https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/getting-defensive-week-9-plays-led-by-rams-chargers-top-streaming-defenses
If you have read this column for any length of time (You haven’t the past two weeks due to a family emergency I had to attend to—Family First, now and always) you know this writer is a big fan of streaming team defenses.
It’s not hard to see why eight weeks into the 2025 season.
The top five fantasy defenses halfway(ish) into the fantasy season are the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams, the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.
The earliest any of those defenses were drafted over the summer? The Seahawks, who were the 11th defense drafted on average.
Granted, the first defense off the board (the Denver Broncos) lurks sixth in fantasy points. And there is no guarantee that will hold over the rest of the fantasy season. But that’s the point.
Defenses are wildly unpredictable from one week to the next, let alone one year to the next. Draft-day afterthoughts have become every-week starts. Highly drafted squads become waiver wire fodder by Halloween.
So rather than invest any real draft capital at the position, just wait, take one with a good early matchup, and then turn-and-burn defenses all season long. You can build a top-five fantasy squad for slightly more than a kicker costs.
It’s an argument I’ve been making for 15 years. And I’m going to keep making it until people listen to me.
So forever, in other words.
▶ THE NO-DOUBTERS
Los Angeles Rams (vs. New Orleans Saints)
This one almost isn’t fair. The Saints, who were already surrendering the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses, are seriously considering starting 39-year-old rookie (OK, he’s 26) Tyler Shough at quarterback. The Rams have quietly built an outstanding young defense, and Rams general manager Les Snead just poached a capable starting cornerback from the Titans for a bag of shrimp chips. Apparently they are chips that taste like shrimp. If the Rams were dropped over their bye, make with the claiming—and rejoice.
Los Angeles Chargers (at Tennessee Titans)
The Chargers (like every team in the AFC West whose name doesn’t rhyme with waders) have played well defensively this year—the Bolts are seventh in the league in total defense. It hasn’t really translated to fantasy production though, due to a dearth of big plays. This week, NFL-good and fantasy-good will collide, because the Chargers face the five-alarm dumpster fire that is the Titans. In news that should surprise no one, no team has given up more fantasy points per game to defenses this season.
New England Patriots (vs. Atlanta)
This is either a good matchup for fantasy’s No. 1 defense or one so otherworldly favorable that it inspires palpitations, depending on whether Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Drake London are back out there in Week 9. Even if they are, the Falcons are on the road outside against arguably the hottest team in the AFC. If Atlanta wheels out what’s left of Kirk Cousins (so much for trading that abomination of a contract away) with no London? Pass the defibrillator.
Denver Broncos (at Houston Texans)
To be fair, the Texans have played much better of late than earlier in the season, and Houston ranks in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points per game allowed to defenses. The Broncos will also without the services of cornerback Patrick Surtain II for multiple weeks due to a pectoral injury. But Houston is beat up at wide receiver, and Denver’s pass rush is likely going to have a day against a Texans offensive line that is average when it dreams about being great.
Seattle Seahawks (at Washington Commanders)
The Seahawks may well be the best team in the NFL that no one is really talking about. And Seattle’s defense has played its part—Seattle ranks inside the top-10 in both yards per game allowed and scoring defense, and the Seahawks are quietly sixth in the league in interceptions. Despite having wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin back, the Commanders struggled to generate offense last week against the Chiefs, and Jayden Daniels’ status for Week 9 is shaky at best.
Indianapolis Colts (at Pittsburgh Steelers)
Yep. We’re at the point in this spinning ball of madness we call Earth that the Indianapolis Colts are laying the hook in Pittsburgh against a first-place Steelers team. As one would expect, an Aaron Rodgers-led team isn’t a good fantasy matchup—25th in fantasy points per game surrendered to defenses. But these Colts have been defying logic all season long—and boatracing bad and mediocre teams. The Steelers may not be the former, but they have looked the latter the past couple of weeks.
▶ STREAMERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Detroit Lions (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
The Detroit defense has admittedly been something of a roller-coaster ride for fantasy managers this year, but Detroit ranks inside the top-10 in fantasy points despite already having had their bye. That roller-coaster has largely been matchup-dependent, but this week the Lions get a juicy one—thanks in no small part to a decision at quarterback in the offseason that isn’t aging well, the Vikings enter Week 9 allowing the most fantasy points per game in the NFC to opposing defenses.
Green Bay Packers (vs. Carolina Panthers)
For as good as the Packers have looked this season and as stout as they have been defensively at times, it hasn’t translated to steady fantasy production—Green Bay sits outside the top-20 in fantasy points and hasn’t hit double-digits in points since their Week 1 romp over the Detroit Lions. But in Week 9 the Packers host a Carolina team that was embarrassed at home by the Buffalo Bills last week. If Andy Dalton starts again, this becomes No-Doubter city.
Jacksonville Jaguars (at Las Vegas Raiders)
The Jaguars came roaring out of the gate in fantasy, piling up turnovers and ranking first among defenses over the first five weeks of the season. However, back-to-back duds knocked them out of the top-12, although they remain there in fantasy points per game. Sunday’s trip to Sin City should afford the Jags a chance to get back on track—Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has handed out interceptions like free samples at Costco and the Raiders trail only the woeful Titans in fantasy points per game surrendered to defenses.
Baltimore Ravens (at Miami Dolphins)
It has been a rough season for the Ravens defense—eight weeks in Baltimore has surrendered the fifth-most yards per game and third-most points per contest. The Miami offense also just dropped 34 on the Falcons in Atlanta. But the Ravens are getting healthy defensively and it showed last week in Chicago, and those 34 points got Miami their second win of the season. At day’s end, the Ravens are the better team—and it’s worth the dice-roll they’ll show it at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers (at New York Giants)
The list of injuries that has beset the 49ers is almost laughably long—if the movie It makes you chuckle. San Francisco’s two best defenders are out for the year. That attrition has made a sizable dent in the team’s fantasy production this season. And the Giants offense got a jolt when Jaxson Dart took over under center. But the weapons around Dart continue to dwindle, and unless the G-Men can get Tyrone Tracy and the run game going Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is going to pin the team’s ears back and get after the rookie quarterback.
New York Giants (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
In case you haven’t noticed, the list of streaming options in Week 9 isn’t ideal—so it goes when you play the matchups. But bear with me for a minute. Even in another miserable season at Met Life (That stadium needs an exorcism—just saying), the Giants defense has posted a couple of solid fantasy outings. The Giants have a good front four capable of getting after Brock Jones or whoever San Fran’s quarterback is this week. And the 49ers have given up the eighth-most fantasy points per game to defenses in 2025.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.
https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/football/news/getting-defensive-week-9-plays-led-by-rams-chargers-top-streaming-defenses
