Week 4 Defense (DEF/DST) Waiver Wire Pickups: Fantasy Streamers

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Defenses are tough to judge outside of the top defenses in the league. The Patriots’ defense has to disappoint but they will face their first major challenge this week against the red-hot Bills. The Jaguars’ defense stood fierce again this week. But there were a few unpredictable finishes. The Jets’ defense was the main standout performance, getting 2 touchdowns this week (yes, the Jets’ offense did not score all game). While it is almost impossible to predict something like that, I will walk through which defenses have the greatest odds to perform well this week, based on their matchup and recent performance, that you should be picking up this week.

Indianapolis Colts

Opponent: Oakland Raiders
Own %: 21.6

The Colts are coming off a tough game against the Falcons. They managed to keep Matt Ryan out of the endzone in the first half, only allowing 3 points. Whether they let up because of the massive first-half lead or if it was just the Falcons beginning to play like themselves, the 2nd half was not so hot. But this week is different. Derek Carr looked horrible for the Raiders against the Vikings. Just about 50% of his 27 completions were to his tight end, Darren Waller. This is something that the Colts will definitely be looking to cover this week and have the ability to.

Atlanta Falcons

Opponent: Tennessee Titans
Own %: 3.6

The Falcons are a very under-the-radar defense. Their point totals have not been very high because of how many points they have let up, but they are ranked 7th in terms of yards allowed per game. In Week 2 against the Eagles, the Falcons managed 3 turnovers and 3 sacks which gave them a respectable score total despite allowing 20 points. The Titans’ offense is worse than all three teams they have played thus far. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons hold Marcus Mariota and the Titans to 14 points this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
Own %: 16.4

The Steelers’ defense is coming off their best performance of the year against the 49ers. They let up 24 points but accumulated 5 total turnovers. Andy Dalton has thrown 3 interceptions this year and could help add to the Steelers’ count and has also been sacked 11 times already. This Bengals’ offense has also failed to put up a lot of points in any of their games, averaging just 18 points. The Steelers should have no problem keeping the Bengals to a similar amount of points with a few turnovers to go with it.

Seattle Seahawks

Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
Own %: 15.1

The Seahawks have managed to get at least one turnover every game this season and have averaged 2 sacks per game. The Cardinals offensive line has had major problems this season. Kyler Murray has been sacked 16 times this season. The Seahawks should see this and really focus on their pass rush and rack up a lot of points for fantasy owners. It will come down to whether the Seahawks have what it takes to stop the air raid, but the struggling offensive line will help the Seahawks succeed.

Carolina Panthers

Opponent: Houston Texans
Own %: 26.1

The Panthers are coming off a good game defensively against the Cardinals. They were able to totally abuse the Cardinals’ offensive line and pick up 8 sacks, one resulting in a fumble. Their pass rush also led Kyler Murray to throw 2 interceptions. This week will be a bit of a challenge against Deshaun Watson and the Texans who are coming off a big game offensively. It will be quite the battle but it is very unlikely for Watson to give two stellar performances back to back. My bet is on the Panthers’ defense pulling through this week.

Washington Redskins

Opponent: New York Giants
Own %: 2.8

The Redskins have not been impressive this far into the season. They face a struggling Bears offense for Monday Night football, so you can judge off how that game goes, but Week 4 is looking to be a good matchup despite their struggles. Daniel Jones started slow but was able to lead a crazy comeback for his first win. What makes this a better matchup is the injury to Saquon Barkley. It is already said that he will miss significant time. The Giants offense is even less appealing with the exit of Barkley plus this is the last week for them without Golden Tate.

Cincinnati Bengals

Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
Own %: 0.9

At this point in the list, you should have much better options of who to pick up than this, but if you are completely desperate the Bengals have the opportunity to surprise. They have allowed a large number of points but have a decent amount of turnovers as well as sacks. The Steelers will continue starting Mason Rudolph in replacement of Ben Roethlisberger. In his first start last week, he was sacked twice and threw one interception. The Bengals looked a lot better in the second half so they can carry the momentum into Week 4 for their first divisional game.