Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 9: Who To Start With, Sit D / ST In Fantasy Football

Let’s start with some good news: Only one of the four D / ST’s in goodbye this week (Buccaneers) is a regular fantasy starter. The rest (Lions, Seahawks, Washington) can usually be found on the waiver wire at this point. Unfortunately, those three teams that are idle still hurt our Week 9 fantasy defense rankings. All three, lately at least, have been top streaming candidates, creating fewer sleepers and potential exemption cable catches.

With those three eliminated, plus a host of other favorable matchups, whether it’s bad defenses (Dolphins vs. Texans) or really good defenses that are already widely owned (Bills @ Jaguars, Colts vs. Jets, Steelers vs. Bears, Patriots @ Panthers. ), there aren’t many streaming options worth your while.

WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

The best bets look to the Panthers (vs. Patriots), who have fallen below 50 percent ownership in the Yahoo leagues, the Raiders (@ Giants) and the Saints (vs. Falcons). You can also try the Chargers (@ Eagles) and the Dolphins (against the Texans), but if Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) is back, that showdown isn’t looking so good.

WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
Field marshal | Running backwards | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker

There is one more potential transmitter by the numbers, but it’s hard to recommend. We are talking about the Packers, who are facing the Chiefs. Yes, the Chiefs. Heading into Week 8, Kansas City was tied for seventh with the most fantasy points per game allowed to the D / ST. It sounds crazy, but with Patrick Mahomes catching sacks and throwing interceptions every week, there have been plenty of opportunities for defenses to score points against this normally high-powered and efficient offense. You could argue that the Packers are a better broadcast option than the Saints, Chargers and Dolphins, but it still feels weird to start a D / ST against Kansas City.

As for normal headlines with bad matchups, it’s hard to trust the Bengals (against the Browns), the Ravens (against the Vikings), the Browns (@ Bengals) and the Broncos (@ Cowboys) this week. The Rams (against Titans) also have an unfavorable opponent, but we will keep them in our top 12 due to the lack of other top-tier options.

There aren’t many easy answers this week if you’ve relied on the Bucs, Bengals, Browns, Broncos, or Ravens all year long. We preach this every week, but if you have the flexibility of the list, be sure to plan for these types of weeks. He probably could have grabbed the Panthers or Raiders for free last week when few owners were thinking / had the space to pick them up. Now there will be competition, possibly even on exemptions. Our Waiver Transfer Watchlist, which we post every Thursday, looks ahead to the following week so you know who to grab ahead of time.

Note: We will update these D / ST rankings throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement and analysis.

Fantasy Defense Rankings Week 9: Who To Start With, Sit D / ST In Fantasy Football