NFL Week 9 is already behind us and fantasy managers are already looking ahead to Week 10 and all the potential shifts along the fantasy landscape. The D/ST slot is often overlooked and whether you're streaming defenses week-to-week or sticking loyal to one unit, consistency at the position could be the difference in deciding your weekly matchup.
Several defenses grabbed new additions right at the November 4 NFL Trade Deadline. The New York Jets were sellers, sending DB Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts and DT Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys also added veteran LB Logan Wilson from the Bengals, so they should be seeing an overall boost in the coming weeks.
Aside from obvious starts like the top-ranked Denver Broncos and consistent Houston Texans D/ST units, we'll be taking a look at which defenses could win your matchup and which defense you can stray away from.
Week 10 Fantasy D/ST – Start ‘Em
This Week's Top-5 D/ST Starts:
- Denver Broncos D/ST (vs. LV)
- Cleveland Browns D/ST (@NYJ)
- Houston Texans D/ST (vs. JAX)
- Seattle Seahawks D/ST (vs. ARI)
- Detroit Lions D/ST (@WAS)
Buffalo Bills D/ST (@MIA)
The Buffalo Bills have a very favorable matchup this week against a divisional foe in the Miami Dolphins. While the Bills D/ST hasn't been the consistent unit we've seen in past years, allowing 20 or more points in five of their first eight games, the Miami Dolphins' offense has been the NFL's worst with 15 total giveaways this season.
The Bills will be riding high following their gritty win over the Kansas City Chiefs where they sacked Patrick Mahomes three times and forced an interception. If they're able to pressure Dolphins' QB Tua Tagovailoa in the same manner with exotic blitz packages, they should be able to come away with another dominant win and 2-0 record over Miami this season.
Carolina Panthers D/ST (vs. NO)
As the Miami Dolphins lead the league in giveaways, the New Orleans Saints are right there behind them with 14 on the season. The Saints have also been held to a combined total of 27 points scored in their last three games, all resulting in losses, while the Carolina Panthers just held the Green Bay Packers to 13 points in a win.
With Carolina sitting at 5-4, this divisional matchup will have all the more meaning and motivation behind it as this defense has been carrying this team all year. The Panthers have created nine total takeaways on the season thus far and their secondary should quickly become an issue for rookie QB Tyler Shough. Start the Carolina Panthers' D/ST confidently this week.
Baltimore Ravens D/ST (@MIN)
Since their Week 8 win over the Chicago Bears, the Ravens' defense has seriously improved their nightmare start to the season and turned in one interception, two fumble recoveries, and two sacks against the Miami Dolphins in their Week 9 win. They're playing at a high level at the moment and although the Vikings just took down the Detroit Lions, the Ravens' defense will have a ton of game film to break down ahead of this matchup.
Expect Vikings' rookie QB JJ McCarthy to see some mistakes throughout this game as he's seen throughout points this season. The Ravens are determined to write the ship and make a comeback in their division, so expect them to be firing on all cylinders ahead of this matchup in a must-win Week 10.
Week 10 Fantasy D/ST – Sit ‘Em
Atlanta Falcons D/ST (@IND)
Over the last few weeks, the Atlanta Falcons D/ST has been a tough start with games against the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots over their last three. Their road won't get much easier as they face an absolute buzzsaw in the Indianapolis Colts' offense in Week 10. While the Falcons retained their 10.0 fantasy points against the Patriots, they saw totals of 3.0 and 0.0 in the previous games, so they're No. 10 overall ranking on ESPN fantasy could be slightly deceiving.
The Indianapolis Colts lead the NFL in points scored per game (32.2) and there's no reason to start any D/ST when they're paired up against what looks to be the best team in the league at the moment.
New England Patriots D/ST (@TB)
The New England Patriots defense ranks second-overall with 78.0 total fantasy points on the season, but they saw another lackluster performance in Week 9 against the Falcons. Gearing up to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we could see a high-scoring game on our hands as both quarterbacks have ranked in the league's top-5 in total passing yards. Tampa Bay also comes into this game following a much-needed bye to rehab some of their key players, so expect the Bucs to be at full-strength ahead of this game.
While this defense has been a tried-and-true option all season, straw away from this particular matchup as the Buccaneers will push a frantic pace at home in Week 10.
