Streaming Defenses: Week 9 Options

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Published on October 29, 2019

We can chalk up Week 8 as a win for this space, though it's admittedly kind of weak to take credit for recommending a defense that faced Miami. The Steelers D/ST rode a big fourth quarter to 13 fantasy points Monday night, after three of our other four recommendations had finished in the top half of the league. Green Bay was the lone disappointment with four fantasy points, while Detroit (11), Seattle (nine) and Indianapolis (seven) all proved useful.

The upcoming week should be a good one for streaming, with the majority of prime matchups going to defenses with low-to-medium ownership in fantasy leagues. We'll kick things off in Philadelphia, where the Eagles play host to Mr. Biscuit and the hibernating Bears.

For injury/ranking updates throughout the week, follow me on Twitter (@RotowireNFL_JD).

Note: These recommendations are limited to team defenses with ownership less than 60 percent on Yahoo or 30 percent on ESPN as of Tuesday morning. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring, which doesn't include yards allowed.

Top Streaming Options for Week 9

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Chicago Bears)

40% Yahoo ownership, 42% ESPN

Team implied total: 24.0

Opponent implied total: 19.0

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: Bye, Week 11: 23rd (vs. NE)

Question: What's better for a defense than facing Josh Allen in bad weather?

Answer: Facing Mitchell Trubisky — a.k.a. Mr. Biscuit, a.k.a. Midwest Bortles, a.k.a. Bortles North — in any weather.

Finally sporting some healthy bodies at cornerback,

For injury/ranking updates throughout the week, follow me on Twitter (@RotowireNFL_JD).

Top Streaming Options for Week 9

1. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Chicago Bears)

40% Yahoo ownership, 42% ESPN

Team implied total: 24.0

Opponent implied total: 19.0

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: Bye, Week 11: 23rd (vs. NE)

Question: What's better for a defense than facing Josh Allen in bad weather?

Answer: Facing Mitchell Trubisky — a.k.a. Mr. Biscuit, a.k.a. Midwest Bortles, a.k.a. Bortles North — in any weather.

Finally sporting some healthy bodies at cornerback, the Eagles may continue to struggle against efficient offenses, but their formidable pass rush should be enough to do the trick against scrubs like Allen and Trubisky. While coverage issues have led to inconsistency in terms of actually getting sacks (21), the Eagles are ninth in QB pressure rate (25.4) and second in QB knockdown rate (10.1), portending better fantasy production down the line if their cornerbacks can merely tread water. There are 20 players in the NFL with double-digit QB hits this year, and the Eagles have two of them: Derek Barnett (13) and Brandon Graham (10).

2. Carolina Panthers (vs. Tennessee Titans)

48% Yahoo ownership, 50% ESPN

Team implied total: 22.5

Opponent implied total: 18.5

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: 18th (at GB), Week 11: 8th (vs. ATL)

Maybe Ryan Tannehill has now mastered the quarterback position, finally ready to go on the road and run circles around a top-five pass defense. More likely, he'll come crashing back to earth in his first real challenge of the year, facing a Panthers defense that's second in sack rate (10.3), fourth in INT rate (3.8) and seventh in QB pressure rate (27.0), allowing just 6.4 YPA (4th) and nine passing TDs (t-8th). The one cause for concern is Derrick Henry, who could break out of his slump against a Carolina squad that's given up 5.0 YPC (31st) and 135 rushing yards per game (27th). Even if that happens, Tannehill will have a hard time avoiding the sacks and turnovers.

3. Cleveland Browns (at Denver Broncos)

25% Yahoo ownership, 16% ESPN

Team implied total: 21.0

Opponent implied total: 18.0

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: 3rd (vs. BUF), Week 11: 7th (vs. PIT)

The Broncos last topped 20 points in Week 4 and now get the lovely challenge of trying to figure things out with someone named Brandon Allen playing quarterback. It doesn't help that Emmanuel Sanders is off in San Francisco, leaving DaeSean Hamilton, Fred Brown and Noah Fant as the complementary targets behind Courtland Sutton. I'd be willing to stream nearly any defense against this version of the Broncos, including a Cleveland unit that's been dragged down by injuries and a prolonged run of tough matchups.

The Browns nonetheless have managed 22 sacks, ranking sixth in sack rate (8.9) and 13th in QB pressure rate (24.2) despite facing just one team with a losing record. The matchup log so far includes dates with Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson and Tom Brady, so we can forgive the Browns for their lack of takeaways (eight). They've also played much of the season without starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, both of whom returned for last week's 27-13 loss in New England.

Note: The Browns have multi-week streaming potential, given their upcoming schedule.

4. New York Jets (at Miami Dolphins)

14% Yahoo ownership, 11% ESPN

Team implied total: 21.75

Opponent implied total: 18.75

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: 14th (vs. NYG), Week 11: 9th (at WAS)

You know things are getting bad when a team lands No. 7 in the weekly D/ST rankings ahead of a date with the 2019 Miami Dolphins, a matchup that otherwise has ensured top-five status. The Jets are bad enough to mess this up, but it's still worth taking a chance on the upside, considering the Dolphins have given up double-digit fantasy points to every D/ST unit they've faced. It also wouldn't be crazy to stream the Miami defense in deeper leagues, as this game could get ugly on both sides.

5. Seattle Seahawks (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

54% Yahoo ownership, 36% ESPN

Team implied total: 29.0

Opponent implied total: 23.0

Upcoming Ranks — Week 10: 20th (at SF), Week 11: Bye

Pulling up the rear in our streaming picks for a second straight week, the Seattle defense took care of business against Matt Schaub and the Falcons...at least from a fantasy scoring perspective. We can expect more of the same Week 9 against Jameis Winston: lots of passing yards, with a few sacks and turnovers sprinkled in. Tampa Bay has yielded the fourth-most fantasy points (12.0 per game) to team defenses, with Winston ranking 29th among qualified passers in both INT rate (4.6) and sack rate (9.6). This is one of the few matchups where Seattle's struggling pass rush (13 sacks) should actually be able to get some pressure.