Streaming Defenses: Week 2 Options

Week 1 was an oddity in the fantasy football universe, featuring a large number of high scores from both the QB and D/ST positions. Half of the league's 32 defenses reached double digits in Yahoo standard scoring, and only a handful failed to put up five or more points.

My five Week 1 streaming recommendations each landed between five and 12 fantasy points — this would typically be a strong showing, but it's only mediocre in the context of Week 1. It's now time to adjust based on what we saw last week, though preseason expectations shouldn't just be chucked out the window due to a one-game sample.

Note: These recommendations are limited to D/ST units with under 60 percent ownership on Yahoo as of Tuesday morning. Any references to fantasy points are based on Yahoo standard scoring.

Top Streaming Options for Week 2

1. Chicago Bears (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
49% Yahoo ownership

I understand if you're hesitant to bet against Russell Wilson in a matchup with a defense that just got humiliated by a one-legged Aaron Rodgers. Just consider that Wilson is essentially a one-man show, playing behind a bad offensive line without the help of long-time No. 1 target Doug Baldwin (knee). Wilson made some big plays to keep Seattle competitive in Sunday's 27-24 loss to Denver, but he also took six sacks, threw two picks and fumbled twice while completing just 57.6 percent of his passes. The Chicago secondary is much better than what we saw Week 1, and a defensive front featuring OLB Khalil Mack and DE Akiem Hicks will be too much for the Seattle O-line to handle. The Seahawks open the week as 3.5-point underdogs with an implied total of just 20 points. And there's one more thing to consider for those taking a multi-week outlook: Chicago travels to Arizona in Week 3 and hosts the Buccaneers in Week 4.

2. Washington Redskins (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
3% Yahoo ownership

Washington's defense is available in the vast majority of leagues after putting up 13 fantasy points on the road in a 24-6 stomping of the Cardinals. The impressive Week 1 performance included a big game from No. 2 cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who did well with his limited playing time last season and now appears to be an upgrade on last year's starter Bashaud Breeland. It won't come as any surprise if Washington struggles to stop the run for a fourth straight season, but this shouldn't be a major issue Week 2 against an Indianapolis team that attempted 53 passes in its opener while trying to hide a talent-deficient backfield. The Colts are listed as 5.5-point underdogs with an implied total of 20.25 points

3. Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)
7% Yahoo ownership

The Dallas defense held its own in Sunday's 16-8 road loss to Carolina, sacking Cam Newton three times and limiting him to 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Meanwhile, the Giants eeked out just 15 points on 12 drives in a home loss to Jacksonville, despite getting a 68-yard rushing score from Saquon Barkley. The Giants don't have any reliable offensive linemen besides LT Nate Solder, and the Cowboys typically use star pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence against the opponent's right tackle, which in this case means human turnstile Ereck Flowers. This figures to be an ugly contest, given that the Cowboys are three-point favorites in a game with the lowest over/under (42.5) of Week 2.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Baltimore Ravens)
11% Yahoo ownership

This is where my confidence in our streaming picks admittedly begins to fade, with a sizable drop-off between the third and fourth options. Cincinnati's defense struggled throughout the majority of Sunday's 34-23 win over the Colts, requiring a fumble returned for a TD in the closing seconds to preserve a victory and post a respectable fantasy point total (12). The Baltimore offense might actually have a slight advantage over the Cincinnati defense in terms of talent, but Joe Flacco's terrible track record against Marvin Lewis and Co. creates some upside in what could be a sloppy Thursday game. Flacco owns a 72.3 passer rating in 19 career games against Cincinnati, with 19 TDs, 23 INTs and a 9-10 record. The Bengals are listed as one-point underdogs in a matchup tied for the third-lowest over/under (43) of Week 2.

5. New York Jets (vs. Miami Dolphins)
3% Yahoo ownership

I promise this isn't an overreaction to Monday's game so much as a commentary on the poor depth of streaming options heading into a week in which most of the good matchups go to defenses that are already owned in a typical fantasy league. That said, we shouldn't be totally dismissive of the five-pick beatdown Gang Green just put on Matthew Stafford and the Lions. A huge game from LB Darron Lee (seven tackles, two INTs, one TD) was particularly noteworthy, considering the 2016 first-round pick rarely showed signs of living up to his immense physical talent the past two seasons. If Lee continues to play up to his draft status and the team's free-agent additions pan out, the Jets could field an above-average defense while they ease Sam Darnold into the NFL. I'm obviously not entirely sold, but a home matchup with the Dolphins is one of those spots where it could make sense to take a chance. The Jets have shot up to three-point favorites in game with a modest over/under of 44.

Week 2 D/ST Rankings

1. Los Angeles Rams (vs. ARI)
2. Los Angeles Chargers (at BUF)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (at TB)
4. Denver Broncos (vs. OAK)
5. Chicago Bears (vs. SEA)
6. Houston Texans (at TEN)
7. Washington Redskins (vs. IND)
8. Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
9. Dallas Cowboys (vs. NYG)
10. New Orleans Saints (vs. CLE)
11. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. NE)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
13. New York Jets (vs. MIA)
14. Atlanta Falcons (vs. CAR)
15. Minnesota Vikings (at GB)
16. New England Patriots (at JAC)
17. San Francisco 49ers (vs. DET)
18. Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. KC)
19. Tennessee Titans (vs. HOU)
20. New York Giants (at DAL)

Looking Ahead to Week 3

1. Minnesota Vikings (vs. BUF)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. TEN)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. IND)
4. Houston Texans (vs. NYG)
5. Baltimore Ravens (vs. DEN)
6. Carolina Panthers (vs. CIN)
7. Los Angeles Rams (vs. LAC)
8. Chicago Bears (at ARI)
9. New England Patriots (at DET)
10. Arizona Cardinals (vs. CHI)
11. Seattle Seahawks (vs. DAL)
12. Denver Broncos (at BAL)
13. Cleveland Browns (vs. NYJ)
14. New York Jets (at CLE)
15. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. SF)
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (at TB)
17. Tennessee Titans (at JAC)
18. Cincinnati Bengals (at CAR)
19. Los Angeles Chargers (at LAR)
20. Green Bay Packers (at WAS)

Rest-of-Season Rankings

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Houston Texans
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. New England Patriots
9. Carolina Panthers
10. Denver Broncos
11. Chicago Bears
12. Washington Redskins
13. Atlanta Falcons
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
15. Tennessee Titans
16. New Orleans Saints
17. Green Bay Packers
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. New York Jets