Week 4 of the NFL season presents us with one of the first true turning points of the fantasy season. For the first few weeks, you mostly have to wait and see how the team you drafted plays out. Players will underperform, injuries will happen, and now we’re at the point where if you’re 0-3, you need to start making some changes.
Depending on your situation, you may need to get the next few waiver steals or negotiate a blockbuster deal for some new stars. But for some, it can be as simple as paying closer attention to your defense week in and week out.
READ: WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
The Green Bay Packers were a prime example this week. They aren’t the league’s best defense and were only owned in 6% of Sleeper leagues heading into this week, but they were dealt a great matchup against the struggling Titans. The result was eight sacks, three turnovers, and the league’s best fantasy D/ST performance through Sunday’s action.
To figure out who this week’s Packers will be, let’s dive into the best D/ST streamer options (less than 50% owned on Sleeper) for Week 4.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 4 DEFENSE STREAMERS (DST)
MIAMI DOLPHINS (32% ROSTERED ON SLEEPER)
vs Tennessee Titans | MNF (7:30 PM)
The Dolphins are 1-2 coming off back to back losses and find themselves in QB injury hell, but the defense is at least making an effort to keep them afloat. Miami is in the top half of the league against both the run and the pass, and has put up seven or more fantasy points in two of their three games this year, the other being a zero-point effort in the game Tua Tagovailoa was injured.
Miami being my favorite pick of this week has less to do with their defensive prowess than who they’ll line up against on Monday night in South Beach.
At 0-3, the Titans have yielded over 17.3 points per game to fantasy defenses, almost six points higher than the next worst offense. They’ve allowed three defensive touchdowns, their eight giveaways are the most in the league, and their 15 sacks allowed are second to only the Browns. Will Levis has struggled to make plays under pressure going back to last year, and putting him behind the league’s youngest offensive line has unsurprisingly been a failed experiment.
Miami has just six sacks and three turnovers forced through three games, but I’m expecting them to pump those numbers up significantly in this matchup. Tennessee’s DST opponents have finished first, sixth, and first (through Sunday) each week in fantasy scoring, and they’re a major streaming target for the foreseeable future. And with New England and Indianapolis on deck, Miami may be one you hold onto for a couple of weeks if you can get them now.
TENNESSEE TITANS (7% ROSTERED)
@ Miami Dolphins | MNF (7:30 PM)
It’s not very often we get to see a true Double Feature for fantasy DST streaming, but this MNF matchup definitely qualifies.
We’ve already covered Tennessee’s offense, so now it’s time to talk about Miami’s. This unit that finished first in yards and points scored last season is a shell of its former self without Tua Tagovailoa. Skylar Thompson got the start in Week 3, completing 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards and being sacked five times before suffering a rib injury in the third quarter. Tim Boyle finished the game and led a drive that ended at Seattle’s 2-yard line, but things are still looking very bleak for the Dolphins.
It could be any pick of Thompson, Boyle, or the newly-acquired Tyler Huntley that starts for Miami in this one, but none give me any confidence that they can right the ship. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been non-factors since Tua’s injury, and the Dolphins mustered up just 65 rushing yards on Sunday against a Seattle team that surrendered 185 yards on the ground to New England in Week 2.
Tennessee’s defense doesn’t make OCs lose sleep at night, but they’ve proven they can slow down incompetent offenses, holding the Bears to 148 total yards and 2 offensive points scored in Week 1. Miami’s offense is in a similar condition as Chicago’s, so maybe we can expect a similar result.
Miami has given up 11 sacks on the year, while the Titans DST has generated multiple sacks in all three games and has seven in total. We very well may see double digit sacks in this one, and if you can’t land Miami to take advantage of it, starting Tennessee may be just as lucrative.
HOUSTON TEXANS (32% ROSTERED)
vs Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 PM
The Texans entered Week 3 with a 2-0 record after racking up seven sacks and two interceptions against the Bears. They traveled to Minnesota hoping to prove the Vikings’ win over San Francisco was a fluke, but instead got embarrassed 34-7 as Sam Darnold threw four touchdowns and Aaron Jones ran for over 100 yards.
Houston hopes to get back on track at home against Jacksonville, who’ve surrendered the 9th-most fantasy points to opposing defenses in 2024.
Evan Engram has missed two straight games with a hamstring injury, and Trevor Lawrence has yet to top 17 points in a game in 2024. He hasn’t been throwing many interceptions but is completing under 53% of his passes and has been sacked 11 times, while Houston’s defense boasts 13 sacks through three weeks.
The Texans need a bounce back after a blowout loss, and they should be in prime position to beat up on an inferior divisional opponent at home.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Carolina Panthers (0%): Carolina finally got into the win column last week in Vegas, and will host the struggling Bengals in Week 4 looking to build on a three-sack performance against the Raiders.
Arizona Cardinals (2%): The Cardinals are averaging nine FPPG on defense and look to continue that trend against the Commanders at home.
Las Vegas Raiders (57%): After jumping from 7% ownership to 57% following a Week 2 win over Baltimore, the Raiders put up the stinker of the day against Carolina and Andy Dalton. They’ll host the Browns as they attempt to turn things back around.
