Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 4 Team Defense

TOP STREAMING OPTIONS

Washington Redskins (vs. Cleveland Browns)
41% Yahoo ownership - 8% ESPN ownership

This is an admittedly wretched week for streaming team defenses, as it seems like the top units (the ones that are owned) are also the ones with the most favorable matchups. The Redskins are the obvious exception, heading back home to face the woeful Browns after saving their season with a narrow victory at the Meadowlands. While not a great unit by any stretch of the imagination, this matchup puts the Washington defense far ahead of any of the defenses listed below. This may be the rare scenario in which it actually makes sense to allocate more than a couple FAAB dollars to a one-week Team D stream.

Baltimore Ravens (vs. Oakland Raiders)
24% Yahoo ownership - 50% ESPN ownership

I guess this is technically cheating, seeing as the Ravens were 50.3 percent owned on ESPN as of Tuesday at 12 P.M. ET. But if I didn't stretch the boundaries a little bit, the only defenses I could recommend (besides Washington) are ones I'd be far from excited about using. The Ravens are actually a pretty good option, drawing a home matchup with an Oakland offense that will likely have a pass-heavy gameplan. The jury is still out on the actual quality of this group, as the Ravens' strong defensive play through three weeks came against the Bills, Browns and Jaguars. This will be the first real test.

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
57% Yahoo ownership - 35% ESPN ownership

Ok, so I'm cheating again -- deal with it. The Steelers D should be available in a good portion of 10-team leagues, if not in most 12 or 14-teamers. Of course, it's hard to get too excited about this selection, as the Chiefs have been fantastic at avoiding turnovers during Andy Reid and Alex Smith's tenures. What's more, the Pittsburgh defense has some key injuries, most notably inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons (shin). I guess that wasn't much of an argument, but hey, at least it was honest.

Indianapolis Colts (at Jacksonville Jaguars)
6% Yahoo ownership - 4% ESPN ownership

And now we're officially into "maybe you should have just drafted the Denver defense" territory. But in all seriousness, the Colts D/ST may be the best option available on waivers in some leagues, facing a Jacksonville offense that once again seems to be addicted to turning the ball over (seven times in three games). The Indianapolis defense is finally starting to get healthy, with CB Vontae Davis and DL Henry Anderson recently returning, potentially joined by CBs Patrick Robinson (concussion) and Darius Butler (hamstring) at some point in the coming weeks -- though OLB Trent Cole (back) was placed on IR on Tuesday. Also keep in mind this isn't actually a home game for the Jaguars, as the two teams will be squaring off in Jacksonville's annual London game. On a related note, Blake Bortles may still end up being a serviceable fantasy option, but he's done nothing to dissuade my long-standing belief that he'll never be a good real-life QB.

Detroit Lions (at Chicago Bears)
4% Yahoo ownership - 3% ESPN ownership

This is admittedly another tough sell, with the Detroit defense coming off a hideous showing in Green Bay, sans two if its top three players -- LB DeAndre Levy (quad) and DE Ezekiel Ansah (ankle). While Levy seemingly has some shot to return for Week 4, it will be a major surprise if Ansah takes the field. Regardless, the matchup at least holds plenty of appeal, with the Bears looking borderline incompetent due in large part to horrible injury luck. Even if Jay Cutler (thumb) returns and Levy doesn't, the Lions could be in play for deeper formats.

Here are my rankings for this week and the remainder of the season: