Before we take a look at the best matchups for the fantasy playoffs, let’s make sure we make the playoffs. We’re close enough that you should consider stashing D/STs that have some utility beyond the current week. Personally, before my leagues’ trade deadlines, I like to optimize for a playoff push by freeing up an extra roster spot and stashing a defense a few weeks…...

We’re into the home stretch of the regular season. Very soon it will be time to look ahead at the best strings of matchups for the fantasy playoffs, but not quite yet. As we’ve seen over and over, one QB injury can turn a high-octane offense into a priority D/ST target, so the closer we get to Week 15, the more accurate those targets will…...

In three years of writing D/ST streaming articles I have never seen the highest-rostered defense sitting at just 81.8% ownership. It speaks to the kind of year we’re having where the “elite” defenses drafted early in many home leagues have largely been busts, and where even the best-performing fantasy defenses (Vikings, Broncos, Steelers) have been anything but matchup-proof. But it also speaks to the value…...

It’s an easy week for D/ST streamers, but a tough one for daily fantasy players. At least one of the best matchups will be available on almost every waiver wire, but most are prohibitively (and correctly) priced on DraftKings. The runs of good D/ST matchups are few and far between, though if you got a hold of the Chargers’ defense two weeks ago you’re sitting…...

Week 8 is an embarrassment of riches for D/ST streamers, but a little trickier for daily fantasy players. We’re a victim of our own good fortune, since many of the best fantasy defenses have matchups with the top D/ST targets, inflating their DraftKings prices. But if you’re like me and you refuse to pay up for defenses in daily tournament play, fear not! There’s something…...

Week 7 is a tricky one. The best matchups aren’t without their red flags, and most of the best plays have their upside thoroughly baked in in daily fantasy. But all isn’t lost! The worst OPRK offenses are all available in most leagues, and we have a string of exploitable multiweek windows coming up for several top D/STs. The brutal injury to Aidan Hutchinson along with…...

It’s a great week for streaming low-owned D/STs. The kind of week that makes us all pat ourselves on the back for not having wasted draft capital on the Jets’ admittedly fantastic secondary. We’re also hitting that point in the season where we have enough information to aim for defenses that have not just one good upcoming matchup, but several in a row. Defenses like…...

As I’ve written before, the early season provides unique opportunities to D/ST streamers. Those of us who didn’t waste valuable draft capital on the Cowboys (currently D/ST24) have been free to play matchups and wait for the best D/STs of 2024 to emerge. Emerge they have, and now is the time to grab up the defenses that seem less and less like fluke plays with…...

The more current-season data RotoViz tools have to work with, the more accurately they’ll reflect what we can expect going forward. The picture is still starting to come into focus, but we can use slowly shifting perceptions to our advantage. The Minnesota Vikings (D/ST1) probably shouldn’t be available in five times as many fantasy leagues as the Dallas Cowboys (D/ST20), but lingering memories of the…...

Having written about streaming defenses for several years now, and wasted too much time on waiver wires for the last decade, I’ve noticed some patterns. Right now we’re at the stage where everyone is starting to figure out who the best defenses are, and the surprise teams are getting snatched up. D/STs that started the season rostered at the single digit rates will be unavailable…...

The best D/ST matchups of the fantasy finals belong to the elite defenses. The Browns, Bills, Jets, and 49ers all play teams in the top five by OPRK. And now you want me to bail you out?! I’ve been begging you to roster the Browns D/ST since Week 2! It’s all right. If you didn’t stash the Bills, Jets, or Eagles like I’ve suggested over…...

It’s crunch time ladies and gentlemen. We’ve all had seasons that felt like we were destined to win it all only to have our rosters fall apart in the final weeks due to injury and bad matchups. D/ST is one position where we get to control our destiny. When Ja’Marr Chase gets injured in Week 15, there’s not a lot we can do. But when Easton…...

You know the fantasy playoffs are approaching when you notice your waiver wire D/ST options go from a Thanksgiving cornucopia to an early winter tundra. In one of my home leagues where there’s usually 15-18 D/STs out there, only 11 remain. Hopefully you’ve taken my advice and already stashed an extra D/ST option to round out your playoff matchups. If not, we’ll take a quick look…...

This is the point in the season when the healthiest teams can really gap the field in scoring, both in the NFL and in fantasy leagues. Targeting backup QBs is one of the easiest ways to scoop up fantasy points this time of year, and we’ve got plenty to choose from in Week 13. It’s also the the point in the season when we need…...

For those of us on the cusp of making our league playoffs, now is the time to make our final pushes. For those of us who will make the playoffs, now is the time to secure a bye. For those of us likely to secure a bye, now is the time to stash the best D/ST matchups. For all of us, the right streaming choices…...

Streaming gets harder and harder as the year goes on. As injuries pile up we have to make tough decisions about who we can afford to keep on our roster, and which of our favorite stashes we have to say goodbye to. D/STs often get short shrift. You’re in the privileged minority if you’re able to hold multiple kickers or defenses during bye weeks and…...

Another week, another brutal set of injuries to high-profile players that remind us how dangerous the sport we love is. With four more quarterbacks likely to miss time, and Kirk Cousins out for the season, teams are scrambling to pick up the pieces. Though my heart is with Cousins and my beloved Vikings, here in the fantasy world all we can do is carry on…...