Fantasy Football: 3 Defenses to Stream for NFL Week 3

Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. While we don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, ignoring them during the season can cost you dearly.

Streaming defenses throughout the year is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your D/ST slot. Even the best defenses draw tough weekly matchups, and even the worst defenses are capable of strong fantasy outings in the right situations.

This article is here to help you parse through all of those situations and to present you with three streamers that are available in most leagues.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football D/ST to Stream for Week 3

Seattle Seahawks

Matchup: vs. New Orleans Saints

The Seattle Seahawks' D/ST has a case to be the top-ranked defense of Week 3, and they're available in nearly 75% of Yahoo! leagues. That makes them a perfect streamer.

This week, Seattle hosts the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans hasn't been terrible on offense with Spencer Rattler at the helm. At the same time, this will be their first road game, and it's one of the toughest road environments in the NFL.

Seattle is a 7.0-point home favorite, which should force Rattler to air it out -- giving Seattle's defense chances for picks and sacks.

The Seahawks' defense scored 16.0 fantasy points in Week 2, aided by a flukey special teams TD. They can have another big outing in a dream home matchup this week.

Minnesota Vikings

Matchup: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

It looks like Jake Browning will be under center for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, and for his first start of the year, Browning gets a road date against defensive mastermind Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings. Uh oh.

The Vikings had the highest blitz rate in the league in 2024, and Flores is known for conjuring up schemes that make it tough on QBs.

The Vikings are 3.5-point favorites in this game, and while Minnesota's offense has struggled mightily in seven of eight quarters this year, J.J. McCarthy should be able to have some success against a meh Cincy defense -- which could force Browning to the air.

Assuming Burrow is out, Minnesota's D/ST is one of the elite plays of the week. If they're available in your league, they should be a priority waiver add this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matchup: vs. New York Jets

Rostered in just 7% of leagues, the defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is in a good spot at home against the New York Jets in Week 3.

The Jets would be an attackable matchup even if Justin Fields plays, but with Fields suffering a concussion late in Week 2, there's a decent chance Gang Green will have Tyrod Taylor at the controls. Taylor is a quality backup and has been for a while. With that said, he hasn't started a game since 2023.

Tampa Bay is a 6.5-point favorite, and their D/ST checks a lot of boxes this week.

Plus, with the Bucs yet to play in Week 2 -- they play on Monday night -- you might be able to pick them up now prior to waivers, depending on your league rules.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.