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.
**Los Angeles Rams, New England, Chicago, and Minnesota have great matchups in Week 4 but are assumed to be rostered**
Week 3 Results
Dallas (vs Miami) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
The Cowboys D/ST was a much better play in leagues with points/yards allowed scoring. Josh Rosen isn’t as generous as Ryan Fitzpatrick. We’ll still keep targeting the Miami opponent.
A Look Ahead: @NO GB @NYJ - Bridge over troubled water didn’t look bad, although the Cowboys have a week of film to prepare for him. By the time they get the Jets, Sam Darnold will be back. It’s probably best to toss Dallas back.
Green Bay (vs Denver) - 6 sacks, 1 INT, 2 fumble recoveries
The defense keyed the win with turnovers that set up touchdowns and lots of Joe Flacco harassment. Preston Smith is a revelation.
A Look Ahead: PHI @DAL DET - We’ll keep the Packers in on a short week at home against a short-handed quarterback who isn’t risk-averse with his decisions.
Tampa Bay (vs New York Giants) - 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
Daniel Jones is fantastic, but he needs to take better care of the ball in the pocket. Shaq Barrett is a monster unleashed in Todd Bowles defense.
A Look Ahead: @LAR @NO CAR - The Bucs defense was a hit last week despite being very beatable. We’ll toss them back on the road against the Rams.
Arizona (vs Carolina) - 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Not a complete loss, but a disappointment as Kyle Allen outplayed Kyler Murray again! The Panthers were actually the much better half of this matchup for D/ST purposes.
A Look Ahead: SEA @CIN ATL - And this bird must fly
Buffalo (vs Cincinnati) - 2 sacks, 2 INT, 2 fumble recoveries
Andy Dalton had a valiant comeback attempt squashed by a Josh Allen comeback after the lead was squandered drive, and along the way fed the Buffalo D/ST.
A Look Ahead: NE @TEN BYE - It’s bold to keep the Bills on your bench so you can play them at the site of the Music City Miracle with a bye looming in Week 6. We’re probably throwing them back.
Tennessee (at Jacksonville) **Thursday** - Nada. Zilch. Bupkis.
Derrick Henry never got going, Marcus Mariota is not good, and Gardner Minshew is.
A Look Ahead: @ATL BUF @DEN - How bad is Cleveland to make this D/ST look like a worldbeater in Week 1?
San Francisco (vs Pittsburgh) - 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery
The Steelers side was actually better here because of numerous 49ers miscues.
A Look Ahead: BYE CLE @LAR - Even with Cleveland on the other side of the bye, we’ll toss them back.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
Jacksonville (vs Tennessee) - 9 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Once again, Marcus Mariota is not good. Gardner Minshew is helping the Jags defense find their groove in the meantime.
Carolina (at Arizona) - 8 sacks, 2 INT
The Panthers defense made Kyler Murray look feeble and small. We’ll keep Arizona on our possible offense to target list and remember the Panthers in good matchups.
New York Jets (at New England) - 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD, 1 ST TD
Sometimes D/ST scoring doesn’t make any sense. A botched punt return and backup quarterback pick-six accounted for the random result here.
Pittsburgh (at San Francisco) - 1 sack, 2 INT, 3 fumble recoveries
As a Steelers fan, all I see here is that they couldn’t win despite getting five turnovers
Detroit (at Philadelphia) - 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 ST TD
Even without the Jamal Agnew kickoff return for a score, the Lions were having a decent afternoon at the Linc
New Orleans (at Seattle) - 1 fumble recovery, 1 DEF TD, 1 ST TD
Deonte Harris speed plus a Chris Carson fumble is all you needed here
Week 4 Candidates
**Los Angeles Rams, New England, Chicago, and Minnesota have great matchups in Week 4 but are assumed to be rostered**
Los Angeles Chargers (at Miami)
The low-hanging fruit and elementary choice.
A Look Ahead: DEN PIT @TEN - The bonus here is getting Flacco, Rudolph, and Mariota/Tannehill going forward
Baltimore (vs Cleveland)
If the Ravens were dropped because of the poor fantasy showing vs Arizona and bad matchup vs Kansas City, they should be a priority add against Baker Mayfield and a poorly designed and executed offense.
A Look Ahead: @PIT CIN @SEA - The Ravens will stay in our lineups for the next three weeks
Green Bay (vs Philadelphia)
The Packers D/ST remains red hot and probably won’t slow down much on a short week against Carson Wentz, who won’t back down from a defense that is making timely plays and gelling as a unit.
A Look Ahead: @DAL DET OAK - Even with Dallas up next this D/ST settles into every-week start status if they hit this week.
Pittsburgh (vs Cincinnati)
The defense is angry and was not the reason the Steelers lost in Week 3. They will come home and face Andy Dalton, who is prone to imploding in prime time road games. The neurotic Steelers fan in me can’t see anything positive right now, but I know this could hit as a rent-a-defense.
A Look Ahead: BAL @LAC BYE - And the losses will continue
Jacksonville (at Denver)
Denver (vs Jacksonville)
The Jaguars defense is feeling its oats heading into Denver to face Joe Flacco. Denver’s defense has a statement home game against a rookie. I’m not sure which side to take, and both could hit. This game should resemble the 16-14 Week 2 affair between the Bears and Broncos
Jacksonville A Look Ahead: @CAR NO @CIN - We’ll see what we think about Kyle Allen and the Jags defense a week from now before making a call here
Denver A Look Ahead: @LAC TEN KC - Maybe we’ll target Tennessee in Week 6 if this week goes well
Week 5 Preemptive Pickups
**New England, Chicago, and Minnesota have great matchups in Week 5 but are assumed to be rostered**
Buffalo (at Tennessee)
San Francisco (vs Cleveland)
New Orleans (vs Tampa Bay)