FULL WEEK 10 RANKINGS, INCLUDING D/ST, HERE
Roster rates and scoring data via Sleeper
Are you also in denial that we’re already headed into Week 10?
Week 9 overall was a bit of a dud; sure, we had an OT game and a few other close ones early, but there were also a few blowouts, and that trend continued into the afternoon window, which had four games with an average margin of victory of over 18 points.
Our Week 9 picks had a strong day, led by our #1 selection, the San Francisco 49ers. While I mostly picked them to get ahead of your league-mates realizing they’re getting healthy and have a great end of season schedule, I liked them for this week, and they paid off big time with five turnovers, including a pick six, to finish with 17 points.
The Bears had a pick six of their own on Sunday Night Football, adding a second interception and four sacks to finish with 14 points. The Saints, meanwhile, got plenty of pressure like I anticipated, finishing the game with five sacks, but couldn’t muster up any turnovers and finished with just five points to show for it.
Week 10 looks like it may also have some snoozer games, but we should have some excitement as well. The Patriots and Lions will kick off in Munich on Sunday morning, while the Packers will host the Vikings in the early window and the Bengals and Steelers will face off in primetime.
Three top ten scoring defenses from 2026 will be idle in Week 10 with the Bucs, Bears, and Broncos taking the week off alongside the Philadelphia Eagles, while teams like New England and Pittsburgh are projected to have lower-scoring weeks despite high roster rates.
With that, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 10 defense streamers (D/ST) that you should be eyeing on the waiver wire.
BEST FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 10 DEFENSE STREAMERS (D/ST)
GREEN BAY PACKERS (20% ROSTERED)
I have been both right and wrong about the Packers this year — but mostly wrong.
Green Bay was my favorite turnaround candidate in my preseason DST analysis with a new DC and a defense that was revamped in the draft and free agency heading into this year. I knew Micah Parsons would miss at least the first handful of games, but was confident that the Packers would tread water without him and excel even more once he came back.
I then mentioned the Packers as a streaming pick for the first three weeks of the year, during which they scored a total of six fantasy points. As a result, I promptly swore them off until at least Parsons’ return, and they immediately got their act together.
Since Week 3, Green Bay has scored almost 12 fantasy points per game with 19 sacks and 17 turnovers in those six games. They’ve jumped up to the DST8 spot after racking up ten sacks and six turnovers in their last two games, wins over Carolina and New England.
I’m now fully sucked back in when it comes to Green Bay, even with Parsons still just practicing and likely not returning until after the team’s Week 11 bye. And I’m back just in time to avenge one of those ugly early-season games that got me off the wagon to begin with.
Minnesota has continued their years long QB roulette in 2026, starting both Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray under center so far this year. Wentz will be back in the starting role for Week 9 when Minnesota faces the Bills, but the Vikings are also rumored to be making a push to acquire Daniel Jones from the slumping Colts.
No matter who has played quarterback for the Vikings this year, the offense has struggled. Justin Jefferson is on pace for a career-worst season (and hasn’t been shy about his frustrations around it), and the run game hasn’t taken any of the pressure off of their QBs.
Minnesota very likely has the worst offense we’ve ever seen on a team that started 6-0, having been carried to that impressive start by Brian Flores’ uber-aggressive defense. But that defense can’t help them move the ball against a Green Bay unit that has gotten better and better and is coming off an absolutely dominant performance on the road against Drake Maye and the Patriots.
As mentioned, Green Bay follows this game up with their bye, and with the Rams and Bills on deck over the following three weeks, they may be on a downward trajectory after this game despite Parsons’ imminent return. However, if they’re available in your league, they are a must-grab for Week 10, and they’re a stash option if able for upcoming games in Week 13 (@ New Orleans), Week 15 (vs. Miami), and Week 17 (vs. Houston).
NEW YORK GIANTS (26%)
Heading into Week 9 off their bye week, the Giants were a bottom-tier fantasy defense despite being top ten in total yardage and top three against the pass. Their nine sacks were tied for dead last in the league while their nine turnovers were in the bottom half of the league, limiting their fantasy upside despite having a solid unit overall.
Then they played the Eagles.
New York nearly doubled their season sack total, racking up seven on Sunday and recovering a fumble while allowing only 11 points to finish with a 13-point afternoon. The Eagles have struggled with injuries and turned to Joe Milton for his first career start at QB in this contest, but they’re still an NFL offense with a star running back, and dominating them to that degree is a great sign for John Harbaugh’s defense moving forward.
