Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season has come and gone. For fantasy managers disappointed in how their defense/special team units performed this week, we have a few options to consider that may be available on the waiver wire ahead of Week 2. Check out our favorite D/ST adds for Week 2:
Fantasy football waiver wire: D/ST pickups for Week 2
Green Bay Packers D/ST
Rostership: 50.2%
The Packers stuffed the Bears today. That 20-point finish that Chicago had is not indicative of the rest of the game — Green Bay held the Bears to two field goals in the first half and allowed one touchdown in the third and fourth quarters, with the fourth quarter TD coming in garbage time. The Packers beat up Chicago’s offensive line despite having several D-line starters missing. They recorded four sacks against Justin Fields and had seven tackles for loss. This trench warfare will come in handy as they attempt to stifle the Falcons’ run game next week.
Jaguars D/ST
Rostership: 26.3%
The Jags let the Colts hang around longer than necessary, but the defense ended up pulling this win out at the end. They stepped up in the second half of the game, and ended up with four sacks, six tackles for loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Defense was a weak point for Jacksonville last season, but they’ve clearly focused on addressing that in the offseason. The Jags take on a tough opponent in the Kansas City Chiefs next week, but after the Chiefs’ struggles in their opener against the Lions, this may be the Jags’ chance to show off their defensive improvements.
Bengals D/ST
Rostership: 26.4%
The Bengals were something of a mess today, but what may go overlooked in all that was an incredibly strong defensive performance in the first three quarters. The defense was the only reason that Cincinnati stayed in the game at all, as they held the Browns on drive after drive and allowed just a single touchdown in the first three quarters of the game. They recorded three sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery. The Bengals take on the Ravens next week, who will be missing JK Dobbins (Achilles). They will be locked on Lamar Jackson as their target in the run game, and should be able to put up another strong performance in the secondary.
Falcons D/ST
Rostership: 8.7%
The Falcons are barely rostered as they head into Week 2 against the Packers, but they did a solid job against Carolina in Week 1. Atlanta held the Panthers to 10 points in the first game of the season. They were all over Bryce Young and recorded four sacks as well as a fumble recovery. Jordan Love is still adjusting to his starting position in Green Bay, and while he did well against the Bears defense, he could still be caught on his heels with an aggressive approach here.