Week 8 Defense (DEF/DST) Waiver Wire Pickups: Fantasy Streamers

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Week 7 saw a lot of strong defensive performances with even one shut out from my top waiver wire add from last week. The one surprise from last week was the Dolphins scoring 21 points on the Bills’ defense, but the Bills managed a kickoff return for a touchdown and a couple of turnovers to make up for it. I will be going through my top defense waiver wire adds for defenses owned in under 60% of leagues.

Carolina Panthers

Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
Own %: 49.1

The Panthers are one of the top-scoring fantasy defenses in the league but were dropped by many teams this week due to their bye. In their last game against the Buccaneers, they had 7 turnovers and 7 sacks which helped them rise to 2nd in total takeaways. They have a favorable game this week against the 49ers who are not known for scoring tons of points. Last week, they only managed 9 points against the Redskins who are not a very good defense. This should be a very low scoring game in a big defensive battle.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Opponent: Miami Dolphins
Own %: 33.8

The Steelers are coming off their bye into a very favorable matchup against the Dolphins who have scored the least amount of points per game in the NFL. The Dolphins came alive last week against the Bills but that is highly unlikely to happen again. The Steelers have emerged as a top-scoring defense in their last three games with multiple turnovers in each game. In fact, they are tied with the Panthers for the 2nd-most takeaways in the NFL. Their bye week has diminished their ownership which gives a great opportunity for picking up a solid defense this week.

Indianapolis Colts

Opponent: Denver Broncos
Own %: 16.4

The Colts have had two challenging games in their last matchups against the Chiefs and the Texans. They were able to not only hold off both teams but actually looked good against both. They held the Chiefs to 13 points, forced a fumble, and sacked Patrick Mahomes 4 times. Last week, they picked off Deshaun Watson twice, sacked him three times, and forced a safety. This week they play the Broncos who have scored the 4th-least amount of points per game this season. The Colts should show continued success against them this week.

Seattle Seahawks

Opponent: Atlanta Falcons
Own %: 46.2

The Seahawks have been an average sort of defense this year. Last week marked the first week without a turnover but did hold a dynamic Ravens’ offense to only 18 points. The downside was only managing one sack. The Falcons looked pitiful last week against the Rams. They managed to score 10 total points with a late touchdown thrown by their backup quarterback, Matt Shaub. With the Falcons coming off one of their worst games in recent history, the Seahawks are a solid choice this week.

New York Jets

Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars
Own %: 9.7

The Jets are hardly owned at all due to their matchup against the Patriots this week, but Week 8 appears to be more favorable against the Jaguars. The Jaguars have averaged below the NFL scoring average this season and haven’t been stellar recently. They put up 6 points against the Saints two weeks ago. They faced a terrible defense in the Bengals last week in which they put up 27. The Jets have scored 3 defensive touchdowns this year which ranks them as the highest defensive touchdowns per game total in the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs

Opponent: Green Bay Packers
Own %: 19

The Chiefs had a big game last week against the Broncos in which they held them to just 6 points and even had a defensive touchdown. The big stat was the 9 sacks they managed to get which gave Joe Flacco all kinds of issues. The Chiefs play Aaron Rodgers and the Packers next week who had a huge game last week. It will almost be impossible for Rodgers to replicate his 6 touchdown game again. If the Chiefs can keep up their pass rush, they will find success against the Packers at home in one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

Detroit Lions

Opponent: New York Giants
Own %: 5

The Lions were absolutely terrible against the Vikings last week which makes me think that they are a team you should stay away from. They are not a very good option, but better than some for this week. The Giants have turned the ball over the most in the NFL and are very likely to give it to the Lions a few times. The combination of the Lions forcing the most fumbles in the NFL with 8 and the Giants fumbling the ball the most times in the NFL with 9 makes this a decent matchup for those desperate for a defense.