Fantasy Football: 3 Defensive Streaming Options for Week 1

Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. We don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, but 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 available in most leagues.

Fantasy Football Defenses to Stream for Week 1

All projections via numberFire.

Green Bay Packers

Matchup: at Chicago Bears

numberFire Projection: 8.37 (D/ST4)

The Green Bay D/ST is available in most leagues entering Week 1, which is a little surprising given their enticing opening matchup against the Chicago Bears. As much fun as Justin Fields was to watch in 2022, he was also quite generous to opposing defenses in fantasy football. As a second-year player, Fields took more sacks (55) than any other quarterback in the league, committed the most fumbles (16) of any player in the league, and chucked 11 interceptions (at a 3.5% INT rate) in just 15 games.

Fields may take a step forward in 2023 -- especially with the arrival of D.J. Moore to strengthen their thin receiver group -- but his propensity for taking sacks isn't likely to evaporate over just one offseason. The Bears already had to place starting guard Teven Jenkins (leg) on the injured reserve ahead of the season and are set to start rookie Darnell Wright at right tackle with second-year fifth-round pick Braxton Jones protecting the blind side. Even if Fields shows growth this year, it's probably safe to assume he will continue to provide opposing defenses a relatively high floor based on sacks -- until Fields shows otherwise.

The Green Bay Packers boast a formidable-looking defense entering the season. Rashan Gary has blossomed into a strong pass-rusher, and the team could field a strong defensive line with the combination of Evans, Kenny Clark, Preston Smith and second-year DL Devonte Wyatt. They should be able to get pressure on Fields in Week 1, while Jaire Alexander is always a threat for an interception.

With all that in mind, numberFire's model projects the Packers for the fourth-most fantasy points (8.37) of any defense in Week 1. If you're looking for a defense to start in Week 1 -- and possibly beyond, with upcoming matchups against the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos -- the Packers should be near the top of the list.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Matchup: at Indianapolis Colts

numberFire Projection: 6.94 (D/ST14)

The Jacksonville D/ST didn't have a fantastic 2022 season for fantasy purposes, but there's hope for them in 2023.

Their young defense showed some strong underlying metrics in 2022, generating the fifth-most turnovers (27) at the fourth-highest rate (14.4%) while pressuring quarterbacks at the fourth-best rate (25.1% pressure rate). Despite generating consistent pressure, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with the seventh-fewest sacks (35) in the league last year, meaning regression could be kind to them in that department this season.

They have a potentially strong matchup to begin the season, traveling north to take on the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are set to start rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who attempted just 393 passes in college and completed only 54.7% of his passes while throwing 15 picks. The upside is obvious for Richardson, one of the most gifted athletes we've ever seen at the position, but he could be a quarterback to target with opposing defensive streamers in fantasy football while he gets his sea legs under him in 2023.

Compounding matters for Richardson and the Colts are the injuries to both of their top two running backs -- Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss. Without either of their top two backs, the Colts will need to rely heavily on their rookie quarterback to move the ball in Week 1. The Jags' defense could potentially feast on the inexperienced rookie.

The Jaguars are 4.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds, while numberFire's model gives them a strong 65.2% win probability. We should expect a negative game script for the Colts, which could force Richardson into tough situations. Those are the kinds of situations we like our D/ST streamers to be in, putting the Jaguars -- who are available in a majority of season-long fantasy leagues -- in a great position to put up fantasy points in Week 1.

The Colts are implied to score only 20.5 points, the ninth-fewest in the league this week, giving the Jaguars a pretty safe floor in addition to a potentially high ceiling. numberFire projects the Jaguars' D/ST for 6.94 fantasy points in Week 1, the 14th-most.

Atlanta Falcons

Matchup: at Carolina Panthers

numberFire Projection: 7.70 (D/ST7)

The Atlanta D/ST rounds out our Week 1 streamers list, entering the weekend with the seventh-highest projected fantasy points (7.70) among D/STs in the league. They get a home game against Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers.

The Atlanta Falcons were not a team whose defense you were likely to stream last season. No team in the league generated pressure less often than the Falcons' abysmal 14.6% pressure rate, and only four teams in the league created fewer turnovers than the Falcons' 17.

That said, the 2023 season should be better for the Falcons, whose +210 odds to win the division rank second in the NFC South, per the NFL division winner odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. The team made a concerted effort to shore up their defense in free agency, signing former Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates to a nice contract while getting Calais Campbell and Mike Hughes in the building, as well.

They should get a chance to ease into the season against Young, whose offensive line did not look good in the preseason. Second-year tackle Ikem Ekwonu coughed up two sacks in the preseason, while fellow starters Bradley Bozeman and Chandler Zavala (a fourth-round rookie) allowed an additional three hurries on Young.

The Falcons' D/ST has a strong floor for Week 1, with this game's listed total of 39.5 coming in as the second-lowest on the slate. numberFire gives Atlanta a solid 65.8% chance to win. They're available in just about every league out there heading into Week 1 despite carrying the seventh-highest projection via numberFire's model.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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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.