Week 3 was a crazy one when it came to D/ST scoring in the NFL. If you watched RedZone, it seemed like every five minutes we had a blocked field goal or a pick six or a fumble going the other way for a score. And most of that was just Isaiah Rodgers.
Rodgers’ Vikings were started in 75% of Sleeper leagues on Sunday, and they rewarded those who started them nicely with a whopping 35 points via four sacks, two defensive touchdowns, and SEVEN turnovers. It was an insane performance that overshadowed what was really the shock of the week — Carolina, owned in less than 1% of leagues and facing a Falcons team that seemed to be headed in the right direction, putting up 23 points with three turnovers, one defensive score, and a 30-0 shutout win over Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Falcons (one of our streamer picks for Week 3) were owned in over 54% of leagues and put up just two points. Shows how much we know.
Last week’s picks turned in solid performances aside from the Falcons, as Green Bay finished with eight points in a shocking loss to Cleveland and the Colts put up 15 in a lopsided win over Tennessee.
Week 4 is now upon us, and we’ll continue to learn from what we’ve seen so far in the young season. We’ve got a great slate of games on the horizon, including a battle of undefeated teams in Tampa, another chapter in the Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes saga, and Micah Parsons returning to Dallas on Sunday Night Football.
Before we get too excited, let’s take a closer look at the best fantasy football Week 4 defense streamers (D/ST) that should be available on the waiver wire.
TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 4
Philadelphia Eagles (91% rostered) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (55% rostered): I decided to include both Tampa and Philly as teams to avoid here, but I’m mostly worried about the Bucs considering what we saw out of Philadelphia in Week 3. Much has been said about Jalen Hurts and his underwhelming performances over the first few games of 2025, but he silenced his many doubters against the Rams on Sunday, throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-26 win. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 14 catches for 169 yards and each caught a TD from Hurts, and Philly beat a solid LA team despite getting just 46 yards on 18 carries from Saquon Barkley. If the Eagles can put up 30+ without a good day from their star running back, they’re going to be really tough to beat, and I worry about that for a Tampa defense that allowed Tyrod Taylor to be the QB7 this week through Sunday’s games.
Philadelphia’s defense had their best fantasy performance of the year in Week 3, but it was significantly aided by Jalen Carter‘s FG block and ensuing touchdown return in the final seconds. Aside from that one play, the Eagles gave up 26 points, allowed over five yards per carry from LA’s running backs, and mustered up just one sack on the day. Tampa Bay has, in some ways, lucked themselves to a 3-0 record, but Baker Mayfield has been solid and they’re one of just three remaining teams that haven’t turned the ball over through three weeks. Those with the Eagles defense on their roster will want to closely monitor the situation around Mike Evans‘ hamstring, but especially if he’s active, Philly may have a tough time with this Bucs offense.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 4 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (9% ROSTERED)
Despite a top five scoring defense, the Chargers D/ST is scoring just six points per game through three weeks. Their ten sacks is tied for fifth in the league, but they have just three takeaways on the year so far — all interceptions off Geno Smith in Week 2. That game, a 13-point showing, was sandwiched between matchups against Kansas City and Denver, so they’ve proven they can put up good numbers against bad offenses and hold their own against good ones. And, lucky for them, Week 4 brings a matchup with what we can certainly characterize as a bad offense.
While former QB1 Daniel Jones is thriving in Indianapolis, the Giants are floundering with an 0-3 record and two abysmal offensive showings separated by a good day against a Dallas defense that’s looking worse every week.
Russell Wilson has simply not been the answer at quarterback that the Giants were looking for. He’s completed less than 60% of his passes through three weeks, thrown three interceptions, and his QBR of 33.9 is ahead of only JJ McCarthy and Cam Ward for the worst mark in the league. Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs was his worst showing yet, finishing with just 160 yards and throwing two picks while his team failed to find their way into the end zone all night. Meanwhile, the home crowd cheered audibly every time Jaxson Dart stepped on the field and sounded noticeably disappointed each time he went back to the bench.
Wilson isn’t New York’s only problem — outside of a strong performance from rookie RB Cam Skattebo, the Giants looked lifeless on offense in Week 3. Malik Nabers followed a 167-yard, two TD performance in Week 2 with a dud against Kansas City, catching just two passes for 13 yards, and besides Skattebo, not a single other Giant topped 30 yards rushing or receiving all night.
