If you have been coasting on the New England defense, last week and this week are tough on your fantasy team. There aren’t many safe streaming options with six teams on bye this week, but D/ST is a fickle position for everyone, so a little forethought might get you through.

Bye Weeks

Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington

D/ST Ranking Tiers

Tier 1

The Ravens haven’t been a great defense this year, but getting Jimmy Smith back will help their pass defense immensely, and against the Bengals, that’s a good thing, as they need to throw the ball due to deficits. Ryan Finley will also get his first start and should be in line for a turnover or three.

After the Ravens, there aren’t many sure-fire defenses, as the 49ers take on a good Seahawks offense, the Saints meet a potent Falcons passing game and the Panthers duke it out with Aaron Rodgers.

I have the Rams as my No. 2 D/ST going against Mason Rudolph and the Colts at No. 3 against Ryan Fitzpatrick in Indianapolis. They have good upside, but they are far from locks.

Tier 2

The Bills head to Cleveland to face a turnover-prone Baker Mayfield, but Mayfield did keep from making mistakes last week and will be back at home.

I am high on the Steelers at home against Jared Goff and his trouble with pressure. I can already see moving them up the rankings for the update.

The Jets are a great team to target with your D/ST, but the Giants aren’t the best team to take advantage. I’m still streaming them where needed, though.

Tier 3

Detroit is a lousy defense, but Mitch Trubisky isn’t a good quarterback, so there is some hope for turnovers, especially if the Lions can get up and force Trubisky to throw.

The Jets defense has been awful of late, but they do face Daniel Jones, who has been a turnover machine this season.

D/ST Streamers

The Ravens are a waiver wire pickup this week so that we can consider them a streamer at No. 1 overall in the rankings. The Colts are in a similar boat as they host Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins. The Giants come in as my third best streamer, as they take on Sam Darnold, but they are, of course, a risky proposition.