Unless most of the teams in your league carry a backup defense, more than half of the league should be available to you every week. Perhaps instead of playing one above average defense every week, regardless of matchup, we should instead target the widely available waiver wire defenses with the best matchups in any particular week? You can always make exceptions if your rent-a-defense gets hot - heck, you might find a team worth starting all year by accident. Even if you don't, good matchups will continue to get greater in number as more QBs get injured or yanked as the season goes on. You can steal some points from bad weather come December. Each week I'll list the startable fantasy defenses on most waiver wires and rank them.
Week 10 Results
Baltimore (at Cincinnati) - 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, 2 DEF TD
Yahtzee! Ryan Finley looked like a rookie in his first NFL start and the Ravens secondary is quickly becoming one of the best in the league.
A Look Ahead: HOU @LAR SF - Even against Deshaun Watson, it’s tempting to keep Baltimore to ride them the rest of the season.
New Orleans (vs Atlanta) - 1 sack, 1 INT
Just about everything went wrong for the Saints in this one, including a Marshon Lattimore injury
A Look Ahead: @TB CAR @ATL - This went from a good spot to a so-so spot for this defense. It might be time to look elsewhere
Los Angeles Rams (at Pittsburgh) - 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 DEF TD, 1 safety
Pittsburgh (vs Los Angeles Rams) - 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 3 INT, 1 DEF TD
Hope you got a piece of this one. The teams traded defensive touchdowns and generated frustrated each other all afternoon.
A Look Ahead LAR: CHI BAL @ARI - Mitchell Trubisky is no reason to go away from a hot D/ST
A Look Ahead PIT: @CLE @CIN CLE - The Steelers are a plug and play D/ST for the rest of the season
Carolina (at Green Bay) - 2 sacks
This was a disaster as the Panthers fell behind and never forced the issue on defense.
A Look Ahead: ATL @NO WAS - To make things worse, the Falcons awoke from their slumber. As good as the Panthers D/ST has been, we might turn our backs on them the next two weeks.
Buffalo (at Cleveland) - 2 sacks, 1 safety
Baker Mayfield settled down in this one, leaving the Bills very little room to make gamechanging plays on defense
A Look Ahead: @MIA DEN @DAL - We picked up the Bills more for this matchup than the Browns, although the Dolphins are now on a winning streak
Indianapolis (vs Miami) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
Not a failure, but not a smashing success either. The Dolphins are becoming less vulnerable to opponent D/ST scoring and the Colts look like a mediocre team
A Look Ahead: JAX @HOU TEN - I’m not even sure the Colts are the better side of these matchups now.
Dallas (vs Minnesota) - 1 sack
The dud of the week. Hopefully you didn’t have to make it this far on this list to find an option
A Look Ahead: @DET @NE BUF - Facing Jeff Driskel this week could still make the Cowboys D/ST a worthy option
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Seattle (at San Francisco) - 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 INT, 1 DEF TD
The Seahawks defense came alive at the right moments, led by Jadeveon Clowney
Oakland (vs Los Angeles Chargers) - 5 sacks, 3 INT, 1 DEF TD
The Raiders D/ST produced as much as they had in any four week period before this game as Philip Rivers looked like a quarterback in the autumn of his career
New York Jets (vs New York Giants) - 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 DEF TD
The Jets run defense frustrated Saquon Barkley and their anemic pass rush got home, led by Jamal Adams
Week 11 Candidates
**San Francisco, New England, Chicago, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are assumed to be rostered**
Minnesota (vs Denver)
Brandon Allen was functional enough to beat Cleveland and Minnesota’s defense is lagging vs. the pass, but Allen probably won’t be able to challenge against this pass rush. Minnesota could run away with this one at home.
A Look Ahead: BYE @SEA DET @LAC GB - If Matthew Stafford is still out, we’ll look at them in Week 14
Dallas (at Detroit)
The Cowboys were a dud last week, but Jeff Driskel should bring them back to life, assuming Matthew Stafford can’t go as his back heals.
A Look Ahead: @NE BUF @CHI LAR @PHI - Weeks 13 and 14 are possible plays for this group
Oakland (vs Cincinnati)
What a journey we’ve had to end up recommending Oakland. Their pass rush is coming on and the Bengals are in free fall.
A Look Ahead: @NYJ @KC TEN JAX @LAC - We’ll stick with Oakland next week if they come through this week
New York Jets (at Washington)
Dwayne Haskins is vulnerable as Washington just wants to get him some experience at this point and the Jets should be able to thwart the Washington running game.
A Look Ahead: OAK @CIN MIA @BAL PIT - If the Jets stay hot, we might consider them next week, and certainly will come back to them in Weeks 13 and 14
Buffalo (at Miami)
The Bills D/ST has slowed down, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is always one of the most likely quarterbacks to have a turnoverfest in any given week
A Look Ahead: DEN @DAL BAL @PIT @NE - We’ll be watching Brandon Allen to see if we want to keep the Bills D/ST in next week.
Preemptive Pickups
Week 12
Buffalo (vs Denver)
Detroit (at Washington)
Oakland (at New York Jets)
Week 14
Cleveland (vs Cincinnati)
Green Bay (vs Washington)
New York Jets (vs Miami)
Philadelphia (vs New York Giants)
Houston (vs Denver)
Week 15
Philadelphia (at Washington)
Kansas City (vs Denver)
Week 16
Kansas City (at Chicago)