Projecting which defenses will be elite for fantasy football and which will stink to the high heavens is frequently a futile effort annually. Defenses aren’t sticky season to season like offenses, and even a singular weak link in a defense can be exploited by an opposing offense. For instance, if a team has a leaky cornerback in their secondary, a well-coached team will attack them and avoid a superior player at the other cornerback position. Defenses that struggled the previous season can also make significant strides with a new coach, development from younger players or additions via free agency and the NFL Draft.
So, instead of using a meaningful draft pick in fantasy football leagues on a defense, gamers should wait until the final round or two to pick one or bypass selecting one altogether if the draft is more than a week before the regular season. The upside of drafting a team’s backup running back and stashing them until the last possible second in case the starter suffers a significant injury before the season, in a preseason game or practice, has more upside than drafting any defense.
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Fantasy Football Strategy: Guide To Streaming D/ST
I’ve streamed defenses in most of my fantasy leagues for many years, and I won’t stop now. The occasional lone exception for streaming defenses is in leagues with tight move restrictions. Streaming is still viable in those leagues, but gamers should take a multi-week approach to conserve moves instead of burning them weekly. Gamers in leagues without move limits or with loose ones can take a week-to-week approach to streaming defenses. The suggested defenses in the following two sections will have an average draft position (ADP) of DST10 or later.
Multi-Week Early Defenses To Target
Los Angeles Rams: vs. HOU, at TEN
The Rams are 2.5-point favorites against the visiting Texans in Week 1, and the game’s total is an unimposing 45.5 points, leaving Houston with an implied total of 21.5 points. According to Pro Football Reference, C.J. Stroud had the eighth-highest sack rate (8.90%) among qualified quarterbacks last season. The Texans traded Laremy Tunsil, and their offensive line is a work in progress.
Los Angeles is a 5.5-point favorite on the road against the Titans and rookie Cam Ward in Week 2. Since the game’s total is 46.5 points, Tennessee’s implied total is 20.5 points. According to Pro Football Reference, the Rams were tied for the 14th-most turnovers forced (20) and had 38 sacks last season.
The Rams D/ST isn’t going undrafted, but with the DST11 ADP, they’re cheap enough to fit the spirit of this piece.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: at ATL, at HOU, vs. NYJ
The Buccaneeers start the season with two road games before playing a home contest against the Jets in Week 3. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay is a 2.5-point favorite against an unproven Michael Penix in Week 1, a modest 1.5-point underdog against the aforementioned sack-prone Stroud in Week 2 and a commanding 7.5-point favorite against Justin Fields and the Jets in Week 3. According to Stathead, Fields’ 11.92 sack% is the second-highest among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts since 2022.
Tampa Bay’s defense gets after the quarterback and piles up sacks. Todd Bowles loves to blitz, as evidenced by the Bucs tallying the third-highest blitz rate (34.2%) last year. Tampa Bay also had the ninth-highest pressure rate (24.3%) and tied for the sixth-most sacks (46) in 2024.
Arizona Cardinals: at NO, vs. CAR
The Cardinals poured resources into their defense in the offseason. Arizona signed Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson, Calais Campbell and L.J. Collier in free agency. Then, they used the 16th pick in the NFL Draft on Walter Nolen, the 47th pick on Will Johnson, the 78th pick on Jordan Burch, the 115th pick on Cody Simon, the 174th pick on Denzel Burke and the 225th pick on Kitan Crawford. The only pick they used on offense was the 211th pick.
Arizona’s new additions will have a favorable runout to build chemistry and get off on the right foot against the Saints and Panthers. The Cardinals are 5.5-point favorites against the Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener-led Saints in New Orleans in Week 1 and 4.5-point favorites against visiting Carolina in Week 2. Bryce Young improved in his sophomore campaign. Nevertheless, his 9.08 sack% is the 13th-highest among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts since 2022, and Tommy DeVito, Deshaun Watson, Will Levis, Ryan Tannehill, Zach Wilson, Sam Howell and Carson Wentz are all ahead of him and aren’t on NFL teams or don’t project to start this season.
Week 1 Defenses To Target
Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants: WAS -6.5/45.5
The Commanders host the Giants in Week 1, and New York’s implied total is a puny 19.5 points. Washington’s home-field advantage can help their defense pile up sacks and turnovers if the hosts race out to the lead and the visitors put themselves in disadvantageous positions by committing pre-snap penalties in the noisy environment while stuck in a negative game script.
Additionally, Russell Wilson‘s 8.94 sack% last year was the sixth-highest among qualified quarterbacks, and his 9.57 sack% is the 10th highest among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts since 2022. Turnover-prone Jameis Winston or rookie Matt Corral will start for the Giants in Week 1 if Wilson loses the quarterback competition. Winston has the highest interception rate (4.4%) among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts since 2022.