If New York plans to continue their trend of only looking like an NFL offense against inferior defenses, they’re in trouble this week, as the Chargers have a deep unit that can take over a game in a hurry. LA should have no trouble improving to 4-0 this week, and with an injured Washington offense and the struggling Dolphins on deck, they could be a multi-week pickup for sure.
DETROIT LIONS (46%)
In all transparency, this is being written before Detroit takes on Baltimore in Week 3, but that result really doesn’t matter to me much. The Ravens have an electric offense featuring two of the most prolific rushers in the game at QB and RB and a top ten offensive line. Regardless of how things turn out on Monday Night Football, none of those things will be applying to the Cleveland Browns anytime soon.
Cleveland escaped Week 3 with a 13-10 win over the previously-undefeated Packers, but Green Bay’s D/ST still finished with a solid 8 points thanks to two sacks, an interception, and a season-low 221 yards allowed. Quinshon Judkins managed to turn in a solid day with 94 yards and a touchdown, but he was really the only offensive bright spot for the Browns, as Joe Flacco threw for just 142 yards on the day and David Njoku led the team with 40 receiving yards.
The Browns employ the league’s 30th-ranked scoring offense at just 15.3 points per game, and they’ve given up over nine points per game to opposing fantasy defenses through three weeks. Even as Judkins comes into his own as their RB1, they have plenty of holes on their offense with an aging QB, an underperforming receiving group, and a lackluster offensive line.
Detroit isn’t a world-beating unit defensively by any means, but after a goose egg in a Week 1 loss to Green Bay, they turned things around with nine points in a big Week 2 win over Chicago, finishing the day with four sacks and two turnovers. They still had some issues against the Bears as D’Andre Swift finished with over five yards per carry and Rome Odunze racked up 128 yards and two TDs, but those two players likely have more talent between them than Cleveland’s entire offense combined.
The Lions took a big ownership dip last week heading into their matchup with Baltimore, but I assume they’ll be a popular pick this week and should have a solid day. And with a Week 5 matchup looming with Cincinnati, who just let up 35 points to Minnesota’s defense, locking Detroit up for this week puts you in a good spot for the next two.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (20%)
I’ve been a believer in New England’s defense since the preseason, and so far they’ve mostly come to play under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Even with their top cornerback Christian Gonzalez missing the whole season so far, the Patriots D/ST is averaging over seven points per game. They took a step back against Pittsburgh in Week 3, failing to add to their season total of nine sacks, which led the league heading into the week, and generating just one turnover. However, they also allowed a season-low 203 total yards — and in a game where your offense turns the ball over five times, including twice on the goal line, there’s only so much you can do.
Gonzalez was a limited participant in practice throughout last week, so it’s reasonable to assume he may be able to make his season debut in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. His talent in the secondary would be a huge boost for New England, and making Bryce Young hold the ball a little bit longer before finding an open man would benefit their pass rush for guys like Harold Landry III, who is still tied for fifth in the league with 3.5 sacks despite not getting one against the Steelers.
The Panthers are coming off a shocking 30-0 win over Atlanta, but the offense wasn’t a huge part of it despite the high point total. Carolina benefitted from three Falcon turnovers including a pick six, and Young finished the day with just 121 yards passing and no touchdowns. Tetairoa McMillan led the team in receiving again, but caught just three of eight targets for 48 yards on the afternoon. Ultimately, the big win was more a product of Atlanta’s struggles than anything Carolina did.
New England is one of the most penalized teams in the league through three weeks and added seven more on Sunday, six of those being charged to the defense. Cleaning up these mistakes and getting their CB1 back on the field will be key in this matchup, but if they can manage to do both, they should be able to bounce back and bring Carolina back down to Earth.
The Patriots travel to Buffalo in Week 5 but follow that up with matchups against the Saints, Titans, and Browns, so they are hitting a mostly good stretch in their schedule starting this week.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
New York Jets (3%): The Jets put up 10 points against Tampa Bay, primarily aided by a late FG block and subsequent TD return that almost won them the game. They’ve yet to generate a single turnover through three weeks and have just two sacks over the last two weeks, but will look to turn things around in a Monday night game against the Dolphins.
Chicago Bears (2%): The Bears have two double-digit performances this year, separated by a blowout loss to Detroit. They’re coming off a three interception performance against Dallas and will head to Las Vegas this week to face the Raiders, who’ve been the fifth-most generous team to opposing D/STs in 2025.
Washington Commanders (44%): Washington put up 11 points in Week 3 against the Raiders with five sacks on the day. They’ll head on the road to face the Falcons this week, who were shut out by Carolina in Week 3 in a 30-0 beatdown.
