field day if their pass rushers play well. The defense is owned in 15.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
The Colts are battling injuries, as Malik Hooker is out with a torn meniscus. They still have solid players on defense and rank 20th in fantasy this season. While they are averaging just four points a game, they have played some talented offenses to start the season.
This week the Colts will get to play the Raiders, so it is fair to expect that their defense can score some points. Oakland scored 24 points against the Broncos in week 1, but that is the best they have done. The Colts should be able to limit them and possibly force some turnovers. They are owned in 20.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
(Photo by catcrave.com)
Carolina is another team that has a defense that has improved in each week to start the season. They scored four points in week 1, seven in week 2 and 14 in week 3 against the Cardinals. The Panthers rank 11th for fantasy defenses.
This week, they may be a risky play against the Texans, who have the potential to put up points. Houston’s line is starting to play better, but they still aren’t great. Starting the Panthers is a gamble, but if they can pressure Deshaun Watson, they could come up big.
While they may have one of the worst defenses in the league at times, they do have a good matchup this week. The Bengals rank 26th as a fantasy defense and are inconsistent. They scored eight points in week 1 against the Seahawks, then -8 against the 49ers in week 2. Last week they scored two against Buffalo.
This week the Bengals travel to play the Steelers on Monday Night Football. Mason Rudolph hasn’t looked bad stepping in for Ben Roethlisberger, but he is still young. If the Bengals can force him to make mistakes, they can score some points. This is still a very risky play. Cincinnati’s defense is owned in virtually no ESPN leagues (less than one percent).
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