Week 3 Defense (DEF/DST) Waiver Wire Pickups: Buccaneers Looking Hot

The Colts took over the Vikings this past week, not giving Kirk Cousins a chance to do anything. With three interceptions, a safety, and three sacks, you are bound to score major points for fantasy owners. The Ravens and Packers both came away with touchdowns this week while the Cardinals lived up to my top pick last week off of the waiver wire. With another week behind us, there is more data on defenses and offenses to help make better decisions about who to pick up for week 3. We are beginning to see the offenses to target as well as some defenses that might have flown under the radar to start the season but have come out of the gates strong. Looking at ownership under 50%, I will be going over the top defenses to target in the waiver wire this week to help give a slight edge on your opponent. Here are the week 3 defense waiver wire pickups.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Opponent: Denver Broncos
Own %: 44.4

The Buccaneers have now gone through two of the top running backs in the league in Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey and have been fairly successful. Last week, they showed how dominant they can be as they picked up four turnovers against the Panthers while generating five sacks. The Broncos are their best matchup so far which should provide success as their other two matchups have both brought success. The most points the Broncos have scored in a game is 21 points and most of that came late in the game in a failed comeback chance. Phillip Lindsay is reported to miss a few weeks, leaving the Broncos with even fewer playmakers. The Buccaneers should find great success this week.

Cleveland Browns

Opponent: Washington Football Team
Own %: 9.4

The Browns would have scored better defensively if they didn’t slow up at the end of the game last week against the Bengals. 14 points in the fourth quarter ran up the score to 30. Regardless of that, they have been able to force a fumble in both of their games and have five sacks on the season. Where they lack in is allowing points. Facing the Ravens in week 1 just is not fair as it is almost guaranteed that they will run up the score. Minimizing mistakes and not letting up will be key for the Browns moving forward. The Washington Football Team is a team that will have a hard time running up the score as their offense has been struggling to get started. Last week, the Cardinals proved that a bad defense can even do well against them which makes the Browns a top pickup this week.

Los Angeles Chargers

Opponent: Carolina Panthers
Own %: 26.5

The Chargers rank among the top of defenses in fantasy points this year after a great week 1 performance. Even against the Chiefs, they held their own defensively, limiting Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 23 total points. The Panthers are going to be playing without Christian McCaffrey who has been the powerhouse of their offense so far. Without him, the Panthers will look like a completely different team, one that is going to struggle. He had both of the team’s touchdowns last week, but what did stand out was two receivers getting over 100 yards receiving. As long as the Chargers can lock down the secondary, of which they did a decent job against Patrick Mahomes, they will be a top defense once again as they were in week 1.

Tennessee Titans

Opponent: Minnesota Vikings
Own %: 34.5

The Titans have not been anything too special so far this year, but week 1 against the Broncos was a good showing. They did not live up to expectations last week against the Jaguars, but I would still consider them a higher mid-range defense. This week they face off against the Vikings who have proven to be a team to target. In both weeks, they have allowed a safety. Kirk Cousins has four total interceptions on the season. It has not been the greatest of starts for the Vikings, to say the least, making them a great team to target. The Colts were able to put up major numbers in week 2 after an average week 1 showing so what is to stop the Titans from rebounding from a lackluster week 2?

Cincinnati Bengals

Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
Own %: 3.4

The Bengals let their owners down last week against the Browns. I had them in my pickups last week but that was a bad call. A big part of me wants to avoid them because of that, but the Eagles have been such a good target the past two weeks that it is hard to say no to the Bengals. They are a team I would avoid if you can get a better option but if you run out of options, they will be a solid choice as the Eagles continue to allow pressure on Carson Wentz, forcing him into bad situations. He finished the day with two interceptions. The Rams also forced a fumble to make it three turnovers on the day. The Bengals should be able to put some points on the board as Washington and the Rams have both done these past weeks.

Atlanta Falcons

Opponent: Chicago Bears
Own %: 0.6

The Falcons are a last resort team to pick up this week. They have been among the worst defenses this season and the only reason for them making this list is because of the matchup. The Bears have struggled against two of the worst defenses in the league for the first two weeks. They put up 27 points against the Lions but 21 of those were in the fourth quarter. They managed only 17 against the Giants last week. One positive for the Falcons is that they recovered three fumbles last week against the Cowboys in a shootout game that ended with 79 total points. The Bears’ offense is nothing compared to the Cowboys, leaving the Falcons with a decent shot of gaining points this week. There should be better teams out there, but this pick could work out this week.