As the second half of the NFL season officially kicks off this week, things are definitely starting to get juicy. The trade deadline will roll around on Tuesday, and with a handful of moves made already, I’m very excited to see which teams will make season-changing moves and which stars will be on a new roster before 4pm EST on Tuesday.
Aside from the front office activity and Halloween costumes in the stands, Week 9 was a fun one on the field as well. Bears vs. Bengals was a chaotic fever dream, both the Vikings and Panthers won outright as significant underdogs to NFC North powerhouses, and the Bills held off the Chiefs in a game that could very well shape how the AFC playoff picture looks in a few months’ time.
READ: FANTASY WEEK 10 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
The upset-heavy week we saw also played a big part in D/ST streamer performances, as most of the top performing units of the week were streamer-eligible, including the Titans (21 points, 1% rostered), Steelers (20 points, 48%), and Ravens (17 points, 48%). We unfortunately missed on all of these with our picks for Week 9, but managed to recommend some decent performers in the Rams (ten points), Lions (seven), and Chargers (six).
Week 10 is shaping up to be a slate of solid games, including the red-hot Patriots on the road against the Bucs, the 49ers hosting the Rams, and two primetime games on Sunday and Monday night that we could see rematches of in the playoffs in Steelers/Chargers and Eagles/Packers.
While I resort to eating Laffy Taffy and Nerds because those are all we have leftover after trick or treaters poached all the good stuff, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 10 defense streamers (D/ST) that should be available on the waiver wire.
TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 10
New England Patriots (87% Rostered): I’ve been big on the Patriots turnaround since the preseason, when I predicted their change at head coach and emphasis on building up the defense in free agency would lead to a return to relevance this season, but even at my most optimistic I didn’t see this coming. New England is 7-2, leading the AFC East and tied for the best record in football through nine weeks. Defensively, they’re the DST1 entering Week 10, averaging over nine points per game with the league’s top run defense and a top five scoring defense that allows under 19 points per game.
New England also has an insanely easy schedule, but there are a few exceptions, and Week 10 is one of them. The Patriots are on the road against Tampa, who have allowed just five points per game to opposing defenses this year. They’re coming off a bye, which is huge as they try to get their offensive stars back on the field, with guys like Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin hoping to return to the field this week. Speaking of injuries, both Christian Gonzalez and Christian Elliss left the Patriots’ Week 9 win with injuries, so New England could be short handed in this contest if one or both isn’t able to return to the field. I’m absolutely stashing the Pats as they follow this week up with the Jets, Bengals, and Giants before a late bye, but I’m avoiding starting them this week if at all possible.
Green Bay Packers (88%): I’ve also been high on Green Bay throughout the early part of this season, but this is another matchup that I’m afraid of for them. Coming off a tough loss to the Panthers where they managed just one sack and one turnover, they’ll host the Eagles, who are coming off a bye, on Monday Night Football.
On paper, the Packers seem well-equipped for this matchup, especially with a top five run defense that’s allowing under 90 yards per game on the ground. However, the Eagles have allowed under four points per game to opposing defenses, as they excel in limiting turnovers with just three on the year, the lowest mark in the league. After two straight losses, Philly has bounced back to win two straight while scoring 33 points per game in those contests. Green Bay has a couple favorable matchups on deck with the Giants and Vikings, so they’re another stash candidate, but I’m not starting them in this one.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 10 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
CLEVELAND BROWNS (20% ROSTERED)
Entering their Week 9 bye, the Browns D/ST had scored 37 points over their last two games against Miami and New England, totaling ten sacks and five turnovers in that stretch. Myles Garrett alone had six of those ten sacks, including five against New England despite a lopsided loss in that contest.
While they’ve managed to put up good numbers in their six losses in 2025, the Browns have had their best two games as a fantasy defense in their two wins, with 26 points against Miami and 14 against the Packers in Week 3. With the lack of talent they employ on offense, if this Cleveland team is going to win games, they’re clearly going to need to do it with their defense. And luckily for the Browns and anyone who held them through the bye week, Week 10 brings along a very winnable game against the 1-7 Jets.
After seven straight losses to start the year, the Jets finally got in the win column via a Week 8 comeback win over the Bengals. Through a combination of luck and a terrible Bengals defense, the Jets scored 23 points in the fourth quarter and eked out a one point win. Unfortunately for them, this win immediately preceded a bye week, all but destroying the little momentum they could’ve built up with such an emotional victory.
