Fantasy Football Rankings: Five Must-Start Defenses For Week 4 Of Season
Defenses can be a major source of points in your fantasy football league. And those points can come from anywhere.
Of the eight highest-scoring fantasy defenses in Week 3, only one — the Kansas City Chiefs — was owned in more than 42 percent of Yahoo! leagues. The top three defenses of the weekend — the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets — were owned in 5 percent of leagues combined.
There’s a reason for this, of course: All of those units, the Redskins excepted, had pretty juicy matchups. What team a defense is playing should be one of your top priorities as you scan the waiver wire, and Week 4 certainly is no exception.
Here are our top five fantasy defense plays for Week 4.
Jacksonville Jaguars (at New York Jets)
Forget about the matchup for a second: This defense actually might be good. The Jags lead the NFL in sacks (13) and are tied for second in takeaways (eight) after pummeling the Baltimore Ravens in London. So, yeah, we’ll take them against a Jets offense averaging the third-fewest yards per game in the league.
Seattle Seahawks (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
Jacoby Brissett found his groove against the Cleveland Browns last weekend. The Seahawks are not the Browns. Seattle’s D struggled on the road last week, but it’s primed to bounce back at home Sunday against a QB making his fifth career start with potential rain in the forecast.
Cincinnati Bengals (at Cleveland Browns)
The Browns really are the gift that keeps on giving for fantasy defenses: In their two AFC North matchups this year, they’ve allowed 10 sacks, committed six turnovers, surrendered a defensive touchdown and had a kick blocked. After a six-sack performance against the Packers in Green Bay, the Bengals should be locked in as a starting D this week.
Arizona Cardinals (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Yes, the Niners scored 39 points last week, but they still managed to get sacked four times and commit two turnovers. San Fran mustered only nine points in its only other road game of the season, and the Cardinals have enough playmakers on defense to rack up the fantasy points here.
Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears)
Here’s a fun stat: The Bears are averaging just 13.7 points per game over their last three trips to Lambeau Field. Green Bay, meanwhile, has recorded three sacks in every game this season and should continue that trend against a Chicago team with virtually no passing attack to speak of (5.1 yards per pass attempt).
Click for our top Week 4 waiver wire pickups at each position >>
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
