There’s good news and bad news for fantasy managers where team defenses are concerned in Week 9.
The good news is that if you’re the type who like to stream defenses based on matchups, this is a good week for you. There are a number of second, third and even fourth-tier defenses with favorable fantasy matchups this week. The “Streamers of the World, Unite!” section of this week’s column won’t be short on choices—including at least a few available on many waiver wires.
The bad news is that where the big-name every-week starters are concerned, it’s not such a great week. The Dallas Cowboys remain fantasy football’s top defense after cornerback DaRon Bland returned an interception for yet another defensive score last week, but the Cowboys are on the road this week against Jalen Hurts and a Philadelphia Eagles team that ranks 22nd in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. The No. 2 fantasy defense (the Buffalo Bills) heads to Cincinnati this week to take on a Bengals team that that just wrecked the 49ers in San Francisco. The Niners (who have fallen off in recent weeks) and Jacksonville Jaguars (fantasy’s third-ranked defense) are on bye this week.
This isn’t to say that managers who have rostered the Cowboys or Bills should bench those high-scoring units. But were they not mentioned in this week’s intro, they’d likely have fallen in the “Caveat Emptor, Folks” section of Getting Defensive.
THE NO-DOUBTERS
Baltimore Ravens (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
After yet another solid defensive effort against the Arizona Cardinals that included two sacks and two interceptions, the Ravens are fourth at the position in fantasy points. No team in the league has more sacks than Baltimore’s 31, and the Ravens are second in total defense, third against the pass and league in scoring defense, allowing just 15.1 points per game. The Seahawks haven’t been a favorable matchup for fantasy defenses in 2023, but the last time the Ravens were at home, they dropped a piano on the Detroit Lions in a 38-6 beatdown.
New Orleans Saints (vs. Chicago Bears)
It hasn’t been talked about much, but the Saints defense has quietly been among the league’s best in 2023—New Orleans is fifth in total defense, seventh against the pass, ninth in scoring defense, seventh in the league with 13 takeaways and fifth among team defenses in fantasy points. Now the Saints will welcome in a Chicago Bears team led by the first undrafted Division II quarterback to ever start an NFL game. The Bears have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses this season, so the Saints may actually be the safest play of the week.
Cleveland Browns (vs. Arizona Cardinals)
To be fair, the Browns haven’t tallied a ton of fantasy points this season—big plays haven’t been a big part of their production outside of Myles Garrett’s constant harassment of opposing quarterbacks. But in terms of yards and points allowed, the Browns have been outstanding—the Browns are first in the league in both total defense and pass defense and rank seventh in the NFL against the run. The Cardinals have been a middling fantasy matchup in terms of points allowed per game, but when that offense does struggle things tend to snowball.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Tennessee Titans)
The NFL world is abuzz after rookie quarterback Will Levis threw for four touchdowns in his NFL debut last week against a good Atlanta Falcons defense. But with due respect to Levis, there isn’t a worse team in the NFL at rushing the passer than Atlanta. To say he’ll face more pressure from T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Pittsburgh’s ninth-ranked fantasy defense this week is an understatement. And it’s not hard to imagine that pressure causing a rookie mistake or two. Levis may have a bright future, but he’s coming back to earth a bit in Week 9.
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STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE
Atlanta Falcons (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
The Atlanta defense didn’t exactly impress last week, getting roasted by Will Levis in his first professional start. But eight weeks into the season, the Falcons are quietly sixth in the league in total defense and eighth against the pass. Big plays (and fantasy points) have been in relatively short supply, but that could change this week. For the second straight game, the Falcons will be taking on a rookie quarterback making his first career NFL start, but this is a Day 3 pick in BYU’s Jaren Hall, who will be making his debut indoors in front of a hostile crowd.
Indianapolis Colts (at Carolina Panthers)
To be clear, the Colts have not played well defensively of late—no team in the league has allowed more points per game, and the Indianapolis secondary has been hit hard by injuries. But this week the Colts will also be taking on one of the NFL’s most anemic offenses in the Carolina Panthers, who rank 27th in the league in yards per game, 25th in points per game and seventh in the league in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. In Carolina’s lone win of the season, the team managed all of 15 points against the Houston Texans.
Minnesota Vikings (at Atlanta Falcons)
The Minnesota Vikings might be the most surprising fantasy defense of 2023—in part because they aren’t considered by most to be a good defensive football team. However, while the Saints have given up yardage and points at times, Danielle Hunter has keyed a solid Vikings pass rush and Minnesota has scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. The Vikings are ninth in fantasy points among defenses ahead of a matchup with an Atlanta Falcons team that ranks eighth in fantasy points per game given up to defenses on the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Houston Texans)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are half a game back of first place in the NFC South, largely because of a defense that ranks inside the top 10 both against the run and in points allowed, while ranking just outside the top 10 in fantasy points among defenses. The Houston Texans have been a bad fantasy matchup for opposing defenses, but that matchup has softened of late—the Texans managed just 13 points last week against a Carolina defense that isn’t scaring anyone, C.J. Stroud was sacked twice, and the Texans turned the ball over.
Washington Commanders (at New England Patriots)
There is at least some risk in this recommendation, if only because we don’t know how many of Washington’s defensive players will still be on the team by the time Tuesday’s trade deadline comes and goes. What we do know is that the New England offense has been a hot mess in 2023—the Pats rank dead last in the AFC in yards per game and points per game and have surrendered the most fantasy points per game in the AFC to team defenses this season. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Patriots lost No. 1 wide receiver Kendrick Bourne to a torn ACL last week.
Las Vegas Raiders (vs. New York Giants)
It has been an ugly season all the way around for the New York Giants on offense, and last week things hit an all-time nadir—the G-Men threw for negative-nine yards in last week’s loss to the New York Jets, the fewest in the history of the franchise. By no stretch of the imagination have the Raiders played well defensively this year, but we still don’t know who New York’s quarterback will be on Sunday, and Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby should be able to wreak havoc against a Giants offensive line that is tied for the NFL lead with 41 sacks allowed so far this season.
CAVEAT EMPTOR, FOLKS
New York Jets (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
The Jets are 4-3 on the season, and it sure as heck isn’t because of Zach Wilson and the offense. The defense has carried the team, ranking fifth against the pass, eighth in points allowed, eighth in takeaways and 10th in fantasy points among defenses. The problem for the Jets this week is that even with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert nursing a broken finger on his non-throwing hand and the team’s missing wide receiver Mike Williams and potentially fellow wideout Josh Palmer as well, the Bolts just haven’t allowed fantasy points to opposing defenses this season.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers’ Association Football Writer of the Year. You can yell at him about Sam Howell on Twitter @IDPSharks.
