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 in week 5. (Note: All defense mentioned are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Stats from before Monday Night Football)
1. Denver Broncos
Denver has the sixth-ranked fantasy defense this season, averaging 8.3 points per game. Their best performance came against San Francisco in week 3, when they scored 17 points. Last week was their worst performance, as they scored just one point against Las Vegas. They have 11 sacks and four turnovers forced.
In week 5, the Broncos are hosting the Colts on Thursday Night Football. The Colts are scoring a league-worst 14.3 points per game. To make matters worse, Jonathan Taylor has a sprained ankle and may not play in this game. Even if he does, he hasn’t played well this season and will not be 100 percent. The Broncos have all the opportunity in the world to have a good performance. They are rostered in 37.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
2. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have had an up-and-down season for a fantasy defense, as they rank 26th with an average of 3.8 points per game. They played terribly against the Ravens in week 2, as they ended up scoring -8 points. In week 1 against the Patriots, they scored 19 points. They have seven sacks, four turnovers forced and one touchdown this season.
The week 5 matchup for the Dolphins is the New York Jets. New York is averaging 19 points per game on the season. Getting Zach Wilson back at quarterback has helped, but they still aren’t an offensive juggernaut. The Dolphins are fully capable of playing like they did in week 1 against the Patriots. They are rostered in 31.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
3. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota has the 24th-ranked fantasy defense this season, averaging 4.5 points per game. They had a great performance in week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, when they scored 11 points. In week 3, they struggled against the Lions and scored -1 points. They have nine sacks and six turnovers forced.
The Vikings play the Chicago Bears in week 5. The Bears score just 16 points per game and have had trouble moving the ball through the air. Minnesota can stack the box and try to stop the run. There isn’t a lot of risk in playing the Vikings’ defense in week 5. They are available in over 78 percent of ESPN leagues.
4. Tennessee Titans
Tennessee has not had the greatest year defensively, as they rank 28th with a scoring average of 3.5 points. They have scored eight points against the Giants and nine points against the Colts. One bad performance against the Bills, when they scored -5 points, is bringing down their average. They have 10 sacks and six turnovers forced this season.
The Titans have a favorable matchup against the Commanders in week 5. Washington scores 18.3 points per game, but they have scored just 18 points total over their last two games. Carson Wentz has turned over the ball enough as well with five interceptions thrown. Tennessee can score some fantasy points this week. Tennessee is available in almost 95 percent of ESPN leagues.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
It might be a little surprising, but the Jaguars have the fourth-ranked fantasy defense that averages 9.3 points per game. Their worst performance was against Washington in week 1, but they still scored five points. In week 2 against the Colts, they scored 18 points. They have 10 sacks and nine turnovers forced this season.
Week 5 pits the Jaguars against the Texans, who are the only winless team in the NFL. The Texans score just 18.3 points per game. The Jaguars are fully capable of shutting them down just like they did against the Colts and the Chargers. If they play well in this game, the Jaguars will be picked up by even more fantasy managers. They are rostered in just 5.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
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