After the highest-scoring Week 1 of all time, we returned to normalcy a bit in Week 2 with some good old-fashioned battles.
The Bears plummeted back to Earth, following up a 59-point outburst with a three-point dud, while the Falcons, Texans, Vikings, Steelers, and Cardinals also failed to reach double-digit point totals after just one team (the Rams, playing on ultra jet lag in Australia) scored less than 10 a week ago.
In other words: a great week for defenses!
As a result, our Week 2 streamer picks had a solid showing. The 49ers scored nine points in a blowout win over Miami, racking up four sacks but failing to force a turnover and allowing a garbage-time TD that limited their scoring potential. And the Bengals followed up their DST1 Week 1 with an 11-point showing in a win over the Texans, holding them to just two field goals and sacking CJ Stroud four times.
Unfortunately, the Bucs ruined our chances at going three for three in top ten units, as they put up a two-point stinker in a surprising loss to the Browns.
Looking at Week 3, we’ve got a handful of highly-owned defenses facing high-powered offenses, including the Patriots (at Jacksonville), Ravens (at Dallas), and Eagles (at Chicago, pending Caleb Williams‘ injury diagnosis).
So who should you look to replace them with? Let’s answer that question as we dig into the best fantasy football Week 3 defense streamers (D/ST) to target on the Week 3 Waiver Wire.
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 3 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (40% ROSTERED)
After a two-turnover, four-sack performance in Week 1 against Denver that resulted in 13 points, the Chiefs took a bit of a step back on Sunday Night Football in Week 2, finishing with one point, just one turnover, and no sacks in a 33-30 OT win over the Colts. The game flow in Week 1 allowed Kansas City to stifle Denver’s run game, while consistent pressure on Bo Nix helped hold the Broncos QB to 131 yards while sacking him four times and picking him off once, but things were much different against Indy.
Personally, I think Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is more accurately represented by their Week 1 performance than by what they did against the Colts, and as they head on the road for the first time this season, I am expecting a return to what we saw against Denver. Especially given that their Week 3 opponent is the 0-2 Miami Dolphins.
I included the clip above so that, if you look at the raw box score of Miami’s loss to the 49ers on Sunday, you realize that without this garbage-time 77-yard touchdown, Miami mustered just six points, while Malik Willis threw for 120 yards and took four sacks. De’Von Achane, the Dolphins lone star on offense, finished with less than four yards per carry, and Miami’s leading receiver outside of the late score was Malik Washington with just 43 yards.
Miami’s offense isn’t even the primary issue with their team — their defense has scored a total of one fantasy point through two games — but when you’re paying your former quarterback more to sit on the injury report of another team than your entire current offense, you can’t expect too much in the way of scoring.
If Kansas City can keep Achane in check, as they did with Denver’s backs in Week 1, they’ll be in for a huge day in South Florida. Add in some pressure on Willis leading to some sacks and rushed throws, and a receiving group with no real big-play threats to speak of, and the Chiefs are definitely my favorite streaming option of the week.
To make this pick even easier, Kansas City can be considered a two-week selection as they play the Raiders in Week 4, followed by an early bye.
BUFFALO BILLS (8%)
The Bills are off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Joe Brady, but the defense is far from the reason. Through two games, they’ve allowed 62 points, one of the highest marks in the league, and put up just 12 total fantasy points as a unit. Their seven sacks and two turnovers aren’t awful numbers, but aren’t particularly impressive, either.
Greg Rousseau alone has four of Buffalo’s seven sacks so far in 2026, and with guys like him, Ed Oliver, and Bradley Chubb up front along with Dee Alford and CJ Gardner-Johnson, among others, in the secondary, it’s a matter of time before this defense becomes more of an asset than a liability for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.
Why do I think the turnaround starts this week? Aside from it just being time for Josh Allen to get some help, Buffalo’s next opponent has a lot to do with it.
The Chargers entered the 2026 season generally considered to be the third-best team in their division, but with the AFC West being one of the stronger divisions in football, the playoffs were definitely considered in play for Justin Herbert and company. Herbert has been criticized throughout his career so far for failing to win a playoff game, but the way this season has started for LA, he won’t have to worry about losing another one in January because he’ll be on the couch watching.
