Streaming Defenses: Week 2 Targets

Sep 14, 2021

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I’m old enough to remember a time in TV history when cable was a luxury and adjusting the “bunny-ears” antennae was a way of life. Whenever tuning the signal dial just wasn’t cutting it, you had to adjust the tin foil crunched around the end of the “ears”. Satellite TV back then sounded like a sci-fi fever dream. Even if you had the better services, there still weren’t that many channels to choose from.

Now, though, we are firmly in the era of streaming.

So many options are just a click away these days and all on-demand. You don’t have to get tied down to one provider. Sure, not every choice is available all the time, and you don’t always know where to look among what’s available. Still, that’s what this column is for: to guide you through the world of streaming… defenses.

More Week 2 Streaming: QB | TE | K

I explained in my introductory article the concept that streaming defenses is one of the most sound ways to approach the position in fantasy football, as well as how to do it, and what to look for from a statistical perspective in a defensive streamer.

This column will combine that approach with our own Kevin Zatloukal’s analytical model for streaming defenses. KZ’s model utilizes Vegas lines for predicting points scored by the opposing defense, opposing quarterback history for interception rates, and both the offense and defense’s history of allowing sacks – the most predictive parts of defensive scoring on a weekly basis.

With all that out of the way, let’s dim the lights and press play on the main feature. Here are four defenses to consider picking up ahead of Week 2.

Week 1 Review

Top Streamers

Jacksonville Jaguars – -3.0 pts (DEF31)
Carolina Panthers – 9.0 pts (DEF6)

Deep Plays

Atlanta Falcons – 0.0 pts (DEF30)
New York Giants – 4.0 pts (DEF23)

I still believe the process was right for the Jacksonville Jaguars defense in this week, but quarterback Tyrod Taylor proved that he is more than serviceable as a starter in the Houston Texans offense. We might not be streaming against the Texans as much as first believed this year, if they're able to keep the chains moving like this. The Carolina Panthers did well against rookie passer Zach Wilson, forcing him into six sacks and one interception, and proving our hunch right that this was a vulnerable matchup.

The Atlanta Falcons got absolutely rocked by the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles, and there's not much to say about this one. It was a bad performance by maybe the worst secondary in the NFL, which clearly hasn't improved. The New York Giants didn't quite post the same numbers as their opponents' defense did, but they were still serviceable, forcing two sacks and a fumble. We'll be able to rock with them later this year for sure.

Week 1 in defensive streaming is always tough, due to offseason player turnover and the lack of statistical predictability for a defensive unit from one year to the next. Now, though, we have more information on how these teams might perform, so we adjust and continue on!