Through nine weeks, the Jets have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing defenses at over eight per game. They have the fourth-most sacks allowed and are 25th in scoring at 21 points per game. They’ve managed to limit turnovers to some degree with just ten on the year, but seven of those are lost fumbles, which ties them for the highest mark in the league in that department.
With the Raiders, 49ers, and Titans on the horizon over the next four weeks, Cleveland is in a great spot to go on a nice run defensively, even if it doesn’t translate into many actual victories. Scoop them up this week and let them rack up another five or six sack day to boost you towards a win.
CHICAGO BEARS (28%)
Despite allowing 42 points to the Bengals on Sunday, the Bears managed seven fantasy points via three sacks and three turnovers. The DST13 on the year, Chicago has surpassed double digit fantasy scoring in five of eight games in 2025, most recently scoring 14 in a Week 7 win over the Saints.
While they’ve been a solid fantasy defense this year, the Bears really aren’t a very strong real-life defense. They aren’t in the top half of the league rankings in any yardage statistics or as a scoring defense, and their 17 sacks has them tied for 20th leaguewide. However, their 13 interceptions and 19 total takeaways are both the highest mark in the league, which has made them relevant for fantasy purposes and helped keep them alive in the competitive NFC North.
Now winners of five of their last six, the Bears will look to stay hot in Week 10 as they return home to host the Giants.
Despite being bit by the injury bug over and over on offense, losing stars like Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, the Giants haven’t been particularly generous to fantasy defenses. On the year they’ve given up about 6.5 points per game to opposing D/STs, and most recently San Francisco finished with just two points in a 34-24 win.
Despite the fact that they’re managing to limit having huge games put up against them, I don’t have a lot of faith in New York’s offense to come to this matchup with any level of explosiveness. Jaxson Dart has been solid since taking over starting duties, but he cannot continue to be this team’s leading rusher as he was against the 49ers on Sunday. Someone will have to take the reigns from Skattebo, and I don’t think Tyrone Tracy or Devin Singletary is up to the task.
Dart has done well in limiting bad decisions that lead to turnovers, but against a ball-hawking secondary like Chicago, I think he could have some troubles. As long as Chicago limits his impact with his legs and makes him throw from the pocket, they should be able to muster up a couple of turnovers and finish with a solid day.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (30%)
The Bucs were on a tear before their Week 9 bye, scoring over 16 points per game over their last three including a 28-point outburst in Week 8 against New Orleans. They’re currently the DST6 for 2025, and after a week off they will remain in Tampa to host the New England Patriots, winners of six straight.
The Patriots’ recent win streak has made it easy to overlook some obvious flaws in their offense, but those flaws aren’t going anywhere. In particular, Drake Maye has been sacked more than every NFL QB not named Cam Ward, with 12 of those 34 sacks coming over the last two games. Whether you want to blame Maye for holding onto the ball for too long and not identifying the oncoming rush or the offensive line for not giving him enough time, something is going to have to change for the Patriots if they’re going to be the legitimate contender they’re starting to look like.
Aside from sacks, New England is also tied for the league lead with seven lost fumbles. Just looking at last week against Atlanta, an objectively less-talented unit than Tampa’s, Maye was sacked six times and one of those resulted in a fumble that was nearly returned for a touchdown. Maye also threw an interception — just his fourth of the year, but it was the result a bad miscommunication with his receiver.
I still think New England is a contender in the AFC, but they have serious issues on offense that will become harder to ignore once they start costing the team games. I think they’re due for a regression to the mean following this recent win streak, and this matchup seems like exactly the one to make that happen. Tampa is very talented, getting healthier off their bye week, and looking to protect their division lead from a Panthers team that has won five of seven and just took down the Packers. It’s less of a sure thing than the previous picks, but I like Tampa as a sleeper this week to put up a big day.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Carolina Panthers (3%): The Panthers have won five of their last seven games and just beat Green Bay while putting up ten points on defense. They’ll look to stay hot and on the heels of the Buccaneers as they host the Saints in Week 10.
Baltimore Ravens (48%): Are the Ravens finally turning the corner? They destroyed the Dolphins on Thursday night and put up 17 fantasy points in the process, and will stay on the road this week to face the Vikings.
New York Jets (3%): The Jets finally got in the win column in Week 8 but scored -2 fantasy points with just one sack and no turnovers. They’ll look to put together their first win streak this week as they host the Browns.
