Every point matters when it comes to winning in season-long fantasy football, meaning you can't afford to leave points on the table. We don't spend top-notch draft capital on D/STs in our fantasy football drafts, but ignoring them during the season can cost you dearly.
Streaming defenses throughout the year is a great way to ensure you get the most out of your D/ST slot. Even the best defenses draw tough weekly matchups, and even the worst defenses are capable of strong fantasy outings in the right situations.
This article is here to help you parse through all of those situations and to present you with three streamers available in most leagues.
Fantasy Football Defenses to Stream for Week 5
All projections via numberFire.
Washington Commanders
Matchup: vs. Chicago Bears
numberFire Projection: 9.29 (D/ST1)
The Washington D/ST gets arguably the best matchup of any defense in Week 5 as they prepare to take on the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. The Bears are fresh off of making the Denver Broncos' league-worst defense a fantasy-relevant option and could cough up a ton of fantasy points to the Washington Commanders' formidable defensive front.
The Bears are a streaming D/ST dream matchup this season. Starting quarterback Justin Fields is throwing picks at a 4.1% rate (third-highest in the NFL), taking sacks at an absurd 12.1% rate (fourth-highest in the NFL), and has committed 4 fumbles across four games this season (tied for the third-most in the league). As much fun as his highlight-reel plays can be, Fields is just not a functional NFL quarterback right now.
The Bears are turning poor NFL defenses into viable streamer options in fantasy football, though the Commanders' defense might even have some value independent from their enviable Week 5 matchup. They've looked pretty vulnerable the past two weeks against the Buffalo Bills' and Philadelphia Eagles' elite offenses, but the team has still generated sacks at the seventh-best rate in the league so far this season. With friendlier game scripts, this D could start looking like the fearsome unit they've looked like on paper over the past few years.
The Commanders have the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants queued up as their Week 6 and Week 7 opponents, which means you could probably start their D/ST safely in each of the next three weeks. If you're the kind of season-long manager who prefers to set it and forget it when you have the option, the Commanders make for an appealing pickup on waivers this week.
Detroit Lions
Matchup: vs. Carolina Panthers
numberFire Projection: 8.54 (D/ST2)
The Detroit D/ST trails only the Commanders D/ST in numberFire's projections this week, making them a highly appealing streamer option off of waivers. The Detroit Lions will square off against the Carolina Panthers, who have the second-lowest implied total (18.25) in Week 5.
The Lions' defense has come a long way from last year -- when they ranked fourth-worst in points allowed and worst in yards allowed to opposing offenses. This season, they're 20th in points against (83 allowed) and 29th in total yards allowed (just 1,122) through the first four weeks of the NFL season. They've faced some feisty offenses to start the year, too, so it does look like they've started to turn things around.
Their season stats could look even better after their Week 5 tilt with the Panthers, whose offense under first overall pick Bryce Young has sputtered out of the gates. On the year, the Panthers rank ninth-worst in points (67), eighth-worst in total yards (1,130) and third-worst in yards per play (4.2). If you exclude journeyman backup Andy Dalton's lone start, in which he put up 2 scores and 361 passing yards, their numbers look even more concerning.
Young is taking sacks on 9.6% of his drop backs despite averaging 6.4 intended air yards per attempt. Simply put, his offensive line is letting pressure through to him before plays can have a chance to develop. Per Pro Football Focus, the Panthers' offensive line has graded out as the fourth-worst pass-blocking unit in the NFL this season, and it's killing their offense.
That puts the Lions' D/ST in a great spot to rack up sacks without allowing many points in Week 5 and makes them an elite D/ST option for the week, streamer or otherwise.
Indianapolis Colts
Matchup: vs. Tennessee Titans
numberFire Projection: 7.85 (D/ST5)
The Indianapolis Colts' defense has faced a strong slew of opponents to open the year and has emerged from those trials looking like one of the more underrated defenses in the league after four weeks. While they have allowed the fourth-most yards (1,562) to opposing passing offenses this season, they've limited their foes to the 11th-most points (99) despite facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, and Los Angeles Rams -- each of whom have fielded pretty solid offenses to open the year.
They'll get their first "soft" matchup of the year in Week 5 as they take on the Tennessee Titans, who have been kind to opposing D/STs this season.
Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill has not looked right this year, and the Titans' offense has suffered for it. The veteran has thrown twice as many interceptions (four) as touchdowns (two) this year (though three of the picks occurred back in Week 1) while his 12.9% sack rate ranks third-highest in the league. The team's running game has looked like it's been coming together after a rocky start, but once the Titans get behind, Tannehill's propensity for sacks and turnovers can quickly take a situation from bad to worse.
The Titans rely on their Derrick Henry-led rushing attack to control the game, but they have seemed to fall apart whenever opposing defenses can bottle up Henry. The Colts' defense has limited opposing rushers to a lowly 3.8 yards per carry this season, which could stymie the Titans' offensive plan.
As with the Commanders earlier, the Colts will face a relatively soft schedule of opponents over the next several weeks after this one, including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Panthers, and New England Patriots. If you pick the Colts up for a start in Week 5, there's a good chance you won't have to address the D/ST part of your lineups until the Colts' Week 11 bye.
Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
