Kate Magdziuk shares her Week 9 defense rankings and highlights several streaming options that could be available in your leagues.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers on a bye this week — two top-six fantasy defenses so far this season — there are bound to be plenty of fantasy football managers in need of some lineup advice. With two of those defenses that were both drafted relatively highly in comparison to others and performing, it’s a crucial moment for some of these streaming options to step up to the plate.
Here’s a look at several streaming options for this week, plus Week 9 defense rankings to help you make your start/sit decisions.
Week 9 defense streamers
Philadelphia Eagles D/ST vs. JAX
The Philadelphia Eagles have been a better defense than they’ve been given credit for this season, earning the fourth-highest overall defense grade from PFF through the first eight weeks of the season at 77.5 — a top-10 unit in terms of average yards per play (5.1), first downs allowed (117) and successful play percentage allowed this year per PFF.
This week, the Eagles are going up against an injured Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense that just lost WR Christian Kirk for the season, while star rookie Brian Thomas Jr. is considered “day-to-day” with a chest injury. They traded away starting left tackle Cam Robinson, who’s spent the entirety of his eight-year career in Jacksonville manning the left side of the line (when healthy). This is a team that has struggled with consistency throughout the season, with newly-paid QB Trevor Lawrence having had a few stunts in his growth along the line, despite some exciting prospects in a talented receiving corps.
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST vs. LV
You know what’s the perfect cure for an ailing defense? A matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders! This unit ranks second in the league in fantasy points per game allowed to opposing defenses and hasn’t allowed a game of fewer than five fantasy points in a given week. In fact, they’ve allowed opposing fantasy defenses double-digit points in five of eight games so far this season. They rank dead last in the league with (-0.224) while ranking bottom five in touchdown-drive percentage (15%) and average yards per play (4.6).
The Bengals aren’t a great NFL defense, ranking top-eight in EPA per play against this season (0.047) and successful play percentage allowed (37.4%) per PFF. However, they’ll be at home against one of the league’s worst offenses which should keep them in the mix as a top-10 defense this week.
New England Patriots D/ST vs. TEN
Tennessee’s yielded 11 or more fantasy points in five of their seven games so far this season, and though this may not be the Bill Belichick defense of old, there could be some upside against this 1-6 unit that leads the league with 2.29 turnovers per game. The passing game has continued to struggle even with Mason Rudolph under center over the past two weeks, and it could be Levis back starting here in Week 9 — even better news for fantasy managers.
This is another defense that will probably look better in your fantasy football lineups than they will on the field; you’re just hoping they’ll be able to take advantage of any errors the Titans might make — even if they are unforced by New England.
Fantasy football: Week 9 defense rankings
| # | Player (team) | Matchup | ECR | vs. ECR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Vikings (MIN) | vs. IND | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | New Orleans Saints (NO) | at CAR | 4 | +2 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) | at CLE | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears (CHI) | at ARI | 7 | +3 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs (KC) | vs. TB | 2 | -3 |
| 6 | Buffalo Bills (BUF) | vs. MIA | 5 | -1 |
| 7 | Baltimore Ravens (BAL) | vs. DEN | 6 | -1 |
| 8 | Washington Commanders (WAS) | at NYG | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles (PHI) | vs. JAC | 10 | +1 |
| 10 | New York Jets (NYJ) | vs. HOU | 8 | -2 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals (CIN) | vs. LV | 14 | +3 |
| 12 | New England Patriots (NE) | at TEN | 16 | +4 |
| 13 | Denver Broncos (DEN) | at BAL | 11 | -2 |
| 14 | Houston Texans (HOU) | at NYJ | 12 | -2 |
| 15 | Tennessee Titans (TEN) | vs. NE | 17 | +2 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions (DET) | at GB | 13 | -3 |
| 17 | Green Bay Packers (GB) | vs. DET | 15 | -2 |
| 18 | Atlanta Falcons (ATL) | vs. DAL | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns (CLE) | vs. LAC | 19 | 0 |
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals (ARI) | vs. CHI | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Seattle Seahawks (SEA) | vs. LAR | 23 | +2 |
| 22 | New York Giants (NYG) | vs. WAS | 28 | +6 |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys (DAL) | at ATL | 22 | -1 |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts (IND) | at MIN | 21 | -3 |
| 25 | Miami Dolphins (MIA) | at BUF | 26 | +1 |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) | at KC | 25 | -1 |
| 27 | Los Angeles Rams (LAR) | at SEA | 24 | -3 |
| 28 | Carolina Panthers (CAR) | vs. NO | 30 | +2 |
Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation’s exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.
