Most of the top Week 1 fantasy football defenses were unsurprising. The Cowboys DST, Jets DST, and 49ers DST are widely unavailable and balled out for three of the top five performances of the week. But the rest of the top five from last week — Arizona (1% rostered, 22.75 pts) and Green Bay (32%, 18.75 pts) — were available leading up to kickoff. It shows how identifying a strong matchup and riding the right defense can mean the difference between a win and a loss.
That said, here are our favorite fantasy football Week 2 defense streamers:
GREEN BAY PACKERS (32% ROSTERED ON YAHOO!)
AT ATLANTA FALCONS | 1:00 PM
Green Bay has a lot of talent on the defensive side, with guys like Rashan Gary and Preston Smith up front and Jaire Alexander in the backfield. They were above-average against the pass in 2022 and below-average vs. the run, but they did it all last week against Chicago, holding the Bears rushing attack in check and limiting Chicago to 311 total yards and a 3/13 mark on third down with two turnovers.
Green Bay will head to Atlanta this week to face a Falcons offense that continues to come and go with their rushing attack. Desmond Ridder threw for just 115 yards in their win over Carolina, while Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier both ran for over 50 yards on over five yards per carry. Green Bay should be able to load the box to stop the run and trust guys like Alexander to guard from anything downfield, which Ridder might not even be capable of doing anyway.
CLEVELAND BROWNS (12%)
AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS | MNF
The Browns chewed up and spit out the high-flying Bengals offense in Week 1, sacking Joe Burrow twice and allowing only three points. Sure, the rainstorm in Ohio helped them out, but it was still a dominant defensive effort that left Burrow & Co. uncomfortable throughout the game. The Myles Garrett–Za’Darius Smith–JOK trio was unstoppable and the secondary locked down Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
This week, they travel to divisional rival Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. The Steelers’ offense looked nothing like it did in the preseason, and Kenny Pickett appeared to take a step back against the 49ers. To make this matchup even juicier, the Steelers lost Diontae Johnson for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. The Browns DST gets a chance to make its second statement against a divisional opponent.
DENVER BRONCOS (7.7% ON ESPN, 79% ON YAHOO!)
vs. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | 4:25 PM
Talk about a wild discrepancy between Yahoo! and ESPN for the Broncos DST. So, obviously, this is directed at those in ESPN leagues only.
Both coming off disappointing Week 1 losses, Washington hosts Denver in the late afternoon window. The Commanders were the sputtering offense that spurred the Cardinals’ surprise top-five showing last week, finishing with three turnovers and less than 250 total yards. They still won the game because Arizona’s offense is that bad, but Sam Howell and company showed they aren’t the attack they’d like to be just yet.
The Broncos put up just five points as a fantasy unit in Week 1, but allowed only 17 points to the Raiders with one interception. But with one of the league’s stronger secondaries, I think they’ll provide Howell with another frustrating week and lock up Washington’s talented receiver group.
DETROIT LIONS (6%)
vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 1:00 PM
The Lions kicked off the 2023 NFL season with a bang, taking out the Chiefs at Arrowhead to start 0-1. They were obviously assisted by the absence of both Travis Kelce’s availability and Kadarius Toney’s hands. However, they also had a pick-six of Patrick Mahomes and kept KC’s offense in check in a hostile environment. Now, they’ll travel home to host the Seahawks.
Seattle had a 13-7 lead over the Rams at halftime last week before embarking on one of the worst second halves these eyes have seen. Geno Smith finished with just 112 yards through the air, and the Seahawks looked like the JV version of the team that snuck into the playoffs last year and supposedly added offensive talent in the draft. Rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zach Charbonnet combined for just 24 yards from scrimmage in their debuts. I think Seattle’s offense will even out at some point, but I don’t know if a road matchup with the NFC North favorite is the time.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Arizona Cardinals (0.5%): Arizona had six sacks and a defensive TD last week against Washington. They now face a Giants offense that was in utter disarray in Week 1.
Houston Texans (1.1%): The Texans kept pace with Baltimore last week, sacking Lamar Jackson four times and picking him off once. They face a Colts team with no semblance of a rushing attack without Jonathan Taylor.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8.9%): Tampa was solid last week against a strong Minnesota offense, finishing with two sacks, two fumbles, and an interception for eight fantasy points. They will host Chicago as they attempt to improve to 2-0.
Wolf Rapid Reaction:
I love all these calls from Keegs, especially the Browns. Jim Schwartz has lit a fire under all the talent they have, and if they can shutdown Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase-Tee Higgins, they should have no problem obliterating a Diontae Johnson-less Steelers.
I did want to emphasize my love for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago, too. Between Shaquil Barrett, Devin White, Lavonte David, and Carlton Davis, they still have a ton of Super Bowl-winning talent at every layer of the field. The Bears surrendered four sacks, two takeaways, and a defensive touchdown last week and the Bucs could fare similarly.
I wanted to add the Giants (9%) into consideration as well. The Cardinals are unequivocally the worst offense in the NFL. The Giants, meanwhile, got embarrassed and will be looking to unload. Between Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Bobby Okere, and Xavier McKinney defense is not without talent. They had some big fantasy days last year under Wink Martindale and I think this is a ripe “get right” spot where they unload all their frustration of last week.
Lastly, while Green Bay makes sense on paper, I feel they could be a trap. Their greatest weakness is their run defense, and pounding the rock is what Atlanta does as well as anyone in the league. If they can force a negative script early, the Packers would be a money play. If Atlanta gets an early lead, this could spell trouble.