The Giants’ win improved their record to 5-2-1, keeping them in first place as the only NFC East team above .500. Their rest of season schedule is one of the tougher ones for any defense, with matchups against the Jaguars, 49ers, Lions, and Cowboys still looming in 2026, but this week they get yet another matchup with a disappointment from their own division as they head home to host the Commanders.
Washington may have a 2-5-1 record on the year, but when it comes to situational awareness, they’re winless and things are not looking up.
It seems like every week Dan Quinn’s team is making another boneheaded mistake late in a close game, and Week 9 was no different. The above snap was taken from LA’s 32-yard line in a seven point game and absolutely should’ve been a shot to the end zone. It’s hard to believe this is the same team and same quarterback that beat the Bears on a miracle Hail Mary just over two years ago.
Washington has been less generous than you’d expect to opposing fantasy defenses as they’ve turned the ball over just five times on the year, throwing just one INT so far. However, they’ve given up 15 sacks over the last four weeks, and the Giants sacked Jayden Daniels five times in their 27-27 tie last month.
Rookie first rounder Arvell Reese had his first career sack in that contest and has added 3.5 over the last two weeks, including three against Philly to go along with ten solo tackles. The fifth overall pick in April’s draft has looked the part in recent weeks and is becoming yet another piece in what’s already a very talented Giants defense.
As mentioned, New York’s rest of season schedule is generally pretty tough, and that starts with a Week 11 matchup at home against Jacksonville, so they’re more of a one-week selection. But given recent trends for both of these teams, the Giants are a great play for Week 10.
BALTIMORE RAVENS (38%)
This has been the year from Hell for the Ravens so far. Lamar Jackson missed three games with an injury, came back, and immediately suffered another injury that may ultimately end his season. Tyler Huntley also suffered a long-term injury, and lackluster play from third stringer Joe Fagnano prompted Baltimore to trade for Jacoby Brissett, who will likely make his Ravens debut in Week 10.
After a 4-1 start, Baltimore has lost four straight and hasn’t scored more than 13 points in any of those contests. However, despite the rough start, they were a respectable fantasy defense until recently. After averaging about six points per game through Week 6, they embarked on a gauntlet stretch against the Bengals, Bills, and Jaguars, scoring a grand total of four fantasy points across those three games with two sacks and three turnovers.
The Ravens have been aggressively average in terms of sacks and turnovers over the course of the season so far, and their scoring defense was pretty solid until this recent stretch of games where they’ve allowed 33+ for three straight weeks.
However, in Week 10 they’ll host the Chargers, who not only haven’t scored 33 in a game this year, they haven’t even topped 23.
It’s frankly incredible that Mike McDaniel still has a job in Los Angeles. The Chargers offense is setting a new precedent for disappointment and it continues week after week. Justin Herbert‘s contract is rapidly becoming the worst investment in NFL history, but the problem goes so far beyond the quarterback. They’re tied for third in dropped passes this year with 16, and their banged up offensive line is arguably the worst in the league. On the year, they’ve given up the most points to opposing fantasy defenses at almost 11 per game.
I spent weeks saying each game would be the one that the Chargers would finally figure things out and put a decent performance together, but at this point, I’m starting to think it isn’t going to happen, at least this season. Until it does, I have to keep leaning on LA’s opponents as they continue to have big days.
The Ravens have Carolina and Houston on deck after this week followed by a bye week, so they likely aren’t a lucrative multi-week selection, but keep an eye on the fantasy playoffs for this unit — during Weeks 15-17 they’ll run the gauntlet of division opponents, and while they may be last in the standings when those contests come around, if history is any indication those matchups will feel like playoff games.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Indianapolis Colts (5%): The Colts haven’t excelled in much this year, defense included, but they put up a surprising nine points against Dallas last week with three sacks and two turnovers. They’ll stay at home this week and host the Dolphins.
Buffalo Bills (14%): Buffalo topped five points for the first time since the first game of the season in Week 8, dropping 15 against the Ravens. They still have the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 9, and could be riding a two-game hot streak into a Week 10 matchup against the Jets.
Carolina Panthers (7%): Carolina hasn’t done much outside of a 26-point explosion in Week 2 while Cooper Rush was still under center for the Falcons. They’re on the road in Week 10 against New Orleans, who’s been generous to opposing defenses in recent weeks.
