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.
**Philadelphia, Dallas, and Buffalo are assumed to be rostered**
Week 10 Results
Dallas (at Green Bay) - 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries
Not a terrible result for a fantasy D/ST, but when they were ahead in the second half, you expected more.
A Look Ahead: @MIN NYG IND - This still looks like a D/ST we want to ride for the rest of the season
Las Vegas (vs Indianapolis) - 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
Matt Ryan starting made this a much less attractive D/ST play, although it still had a chance to hit, because Matt Ryan
A Look Ahead: @DEN @SEA LAC - We won’t go back to the Raiders
Arizona (at Los Angeles Rams) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT
It wasn’t a fantasy bonanza for the Cardinals D/ST since they didn’t produce another pick-six, but it was a good enough result vs. John Wolford, nonetheless.
A Look Ahead: SF LAC BYE - The odd journey of the Cardinals D/ST on and off of our rosters may resume after their Week 13 bye.
Miami (vs Cleveland) - 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Even while facing a huge deficit, Jacoby Brissett was safe with the ball
A Look Ahead: BYE HOU @SF - We will almost certainly come back to the Dolphins in Week 12.
Tennessee (vs Denver) - 6 sacks, 1 INT
One of the best results of Week 10. The Titans pass rush is coming on
A Look Ahead: @GB CIN @PHI - The Packers at Lambeau doesn’t look like a good D/ST matchup right now, but it is a Thursday game.
Kansas City (vs Jacksonville) - 5 sacks
The Chiefs got to Trevor Lawrence, but he didn’t make any big mistakes with the ball.
A Look Ahead: @LAC LAR @CIN - With the hapless offense Rams up in Week 12, stick with the Chiefs
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