Fantasy Football: 3 Defensive Streaming Options for 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. 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 3

All projections via numberFire.

Kansas City Chiefs

Matchup: vs. Chicago Bears

numberFire Projection: 10.14 (D/ST1)

It's not usually a great value play to use up your waiver priority or FAAB dollars on a D/ST unit in fantasy football, but if you're looking for an impact streamer in Week 3, you may want to consider making those kinds of investments to get the Kansas City Chiefs on your rosters. They are numberFire's top projected scoring defense for fantasy this week with a fantastic matchup against the Chicago Bears.

The Bears' offense simply isn't working right now. Third-year quarterback Justin Fields has not taken the kind of leap we were hoping for this season. Through the first two weeks of the season Fields has thrown 3 interceptions, committed 3 fumbles, and taken 10 sacks -- each of those stats are tied for the second-most among all players in the NFL. If you're streaming defenses in fantasy football, the Bears are exactly the kind of offense you want to target.

The KC defense is perfectly suited to capitalize on Chicago's shortcomings -- especially with the return of Chris Jones. Despite playing limited snaps against the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first game of the year, Jones already has 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, and 2 quarterback hits. The star forced 4 hurries on Trevor Lawrence in just 33 snaps and is already Pro Football Focus' third-highest graded pass rusher on the year.

The Chiefs' defense has been no joke this year, either, even as the team's offense finds its feet. They have allowed the fourth-fewest points to opposing offenses through two weeks despite playing two strong offenses in the Jags and the Detroit Lions, giving them a reasonably safe floor for fantasy football. If the Chiefs' offense does put the Bears behind schedule and forces them into a pass-heavy game script, we could see the Kansas City D/ST generate a handful of turnovers for a ton of fantasy points.

Tennessee Titans

Matchup: at Cleveland Browns

numberFire Projection: 7.69 (D/ST11)

Anyone watching Monday Night Football this week could tell you -- the Cleveland Browns' offense looks terrible. Now without star running back Nick Chubb, things could get even uglier.

Frankly, Deshaun Watson has been downright terrible since coming back from his 11-game suspension last year. He's averaging 186.4 passing yards, just 1.1 touchdowns, 0.875 interceptions, and 3.6 sacks per game since joining the Browns. If you watched the game last night, it seemed as though he had Blake Bortles-esque difficulties keeping the ball in bounds. As a result, the Browns are allowing opposing D/STs to score 16.5 fantasy points per game so far this year, making them one of the most generous teams in the league for D/ST streamers.

The only thing the Browns' offense has done well this season so far has been rushing the ball, which plays directly into the strengths of the Tennessee Titans' defense. The Titans have shut opposing rushers down this year, limiting them to just 2.7 yards per carry (the second-lowest rate in the league). They force opposing offenses to throw the ball, and when their opponent takes a ton of sacks and throws interceptions it makes for a fantasy-friendly environment for D/STs.

The Titans' D/ST is available in just about every league out there and should absolutely be on your radars this week if you need a fantasy defense.

Seattle Seahawks

Matchup: vs. Carolina Panthers

numberFire Projection: 7.59 (D/ST12)

The Carolina Panthers have yet to see dividends from their decision to draft Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Their offense has scored the fewest points in the NFL through Week 2 (27) while averaging the second-fewest yards per play (4.1). We should still be hopeful that Young develops into a legitimate NFL passer, but in the meantime we should definitely be targeting him and his offense with streaming D/STs.

The Panthers have allowed opposing DSTs to score 12 and 7 fantasy points through the first two weeks. If you're streaming defenses off of the waiver wire you'd likely be happy with either of those two outcomes, but we haven't seem them give up an explosive performance yet this year.

That could change this week against the Seattle Seahawks, putting the Seattle D/ST in a good spot in an easy matchup. The Seahawks bounced back in Week 2, scoring the second-most points of any team in the league with 37. If the Seahawks can go up by a couple scores in this one, they could force Young's hand and help generate more turnovers despite his conservative play so far.

The Seahawks' defense has been tested over the first two weeks, playing against two of the league's stronger offenses we've seen this year. They have a get-right spot here against the Panthers and could pile on fantasy points if their offense continues to show improvement in Week 3.

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.