New England Patriots vs. Las Vegas Raiders: NE -2.5/42.5
The new-look Patriots are hosting the cross-country traveling new-look Raiders in Week 1. New England is a modest 2.5-point favorite, and Las Vegas’s implied total is just 20 points. Like the previously discussed Cardinals, the Patriots invested significant resources into their defense, signing Milton Williams, Carlton Davis and Harold Landry to massive contracts and adding a few pieces in the NFL Draft.
Geno Smith is a massive upgrade at quarterback for the Raiders. Nonetheless, Smith’s 7.96 sack% was the 12th-highest mark among qualified quarterbacks last year. Smith also threw the third-most interceptions (15) in 2024.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns: CIN -5.5/46.5
The Bengals are only an enticing DST in Week 1 if Trey Hendrickson ends his holdout before the season. Cincinnati’s defense could also benefit from coming to a contract agreement with their first-round pick, Shemar Stewart. If they’re at full strength, they can tee off on Cleveland’s unserious offense led by Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel. Gamers can revisit the utility of the Bengals DST as a stacking option in Week 1, closer to the season. In the meantime, gamers drafting now shouldn’t select a defense at all and should use the roster spot on a backup running back whose value would surge if the starter ahead of them suffered a multi-week or season-ending injury in training camp or the preseason.
Week 2 Defenses To Target
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets: BUF -8.5/44.5
The Bills might not be a streaming option for Week 2. However, they’re playing the Ravens in a projected shootout on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, which could lead to them getting dumped closer to the regular season when gamers realize who their Week 1 opponent is. The Buffalo DST could also get cut from fantasy teams after Week 1 if they struggle against Baltimore’s potent offense.
If they’re available entering Week 2, the Bills DST is an appealing streaming option against Fields and the Jets. Buffalo is more than a touchdown favorite, and the Jets have a putrid implied total of 18 points. And, again, Fields is a sack-taking machine. Finally, the Bills forced the third-most turnovers (32) in 2024 and tallied 39 sacks.
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints: SF -7.0/44.5
The 49ers are the second team to get a crack at New Orleans and their pitiful quarterback situation in 2025. Shough, Rattler or Haener will be targets to stream against until or unless the Saints exceed expectations. Of course, San Francisco having Robert Saleh back as their defensive coordinator is also a plus.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: DAL -4.5/45.0
The Giants were previously noted as a streaming target for the Commanders in Week 1, and another of the G-Men’s NFC East foes will get a crack at them in Week 2. The Cowboys are 4.5-point favorites against the visiting Giants in Week 2, and sack-taking Wilson, turnover-prone Winston or rookie Dart would be a fantasy-friendly matchup for Micah Parsons and Big D’s defense.
Streaming Rules of Thumb
1. Target Home Favorites
Targeting DSTs from favored teams is a good rule of thumb, but it’s strengthened if the favored team is also at home. As I noted above for the Commanders, when the favorites are leading at home and have a noisy crowd cheering them on, the trailing visitors have an even more challenging task to dig themselves out of their hole. The vociferous crowd can lead to pre-snap penalties if players can’t hear the snap count and false start. Additionally, if pass-rushers can pick up on silent counts, they can get a quick jump on the snap. Either way, if all things are relatively equal between favored available DSTs, pick the one at home over the one on the road.
2. Sack-Taking And Turnover-Prone Quarterbacks Are D/ST Steaming Gold
Quarterbacks who take sacks or put the ball in harm’s way often can make even a mediocre defense an appealing streaming option. When in doubt, stream against a quarterback who fits either or both criteria.
3. Exploit Bad Pass-Protecting Offensive Lines
Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) grading isn’t the be-all and end-all. However, teams that grade poorly in pass blocking at PFF can be excellent teams to stream against. Moreover, teams navigating injuries across their offensive line are especially appealing to stream against.
4. Creating Havoc (I.e, Generating Sacks and Turnovers) Is More Important Than Keeping The Opponent Off The Scoreboard
Gamers shouldn’t get too hung up on implied totals for teams. While most fantasy leagues award fantasy points for ranges of points allowed, the highest-scoring defenses typically score their fantasy points via sacks and turnovers. The second rule of thumb was to stream against sack-taking and turnover-prone quarterbacks. However, gamers can also stream defenses that rank well in sacks and turnovers when available. Obviously, the more rules of thumb that overlap for a defensive streaming option, the more appealing they are.
5. Terrible Weather Can Create Unexpected DST Streaming Options
Gamers shouldn’t overreact to rain or snow in the forecast when considering defenses to stream. However, if the rain or snow is extreme, it can slow down offenses. Moreover, sustained high-speed wind — not just high-speed wind gusts — can knock even potent offenses down a few pegs. High-speed winds can also lead to errant passes that get intercepted. Again, gamers shouldn’t overreact to suboptimal weather conditions, but the worse the weather, the more it can hamper an offense.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
