2 defenses to start, 2 D/STs to fade in Week 3 fantasy football

Week 3 of the NFL season is here. The action gets started on Thursday, September 22 as the Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Cleveland Browns. The week will wrap up with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the New York Giants on Monday, September 25. In between, there are some interesting matchups this week that will affect the typical defense/special teams rankings for your fantasy football leagues. With that in mind, here are two D/STs to start and two to sit for your Week 3 fantasy football lineups.

D/ST Starts

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have been playing well this season and are coming off a win against the Washington Commanders. The Chargers' defense had had a tale of two weeks as they finished as the D/ST4 in Week 1 and the overall D/ST28 last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacksonville is heading west for the game and Los Angeles has the benefit of playing at home. They shouldn’t put up as much of a threat as the Chiefs giving the Charges D/ST upside this week.

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

The Panthers have finished as the D/ST 29 and the D/ST22 over the first two weeks of the season. While these aren’t inspiring results, they face a Saints offense that has underperformed through the first two weeks of the year. The Tampa Bay D/ST just clobbered New Orleans to finish as the D/ST1 in Week 2 and even the Atlanta Falcons finished as the D/ST15 when they played the Saints in Week 1. You may not feel great about it, but the Carolina D/ST should be a solid play this week.

D/ST Sits

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

The Bills D/ST has been terrorizing opposing teams this season and they have finished as the overall D/ST3 in both of the first two weeks of the season. This week they matchup with the Miami Dolphins offense which is cause for concern. While this will be a tougher test than their game last week, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is coming off a game where he threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns. He did have two interceptions, but Tagovailoa heads into this game leading the NFL in passing yards and is tied for first with seven touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

The Ravens defense were the victims of the Tagovalioa game and finished as the D/ST16. While the Patriots aren’t blowing out teams this year, they are taking care of the football pretty well. The Baltimore secondary is banged up and New England is one of the best teams at controlling the pacing of the game. The Ravens D/ST is fine if you have to play them this week, but should be sat on your bench if possible.