The Chargers have allowed 27 fantasy points to defenses through two weeks, and not just any defenses — they’ve played Arizona and Las Vegas, both considered bottom-ten fantasy defenses going into the season. Herbert has three picks against just two touchdowns through two weeks, while Omarion Hampton has lost a fumble in each game and averaged under four yards per carry.
New OC Mike McDaniel, once hailed as an offensive guru, came to the Chargers with hopes of reinvigorating Herbert and this offense. Instead, the Chargers look worse than ever and are at serious risk of starting 0-3 for the first time since 2017. And looking at their schedule, it could get even worse.
Rousseau, Oliver, and Chubb should have a field day with an offensive line that has allowed six sacks through two weeks and struggled mightily to contain Maxx Crosby in Week 2, as Joe Alt was flagged for multiple false starts trying to get a head start on the All-Pro. And given the lackluster showings so far from Hampton in the run game and virtually all of LA’s pass catchers, it truly doesn’t matter if Herbert comes to play or not. As a once-great supermodel and NFL WAG once said, the quarterback “cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”
Buffalo follows up this matchup with games against the Patriots and Rams, so they may be a one-week stream, but they’re a great option this week.
CINCINNATI BENGALS (7%)
Coming off an awful stretch of defensive seasons in recent years, the Bengals shocked the world in Week 1 with a DST1 performance that included four sacks, four turnovers (all fumbles, one returned for a TD), and a 22-point outburst in a win over Tampa Bay.
I was cautiously optimistic about their prospects in Week 2 against Houston when I picked them, and they had a very good day, finishing with 11 points. They weren’t able to generate any turnovers, but they matched their Week 1 sack total and kept the Texans out of the end zone for the full 60 minutes.
An even better sign is that Cincy had another good game with different contributors. Cedric Johnson matched his 2025 sack total in one game with two sacks against Houston after having just one tackle in Week 1, while Dax Hill broke up four passes after the Bengals had just one PD as a team last week. So while last week was marked by contributions by newcomers like Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook, Week 2’s performance was driven by homegrown talent.
At first place in the AFC North at 2-0, Cincinnati will have their first division matchup of the year in Week 3 as they stay on the road to face Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers.
After a win in Week 1 in which Rodgers threw for 221 yards and a TD, Pittsburgh took a huge step back in Week 2 against New England. Rodgers threw for 187 yards and an interception and was sacked four times, one of which resulted in a touchdown and another in a 20+ yard loss that drove the Steelers out of field goal range.
As much as I like to bash Rodgers, he has been far from the only issue with Pittsburgh’s offense. Jaylen Warren has yet to rush for 50 yards in a game, DK Metcalf has a case of the drops, and Michael Pittman missed Week 2 with a foot injury after a three-catch performance in Week 1.
AFC North matchups are notoriously low-scoring and generally lucrative to stream defenses in. Add in how Pittsburgh’s offense and Cincinnati’s defense are both trending so far this year and the Bengals should remain a top five fantasy defense through three weeks. I’ll have to avoid picking them for a third straight game next week as they host the Jaguars, but they’re worth a stash with Miami looming in Week 5.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Green Bay Packers (33%): The Packers got back in the win column in Week 2 after blowing their opening game against Minnesota, putting up five points on defense in a victory over the Jets. They play on Thursday night this week against Atlanta, who has given up an insane 46 points to defenses over the first two games but may get Michael Penix back for this contest, which should help.
Carolina Panthers (8%): The Panthers had a huge turnaround in Week 2, forcing five turnovers and scoring a TD en route to 26 points against Atlanta after getting waxed by Chicago in Week 1. They’ll head to Cleveland this week to face the Browns, who, after a win in Week 2… may not be as bad as we thought?
New York Giants (4%): The Giants have yet to play in Week 2 as of this writing, but considering they’re on the road against the Rams, I’m sure they won’t put up incredible numbers. However, they’ll face the lowly Titans in Week 3, and they’re a serviceable streaming option if needed in deeper leagues.
