Getty Darius Leonard #53 of the Indianapolis Colts.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Defense Edition for Week 3 of the NFL season. This week we feature a surprise, dominant unit met with a more than friendly matchup. Plus, a primetime game that could cause major issues for your starting D/ST.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Be sure to also check out our weekly fantasy football defense rankings to better gauge where these start-sit options compare to the rest of the options at the position.
Start-Sit [QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]
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DEF: Start ‘Em
Start of the Week: Colts DEF vs. NYJ
The Colts defense has been phenomenal thus far this season, ranking first in both total defense and pass defense, while checking in fifth-best at defending the run. Don’t expect the Jets to put much of a dent in those numbers this week, as New York ranks dead last in total offense. Expect fantasy’s third-highest scoring defense to feast on Sam Darnold and company.
49ers DEF at NYG
The Niners are riddled with injuries, as they will be without Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas and Richard Sherman against the Giants. However, they were also without those players by the time the first quarter ended in Week 2 and still held the Jets to just 277 total yards and 13 points. The Giants offense has been very giving to opposing defenses this season, ranking top-three in giveaways and fantasy points allowed.
Steelers DEF at HOU
While the Colts may currently rank as the best defense in football, the Steelers may have something to say about that, as they are the second-highest scoring fantasy D/ST in the NFL, averaging 10.5 points per game. Don’t let a matchup against the Deshaun Watson-led Texans deter you from rolling with Pittsburgh in Week 3. Houston gives up the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season.
Sleeper: Buccaneers DEF at DEN
After a goose-egg in Week 1, Tampa Bay responded with a 14-point fantasy outing vs. the Panthers in Week 2. Now the Bucs will set their sights on the Jeff Driskel-led Broncos, who will be without not only quarterback Drew Lock but also top receiving target Courtland Sutton. Denver allowed a whopping seven sacks and 13 points to the Steelers last week. The Bucs weren’t too shabby themselves getting after the quarterback this past Sunday, recording five sacks on the day.
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DEF: Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week: Lions DEF at ARI
Want to know how unfavorable of a matchup the Cardinals have become? Washington and the 49ers both rank within the top-13 of total defenses in football, yet neither topped 4.0 fantasy points against Arizona this year. This is likely less than welcoming news for a Lions defense who ranks as the fifth-worst total defense in football and is fresh off of surrendering nearly 500 total yards of offense to the Packers a week ago.
Raiders DEF at NE
Las Vegas kept the Saints offense somewhat in check this past Monday. However, that did not translate over into fantasy success. The Raiders defense has now totaled just 2.0 fantasy points on the season and gets a daunting matchup in Week 3 against a Patriots team who has yet to surrender more than 4.0 fantasy points to any opposing defense this season.
Buyers Beware: D/STs in Ravens vs. Chiefs Game
Two top-12 fantasy defenses will take the field this Monday night in the Chiefs-Ravens game. However, no one will really care, as the league’s two most lethal offenses will likely steal the show, per usual. If you were to roll the dice on one of these units it should be Baltimore, who has scored 15.0 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks and is quickly working its way into matchup-proof status (this game being the ultimate test). In terms of the Chiefs D/ST, they’re far less favorable of a play, averaging just 6.0 points on the season against a Ravens offense who surrendered a grand total of 4.0 fantasy points to opposing defenses in 2020.
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Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Defense: Week 3